Heat exchanger repair cost
Heat exchanger repair cost follows what the strip down finds inside the unit. Send the nameplate and what has happened, and a specialist who works on that type will come back to you. Coverage is UK wide.
Tell us about your heat exchanger repair cost
Five answers, all from memory. The detail comes next, and it is optional.
See the privacy notice for how these details are handled.
What a repair costs, by problem
It has failed or is leaking
Fluids mixing, a leak at the unit, or one that will not hold pressure.
Emergency repair →Losing dutyPerformance has dropped
Higher pressure drop, a wider approach temperature, or a duty it no longer reaches.
Cleaning options →PlannedA service or shutdown is coming
Planned maintenance, an outage window, or a spare that needs to be ready.
Servicing options →UnsureNot sure what is wrong
Send the nameplate and what you have noticed. That is enough to get an answer.
Send the details →What decides the cost
Heat exchanger repair cost on industrial plant is decided by what the strip down finds, not by the symptom reported. A gasket set and a retube are different orders of magnitude on the same unit, which is why no price is published here. These pages cover plate packs, tube bundles, condensers and calorifiers on process and utility duties, not domestic boilers. These are the things that move the figure.
- What has actually failed, which a gasket, a cracked plate and a corroded shell answer very differently
- The unit type and size, since a plate pack and a tube bundle are different jobs
- How many plates or tubes need replacing, which is only known once it is opened
- Parts availability, which on older or discontinued models is often the real driver
- Whether the work is done on site or at a workshop
How to get a real figure
Send the nameplate and the fault
Make, model and serial number, plus what has happened. Most of the cost drivers can be narrowed down from that alone.
The assessment is quoted first
The one thing that can be priced before the unit is opened is the assessment itself, which is the honest way round.
Then the scope, then the price
Once the condition is known, the work can be quoted properly rather than estimated and revised.
Repair against replacement
If the numbers favour replacement, that is said at this point rather than after money has been spent on a repair.
What makes one repair dearer than another
The pressure envelope and the code it was built to
Shell, frame and channel work is the expensive end, because that is the fabricated and certified part. Where a unit sits under a written scheme of examination, weld repair also has to satisfy the competent person, which shapes the method as well as the price. Gaskets, plates and tubes are consumables by comparison.
Plate and tube count
Plates are the costly component in a plate unit. Where enough of them fail inspection, the arithmetic starts to favour a replacement unit.
Access, permits and downtime
Getting a unit out of a plant room or off a pipe rack, the permits that go with it, and the production lost while it is away are frequently larger numbers than the repair itself.
Whether the cause is fixed
A repair that leaves the cause in place is bought again on the same schedule, which is the most expensive outcome of all.
Heat exchanger repair cost questions
Does this cover domestic or combi boiler heat exchangers?
No. This is industrial and commercial plant: plate packs, shell and tube units, condensers, calorifiers and process coolers. A boiler heat exchanger in a house is a different trade, and a heating engineer is the right person for it.
How much does it cost to repair a heat exchanger?
There is no useful general figure, because a gasket set and a retube are different orders of magnitude on the same unit. What can be established early is the cost of the assessment, and from there a firm quotation follows.
Why are heat exchangers so expensive?
The pressure retaining parts are precision fabrications in materials chosen for the duty, often stainless, duplex or titanium, and they are built and certified to pressure equipment standards. That fabrication cost is also why repairing a sound shell or frame usually beats replacing the whole unit.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a heat exchanger?
Usually repair, because the shell or frame is the expensive fabrication and a repair keeps it. The arithmetic turns once that part is itself corroded, or once the plates or tubes failing inspection approach the cost of a new unit.
How long does a repair take?
Duration follows the scope, and the scope follows the assessment. Parts availability is often the constraint rather than the labour, particularly on older models. Any duration offered before the unit is opened is an estimate.
Can you quote from a photograph?
A photograph of the nameplate narrows it down a long way and is worth sending. A photograph cannot replace the assessment, because cost is driven by what the strip down finds, not by what the outside looks like.