Erin Hungate

As 2025 comes to an end, BFS Industries looks back on the year with pride and excitement for the future. Below, we share our highlights across the business.

1. Best-Selling Product: ZER-O-PAC Deaerators
For the second year in a row the ZER-O-PAC Deaerator line is No. 1 product at BFS Industries. More specifically, the MS spray type deaerator took first place. Two examples of this type include:

What makes the ZER-O-PAC line so special is that BFS Industries can customize any of our deaerator sizes to suit your specific needs. This expertise gives you maximum flexibility when you come to us to design your deaerator system.

Learn more: How Spray Type Deaerators Work

2. Our Team of Experts
This year, BFS Industries continued to strengthen our industry expertise and internal processes by celebrating several milestone employee anniversaries and hiring a new accounting manager, Chris Murray.

Chris boasts 20+ years of experience in finance and accounting, including several years as a business owner himself. Before joining BFS Industries, he served as the Controller and subsequently the CFO for a small conglomerate that primarily focused on manufacturing stainless-steel equipment for the beverage industry.

BFS Industries is proud to retain such a dedicated, talented team. We recognize the following employees for milestone anniversaries in 2025:

30 Years (1995-2025)
Jim Samborsky

20 Years (2005-2025)
Steve Hite
Ken McIlhenny
Shannon Lyman

10 Years (2015-2025)
Quincy Hargrove
Jay Nesbit
Ken Still

Learn more: The BFS Industries Team

3. New Shop Upgrades
The BFS Industries shop received some updates in 2025. First, we added a CNC machine to enhance the quality and turnaround time of our control panel fabrication. Second, we put in several Big Ass Fans to keep our guys cooler in the summer months.

4. Complete Boiler Systems Golf Tournament Sponsorship
In June, BFS Industries sponsored the Complete Boiler Systems’ 23rd annual golf tournament to benefit the Ulman Foundation, which supports young-adult cancer patients. We’ve proudly sponsored the tournament for more than 20 years. Mike Monville and Matt Lemons represented BFS Industries at the tournament.

“I’ve been with BFS for three years now, and this was my first time representing the company at an event like this,” said Matt Lemons. “It was a fantastic opportunity to connect and have meaningful conversations with key people in our industry.”

We look forward to sponsoring next year’s tournament and adding several more exciting events to our calendar!

Partner with BFS Industries in 2026
Our team is excited for the new opportunities that await in 2026 with our representatives and customers. If you’re looking for boiler feed systems and deaerators in the new year, contact us to learn more about our products.

What is NPSH, and why is it important for boiler feed pump applications?

Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) is a critical design factor in any system utilizing pumps, especially when pumping hot liquids. System NPSH is to be evaluated by comparing the “available” head to the “required” head. The experts at BFS Industries are here to discuss these two components below.

NPSH Required (NPSHR)
The NPSH required (NPSHR) is a function of the pump and is flow dependent. The NPSHR of the pump (normally expressed in feet for US applications) is the minimum suction head required to keep the pumped liquid in the liquid phase as it enters the pump, and prevent it from turning to a vapor.

The NPSHR represents the head loss at the pump inlet as the liquid enters the pump suction connection and is directed into the eye of the impeller. There are pressure drops during this change in flow path that need to be compensated for in the system design to prevent cavitation and potential pump failure.

For a specific pump model/size, the NPSHR increases as the pump flow increases. For example, a pump may have a flow rate range of 30 gpm to 60 gpm. The NPSHR of this pump will be lower at a 30 gpm flow rate and will increase as the flow approaches the 60 gpm flow rate.

NPSH Available (NPSHA)
The NPSH available (NPSHA) value is a function of the installation configuration and environmental factors not related to the pump itself. Some of these include:

The static head of liquid measured from the pump inlet to the water line in the tank
Friction losses in the suction piping
Temperature of the liquid
Vapor pressure of the liquid
Atmospheric pressure at the installation location
Pressure in the supply tank (if not atmospheric)

In all design cases, it is important that the NPSHA is greater than the NPSHR. Stay tuned for a future post where we look at NPSH calculations and the effect that the temperature of the liquid has on the NPSHA.

Custom Packaged Deaerator/Boiler Feed Systems from BFS Industries
Letting BFS Industries design your deaerator and boiler feed system is the best way to ensure that you will experience long-term, trouble-free operation. Contact us to get started on your custom solutions.

Every year since 1991, BFS Industries has held a company-wide pig pickin’ in September or October. This year, the 35th annual pig pickin’ was hosted on October 25, 2025, at BFS Industries. This event is cooked in tradition, with a serious food lineup, awards, and fun for members of the whole family.

Diane Frances has been the head planner and coordinator of the event since 1996, a year after she joined the company. Her daughter-in-law, Amber, also joined BFS in 2016 and started helping Diane as a co-planner and coordinator in 2019.

“The goal of the pig pickin’ is to celebrate all of BFS’ accomplishments and to bring everyone’s families and friends together,” said Diane. “We can all meet, talk, and socialize outside of the work environment, even though we are still at BFS.”

True to its name, the pig pickin’ itself is a highlight and part of the event’s history. “For the first probably 30 pig pickins’, one of our employees, Howard Shaw, always cooked the pig,” said Diane. “He retired a few years back, but Ken McIlhenny had been helping for the past 10 years or so and has taken over cooking the pig. Bernice Williams was with BFS for 30 years and cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, and Italian sausage.”

