Asphalt Plant Start-Up Tips to Begin the 2026 Construction Season

HMA plant start-up tips for the 2026 season

To keep the hot-mix asphalt (HMA) plant in top operating condition, it’s important not to rush or skip start-up steps. Here’s a quick guide to supplement the longer pre-check article found in the January issue and to walk your team through getting your asphalt plant running properly for a profitable summer.

First and foremost, think safety. It’s easy to get complacent after a long hiatus. Refresh yourself and your team on safety procedures before getting back to work.

If you didn’t change oil in all of the gearboxes when shutting down at the end of 2025’s season, do that now. Pay attention to any signs of water or metal shavings, which indicate damage.

Take the time for a thorough inspection. Visually inspect the components, looking for worn cables, broken water lines, damaged refractory tubes, and loose or missing shields. Work your way through the plant, checking for anything that’s worn, damaged, loose or missing after it’s been sitting idle during the winter:

• Start with the drive belts, looking for frayed spots and cracks, as well as checking the tension and alignment. Ensure it matches the owner’s manual.
• Then move to the sheaves, checking for cracks, chips or broken edges.
• Also look over the conveyor belts to ensure there’s no stretching, cuts or excessive wear. Also check that the drive pulley’s lagging is intact.

Run through all of the gates, such as the cold feed gates pictured here, ensuring correct operation for silo gates, gob hopper gates and drag conveyor bypass gates, etc.

Change the oils. If you didn’t change oil in all of the gearboxes when shutting down at the end of 2025’s season, do that now. Pay attention to any signs of water or metal shavings, which indicate damage. Also replace the air compressor crankcase oil and any airline oils.

Keep all the parts moving with some testing. When moving parts don’t do what they should, the whole operation will suffer:

• Test the venturi gates, watching that they close completely.
• Check the spray nozzles and, if they’re clogged or broken, clean or replace them.
• Run through all of the gates, as well, ensuring correct operation for the silo gates, cold feed bin gates, gob hopper gates and drag conveyor bypass gates.
• Test the limit switch paddles and then move on to the controls, making sure the indicators and switches all operate properly.

While many start-up maintenance items can be handled by ground personnel and in-house technicians, know when to call a professional for assistance. Have a qualified service tech come in to tune the burner. This is something you want to do at least once, if not twice a year, as routine maintenance. This is the new ADM EX 300 burner.

Also check the alignment of the plant frame. If necessary, level it to ensure the least amount of trunnion wear.

Finally, know when to call a professional for assistance. Have a qualified service tech come in to tune the burner. This is something you want to do at least once, if not twice a year, as routine maintenance.

Mike Devine is the president of ADM FAYAT Group. For more information, please visit https://www.admasphaltplants.com/ex-series/