How Often Should A Boiler Be Serviced in the UAE?

All of these conditions impact a boiler in certain measurable ways.

• A high ambient temperature increases the heat load to the boiler casing and lagging.
• Salty air causes more rapid corrosion of fittings and valve stems
• Dust builds up on the burner air intakes and in the combustion chambers.
• Most industrial boilers in the UAE are under non-stop operation, with power generation stations, water desalination, oil and gas production, and the marine industries running 24/7.

How Often Should A Boiler Be Serviced? (Quick Answer)

Most of the industrial & marine boilers in the UAE require the following:

• Daily checks to be performed by the vessel's or plant's engineers; this is unavoidable
• Weekly checks to include burner status, water treatment, and safety valve examination
• Monthly checks to include all controls, instrumentation, and feedwater system performance.
• Quarterly boiler servicing includes an in-depth evaluation of combustion, the condition of tubes, and refractory integrity.
• An annual boiler survey is a complete inspection - usually in accordance with classification society rules for marine boilers, or lawful requirements for industrial plant

For an initial installation, how often should a new boiler be serviced is a different scenario. An inspection of the new boiler needs to be carried out between three to six months after the initial switch-on to ensure it is operating properly, water chemistry is maintained as well as to ensure that no installation faults have appeared under pressure and temperature conditions.

Recommended Boiler Service Schedule (UAE Standard)

The following schedule presents the recommended best practices for industrial and marine boilers under UAE conditions. Note that these intervals can be altered according to the recommendations of the manufacturer, classification society, and regulatory requirements.

Daily Checks

Ship engineers and plant operators are responsible for the regular checks.

• Check that the water level is in the operating range and that the gauge is functioning correctly.
• Ensure that steam pressure is within the operating range.
• View through the sight glass to see that the flame is stable and clean.
• Perform bottom and surface blowdown according to the water treatment schedule.
• Ensure that alarms are alive and no fault conditions are present.
• Check flow rate and pump pressure.

Weekly Maintenance

Weekly checks require a deep knowledge of the boiler system.

• Test pH, TDS, dissolved oxygen & chloride content, adjust dosing if necessary.
• Lift and reset the safety valve manually to check that it is not sticking.
• Check for build-up of deposits and wear of the burner and atomiser.
• Check for any signs of external leakage, corrosion, or damaged lagging.
• Review the operational data recorded during the past week for anomalies.

Monthly Inspection

These are performed by the chief engineer or an expert technician.

• Check the calibration of the control system and instrumentation.
• Condition of the feedwater heater and deaerator.
• Expansion joints and flanged connections for leakage or movement.
• The condition of insulation and cladding, this is very important in the humid environment of the UAE coast.
• Condition of the economiser tube surfaces and the fouling on the water and gas sides.

Quarterly Service

This stage involves a specialist engineer for plants or vessels operating as per the regulations or the classification society

• Measure combustion efficiency and flue gas consumption
• Cleaning and inspection of the burner head
• Look for hotspots, cracking, or spalling
• Conduct a safety valve bench test, if accessible
• Reviewing tube condition trend data and water treatment records

Annual Boiler Service

This service, carried out annually, includes a complete survey of the equipment. For marine boilers, this conforms to class survey intervals. For an industrial plant, this will satisfy statutory requirements in the UAE HSE.

• Internal examination of the drum, tubes, tube sheet, deposits, and corrosion
• Boiler tube and drum shell ultrasonic thickness test
• Hydrostatic pressure test
• Full burner maintenance (igniter, flame sensor, control linkages)
• Refractory examination and repair if necessary
• Safety valve test and certification
• Instrument calibration (pressure gauges, temperature transmitters, level transmitters)

Learn More: What Is Annual Boiler Service and Why It’s Important?

UAE Boiler Regulations & Safety Compliance

The UAE Occupational Health and Safety legislation and emirate-level authorities specify the requirements for pressure vessel inspection and certification in the case of an onshore industrial plant.

In the case of free zone operations, facilities may also be required to comply with the particular HSE requirements of the zone authority. In practical terms, an annual inspection from an accredited third-party inspection authority is mandatory, with an associated certificate being required to be kept up to date.

Marine vessels are surveyed under the framework defined by the relevant Classification Society, such as Lloyd's Register, DNV, Bureau Veritas, and so on, in combination with Flag State regulations.

Boiler surveys fall into the continuous survey cycle with a defined scope, and failure to maintain survey status will result in the vessel's certificate being revoked and the vessel being detained.

