Blanket Maintenance 3: Can I service and reuse blankets?

How often does your maintenance crew ask: What are the best ways to maintain thermal blankets? Are blankets reusable? Let's answer these questions to keep your team informed.

Thermal blankets: Are they easy to service and reuse?

Great news! Aletek blankets are easy to reuse and have a long lifespan when well maintained. Our superior design, manufacturing and fit-for-purpose materials make our blankets durable. With features like quick-fit springs for consistent tension, Aletek blankets are easy to remove and reinstall. It is essential to assess the lagging condition before refitting damaged, contaminated, or ineffective sections.

When reinstalling thermal lagging, consider:

1. Assess blanket condition; check for damage, excessive wear, or missing springs
2. Replace blankets contaminated with oil, diesel or coolant to prevent fires
3. Replace damaged and missing blanket sections
4. To ensure fire barrier integrity, install lagging correctly and maximise coverage
5. Yellow or white dust on engines may be hexavalent chromium Cr(VI); wear suitable PPE and follow safety procedures

Blanket maintenance: Tips for your crew

With regular maintenance and an understanding of blanket care techniques, your crew can keep blankets in great shape. Mistreatment and third-party product exposure may shorten the product lifespan. Installation and removal are easy with quick-fit springs, and our blankets don't have foil lining, which can bake onto turbos.

Scheduled servicing for thermal lagging

For maximum durability, inspect and adjust blankets regularly. To help you with maintenance, we've compiled a service checklist. You can find this handy resource in our Blankets Install Guide. For an ongoing fire mitigation strategy, Aletek recommends monthly visual inspections.

Tips for silica and foil lagging

You should be aware that silica-based (Aletek) and foil-based thermal insulation products exist. Both styles of blankets have their pros and cons. Although foil-style lagging can be wiped clean, crews should be aware that this type of insulation can allow the pooling of flammable fluids, which can lead to fires. Silica-based blankets don't allow fluid pooling but may absorb liquids on the inside layer, creating a fire hazard. It's time to replace silica blankets once they've absorbed flammable fluids. They've done their job.

Learnings: How to maintain and reuse blankets

Maintaining and reusing thermal blankets has taught us a few things. Regular inspections are essential to assess blankets' effectiveness as a fire barrier. Check lagging setups for maximum coverage, fix gaps, and replace missing springs.

Replace blankets contaminated with flammable fluids, excessively worn, or damaged. The inside of Aletek blankets is absorbent, so they've done their job and should be replaced once soaked. Pooling can happen when blankets don't absorb fluids, creating a potential fire risk.

It's not worth compromising safety or neglecting fit-for-purpose by pushing a product past its use-by date. Doing this with blankets is like driving with bald tyres.

Your Next Steps

Is your fleet due for a health check? Aletek recommends an annual fleet audit report to assess thermal lagging conditions and heat critical engine and exhaust components.

Here are some essential resources for your crew:

• Installation and user guides are available for blankets
• Assess blanket condition with our quick reference cheat sheets
• Invest in your maintenance personnel by asking us about training

We would be happy to answer any questions your team may have. Aletek is committed to providing your team with the expertise you need to succeed.