Since Bernice retired, the famous in-house “Cook Position” hasn’t been replaced, but Gillis Catering out of Rougemount, NC, has done a great job providing fried and barbeque chicken, as well as sides such as mac and cheese, potatoes, slaw, baked beans, hush puppies, and green beans.

“Dan Weldon, a long-time employee, always leads a blessing before we start our wonderful feast,” said Diane. “He is our resident pastor and does this before we have any meal here at BFS.”

After dinner, Tom Garbarino, BFS Industries president, recognizes employee anniversaries with a well thought-out speech.

“As we approach our 80th year anniversary, the key to our success has always been our people,” said Tom. “We appreciate the loyalty and dedication of the entire BFS team and take time during our annual pig pickin’ to recognize milestone years of service. This year we were fortunate to recognize seven members of the BFS family for their many years of great service. Congrats to all – BFS appreciates your valuable contribution to our success!”

This year, these employees were recognized for milestone awards:

30 Years (1995-2025)
Jim Samborsky

20 Years (2005-2025)
Steve Hite
Ken McIlhenny
Shannon Lyman

10 Years (2015-2025)
Quincy Hargrove
Jay Nesbit
Ken Still

The employees with anniversaries received a plaque in appreciation for their service and a gift.

The event is fun for family members of all ages. Kids are entertained with a bounce house and face painting. There was also an ice cream truck passing out ice cream cones, cups, and pre-frozen treats – an idea from Michael Garbarino that Diane said was a “huge hit.” Lastly, many vendors donate gift cards and gifts, which are handed out to guests via a drawing.

After the dinner and awards, the employees end the night with a final tradition – a toast with a shot of Gentleman Jack.

“This was one of our Dad’s favorite whiskeys,” shared Diane. “So we ask that anyone who would like to participate may join us in having a toast to our Dad in honor of him and his memory.”

A big thanks to Diane and Amber for another fun pig pickin’!

For 26 years, Dan Weldon our dedicated Electrical Schematic Designer, has been an invaluable part of the BFS family. His journey with us began in the field as a panel fabricator, giving him a hands-on understanding of our systems. Today, he works closely with our engineers to design solutions that are not only functional but also practical and easy for our teams to maintain in the field.

Dan shared some of the wisdom he’s gained over the years: “During my first five years working as a panel fabricator, I had the opportunity to physically build control panels from nothing more than a box of parts. That experience became the foundation for everything I do today. When I transitioned into designing systems, I already understood how they came together in the real world. It taught me that the best designs don’t just look good on paper—they have to be practical, buildable, and reliable.”

He also shared a memorable anecdote from his early days: “When I first started working at BFS, I was in the office one day and there was a young boy, 11-12 years old, running through the office. I asked my boss who he was, to which he replied, ‘Be nice to him, he’s going to be your boss one day.’ Turns out it was a young Michael Garbarino. Truer words have never been spoken.”

When he’s not designing, Dan enjoys traveling with his wife, spending time with family, fly fishing, video games, oil painting, and tending to his family farm.

Next time you see Dan, ask him about his unique desk! It was built from our company’s pipework, with components from both oil and water systems integrated throughout. The work surface is the office door of the late Bob Garbarino, making it a fitting tribute and a fantastic workspace. Finished in flat black and distressed copper, the desk has a distinct steampunk feel.

We’re so grateful for Dan’s years of dedication and commitment to our company. Thank you for everything you do, Dan!

Deaerators are a critical part of any steam boiler room. Once the deaerator does its job and the dissolved gases are removed from the boiler feedwater, what happens to those dissolved gases?

All deaerators must have a venting system that exhausts the corrosive gases to the atmosphere in order to operate properly and complete the deaeration process.

The deaerator vent operation utilizes steam to act as a carrier gas as it flows toward the low pressure internal vent condenser area, carrying the dissolved gases with the steam flow.

Most deaerators are equipped with a manual vent valve. Typically, this is a gate valve with an orifice drilled through the gate. This ensures that the vent line can never be fully closed off, preventing proper venting. The orifice is sized based on the deaerator capacity and anticipated steam flow through the tank.

Also read: Why Do Steam Systems Need a Deaerator?

Deaerator Vent Pipe Installation and Sizing
Designing deaerator vent lines properly is key to keeping your system working efficiently and troubleshooting any issues. Once the vent flow leaves the deaerator, the vent pipe should be installed as vertically as possible and also as short of a run of pipe as possible. If the vent pipe is too long, the deaerator vent steam can condense and block the flow path. In cases where a horizontal run is necessary, we recommend including a drip leg and trap to get rid of any condensate that can build up in the horizontal pipe run.

A good rule of thumb: If you are venting properly, you should see a 2- to 3-foot high steam plume where the vent pipe exits the building.

How to Calculate Deaerator Vent Rate
The normal vent rate for a deaerator is ½% of the steam flow going into the deaerator. For example, for a 100,000 #/hr deaerator, the steam flow required to heat and deaerate the incoming water based on 100% cold makeup at 50˚ F is approximately 15,600 #/hr. So, ½% of this flow is 78 #/hr. As you can see, it does not take a lot of vent steam to do the job.

Custom-Designed Deaerators from BFS Industries
Letting BFS Industries design your deaerator system is the best way to ensure you have the right kind of deaerator venting system to meet your needs. Our ZER-O-PAC deaerators are the only line on the market to include all three types of deaerators, giving you the most flexibility. Contact us to get started on your custom solutions.

Insights + Events

Erin Hungate

Footer

Follow Us