Maintenance Tips to Keep Industrial Heaters Running in Cold Weather

Proper and preventative maintenance is a crucial aspect to preventing downtime on industrial construction jobsites across all industries.

For customers with jobsites in Northern regions where there are cold climates and harsh operating conditions, industrial heater maintenance is extremely critical to maintaining continuous, uninterrupted operations, especially at remotely located jobsites.

Our team of equipment experts have come up with a checklist of maintenance tips to keep your indirect fired heaters, flameless heaters and hydronic industrial heaters running in cold weather:

Indirect Fired Industrial Heaters

Indirect fired heaters, or air heaters, are commonly chosen to heat industrial jobsites because of their ability to withstand tough blizzard and ice storm conditions, with select models being able to withstand up to 112/kph and operate in temperatures as low as -51 degrees Celsius.

Always ensure your indirect fired heater is ready to heat your jobsite in the most challenging cold weather conditions by performing the following winter maintenance steps:

• Replace the heater’s burner nozzle
• Check electrodes
• Check fuel filters
• Inspect fuel lines
• Ensure the pump pressure is correct
• Confirm the Cad Cell (photo eye) is working properly
• Ensure the CO/CO² readings are correct (ensure the heater is burning at the highest efficiency)
• Inspect the heat exchanger for cracks or heat stresses
• Ensure the limit and fan switches are working properly
• Service the engine
• Top up all fluids with appropriate winter-temperature rated fluid
• Inspect all hoses and belts

Flameless Industrial Heaters

Flameless heaters are a great industrial air heating option for potentially volatile applications where “no open flame” is a requirement, such as the oil and gas exploration, mining, construction and restoration industries.

Always ensure your flameless heaters are winter-ready to provide safe and efficient heat to your volatile jobsite by ensuring the following maintenance steps have been taken:

• Ensure the HTF (Heat Transfer Fluid) is new and to manufacturer specifications
• Confirm the inlet louvers are working properly
• Service the engine
• Top up all fluids with appropriate winter-temperature rated fluid
• Inspect all hoses and belts

Learn more about the many benefits of flameless heaters on industrial jobsites.

Hydronic Industrial Heaters

Hydronic heaters, or ground heaters, are built for rapidly, easily and cost-effectively thawing frozen ground, concrete curing, frost prevention, and providing temporary air heat during cold weather conditions on your industrial construction jobsite.

Get ready to heat up your jobsite’s ground by completing the following pre-winter maintenance steps:

• Replace burner nozzle
• Check electrodes
• Check fuel filters
• Inspect fuel lines
• Ensure the pump pressure is correct
• Confirm the Cad Cell (photo eye) is working properly
• Ensure the CO/CO² readings are correct (ensure the heater is burning at the highest efficiency)
• Clean out the burner box / inspect the turbulators
• Inspect burner door gasket
• Ensure the HTF (or Propylene Glycol) level is correct in the expansion tank
• Inspect hydronic heat hoses for cracks or holes – replace them if there are too many repairs
• Ensure the rewind motor is working properly
• Inspect hose reel brake for proper operation
• Ensure HTF pumps are working properly

Utilizing a pre-managed maintenance program

For busy project owners and teams with minimal time at-hand in the busy bustle of large-scale industrial operations, utilizing a pre-managed maintenance program is a great option to ensure industrial equipment like heaters are properly maintained throughout the year.

A pre-managed maintenance program ensures that regular service intervals are proactively scheduled in advance, and customers have maintenance kits at-hand onsite should an immediate maintenance issue arise.

Learn more about the advantages of Axiom’s Pre-Managed Maintenance and Parts Program.

In addition to offering a pre-managed maintenance and parts program, Axiom Equipment Group offers Equipment Application and Operational Training to equip teams with the knowledge and skills to troubleshoot any on-the-fly maintenance issues that arise onsite.

Topics that are covered in the Equipment Application and Operation Training typically include:

• Basic start-up, run-through and shutdown of equipment
• Operational instructions
• Maintenance and service
• Basic field service
• In-depth shop training
• Troubleshooting tips

Along with properly maintaining your industrial heaters for the season’s chilly months, preparing your team with equipment operation knowledge and skills is especially important when your team is working in remote locations where help may not be close by.

Conclusion

No industrial air, hydronic or flameless heater, no matter how high the quality of equipment is, will run continuously throughout the winter season unless properly prepared and serviced ahead of time.

“I would like to thank Axiom for their tremendous service. We had some heaters and gen sets this past winter on a big project and they all worked great with no problems. Their staff has been awesome to deal with, very prompt and professional, and their equipment has always been top notch and ready to work!”
– Brad Alberts, Assistant Division Manager, Big Country Electric Services

Axiom Equipment Group’s team has decades of combined experience in equipment rental, sales and service. Working with other internationally accredited organizations, we have the unique ability to provide on-demand products for sale and rent. With our large fleet of new, reliable, well-maintained site equipment, we can meet large project demands quickly and supply quality equipment for smaller projects cost-effectively. Ensure your jobsite keeps warm all winter and your crew isn’t left in the cold by contacting our team of equipment experts for your seasonal industrial heater servicing needs.

At Axiom Equipment Group, we believe in ZERO DOWNTIME so much that we stand behind it with a unique iron clad promise that combines a reliable equipment fleet with a rapid response program, around-the-clock availability, expert service and a financing option to fit every budget. Gain peace of mind knowing that if your equipment breaks down, we have the inventory to repair and replace it on the fly!