Biomass boilers maintenance is similar with gas fired boiler maintenance, biomass boiler have greater maintenance requirements than fossil fuelled boilers. The boiler manufacturer’s representative or boiler installer will usually carry out an annual maintenance which will include a full internal and external inspection of the boiler, the replacement of worn components (particularly grate components on moving grate boilers), lubrication and cleaning. The main maintenance interventions required by the user at regular intervals are a weekly visual inspection, emptying of the ash bin, greasing of induced draft fan bearings and manual brushing of the flue ways.

If automatic flue cleaning is installed a significant reduction in biomass fired boiler downtime and in maintenance time is possible, reducing manual flue cleaning from a weekly to a 6-monthly exercise. The cleaning system comprises a series of compressed air jets or nozzles installed on the ends of the flue ways which are pulsed in succession at regular intervals to blow soot from the boiler. This happens automatically while the boiler is operation. The system requires a small compressed air supply in the boiler house.