Signs Your Boiler Needs Immediate Servicing

• Steam pressure that fluctuates without any change of load or fuel input.
• Unexpected noises from any part of the boiler shell, tubes, or burner - knocking, rumbling or hissing.
• A rise in the amount of fuel required to produce the same output of steam.
• A dirty or coloured gauge glass - cloudiness or deposits indicate issues with the quality of water.
• Recurring trip alarms that immediately reset but trip again within seconds of being reset.
• Leaking steam or water visible from any part of the boiler system.
• Smoke or unusual coloured smoke coming from the boiler exhaust - white, black, or yellow.
• Boiler unable to maintain working pressure at normal load.

Any of these signs calls out for an immediate inspection. And more than one sign is an indication of a serious warning.

Learn More: When Your Boiler Needs Immediate Servicing?

What Happens During a Professional Boiler Service?

• The engineer reviews boiler history, past service reports, alarm log, water treatment results, etc., before any physical contact with the equipment.
• Casing, fittings, valves, pipework, insulation, and expansion joints are examined for signs of corrosion, leaks, and mechanical condition.
• Drum entry to inspect tube surfaces, tube sheets, baffles and the general state of any internal deposits. Tube wall thickness testing is carried out by means of an ultrasonic tester.
• Full strip down of the burner, examination of the atomiser, checking of the igniter and flame detector, and carrying out of combustion analysis.
• All gauges, level controls and safety devices checked for calibration and operation.
• A sample of the boiler water is analysed to check the present dosing regime.
• Furnace lining examined for cracking, spalling and hot spots.
• The boiler returned to normal working pressure under monitored conditions.
• Full written service report detailing all findings, remedial action and recommended future works.

Learn More: What Does a Boiler Service Include? Industrial & Marine Boiler Guide

Risks of Skipping Boiler Maintenance

• Scale deposit on the tube walls decreases heat transfer efficiency, leads to higher fuel usage and in the long term to overheated/failed tubes.
• Corrosion due to improper water treatment will continue undetected until it reaches a wall thickness less than the required minimum; in this case, it will need to be replaced.
• Refractory damage that is left unattended allows combustion temperature to enter the boiler shell, eventually leading to structural failure.
• If the safety valve fails to operate because it wasn't tested then the highest pressure protection on the system may not work as intended. It's both a compliance issue and a real safety issue.
• The operation of a non-certified boiler in the UAE is a non-compliance issue.

Learn More: What to Do During a Marine Boiler Emergency Near Dubai, UAE Port

Benefits of Regular Boiler Servicing

• A clean and properly calibrated burner with scale-free surfaces ensures efficient heat transfer.
• Fault identification and rectification before a major fault occurs increases the life of the boiler and other fittings.
• Scheduled inspections ensure the class and regulatory certificates are kept updated without a last-minute rush.
• Most failures have a detectable failure or a failure indication. A scheduled service finds this.
• Planned maintenance is cheaper than a breakdown. Spares bought on planned maintenance (in advance) are cheaper than spares required urgently.

Boiler Servicing Cost in the UAE

Prices for boiler servicing in the UAE will depend on the type and size of the boiler, how old it is and what needs to be done to it. A basic annual service on a small industrial boiler will cost less than a survey on a large marine auxiliary boiler.

Routine boiler service visits (monthly or quarterly) to smaller boilers may cost anything from a few hundred to a few thousand dirhams; this varies according to requirements and distance to travel.

Mid-size industrial boiler annual services, involving internal boiler survey, boiler burner overhaul and relevant documentation, may cost several thousand dirhams.

Marine boiler annual surveys, with class documentation, appropriate pressure tests, possibly with retubing if necessary, can vary as per boiler type

Why Choose a Professional Boiler Service Company in the UAE

A daily and weekly check by a plant engineer or marine engineer aboard ship is a sufficient form of maintenance, but for the annual service, quarterly inspection, or diagnosis of faults, one must be a certified, equipped and experienced specialist.

• Certified engineers, working under a recognised classification society and according to the approved welding and inspection procedures.
• Knowledge of both marine and industrial boiler types, namely: fire-tube, water-tube, auxiliary boilers, economisers, and HRSGs.
• Own diagnostic and testing equipment (e.g. Ultrasonic thickness gauges, combustion analysers, calibrated pressure test rigs).
• Provision of class and regulatory required documented service reports.
• Presence within the UAE, enabling mobilisation to sites and ports anywhere throughout the GCC.
• Proven record of successful completion of projects in the marine, Oil & Gas, power, and Petrochemical industries.

AM Boilers is a professional boiler service company based in Dubai for over 20 years, and has successfully delivered more than 3,000 projects to marine and industrial clients in the area. The company employs more than 110 engineers covering everything from standard annual maintenance to emergency repairs, including inspection, retubing, refractory repair and spare parts from one point of contact.