Why heater treater PMs deserve their own ticket type
A heater treater is a fired vessel separating oil, water, and gas under pressure. When it goes wrong, it can go very wrong — burner failure, hatch leak, regulator drift, fluid carryover. The ticket for a generic "site visit" isn't built to catch the things that matter for a heater treater. The ticket for a heater treater PM should be a different ticket type with its own required fields.
What a real heater treater PM ticket has to capture
1. Equipment identity
- Unit serial number — enforced field, ideally scanned via QR/barcode.
- Manufacturer + model — helps templates branch by vendor specifics.
- Vertical / horizontal — changes some of the visual checks.
- Fired / unfired — changes the burner/pilot section.
2. GPS at point of work
Captured on the device when the tech arrives — not typed in later from the dispatch sheet.
3. Burner + pilot status
- Pilot lit / not lit (photo required if "not lit").
- Burner condition (photo).
- Flame quality + color notes.
- Any soot, corrosion, or carbonization (photo).
4. Pressure + gas readings
- Inlet pressure, structured field with units.
- Outlet / discharge pressure, structured field with units.
- Gas reading at sample point.
- Temperature at vessel.
5. Hatch + safety check
- Thief hatch seal photo (closed, intact).
- PSV inspection note (linked PSV ticket if it's a separate scope).
- Any visible leaks (photo + description).
6. Fluid level + carryover
- Oil level + water level.
- Any signs of carryover into the gas line.
- Drain sample photo if applicable.
7. Signatures + close-out
- Tech signature.
- Customer signature where on-site, or witness photo on unmanned locations.
- Close-out gating: the ticket can't submit until all of the above are captured.
Scheduling and recurring PMs
Heater treater PMs are recurring work. Quarterly is common for low-pressure low-flow units; monthly is common for high-production or compliance-sensitive ones. The right way to handle this in your software is per-unit cadence, not per-route schedule — because units move and routes change.
ReliableTrack supports recurring jobs per unit with auto-generated tickets ahead of the next due date. The dispatch board shows them as upcoming so the office can plan the route. The tech in the field sees a normal ticket on the right day. No spreadsheet of due dates.
Compliance handoff
When an inspector asks for "the last twelve PMs on unit ABC-1234," the system has to be able to pull those tickets in under a minute, in order, with photos and readings intact. If your current tool can't do that, that's the gap.
This is the same close-out gating pattern I wrote about in the EPA-ready tickets playbook. Heater treaters are one of the places it pays off the most.
How it fits with the rest of your route
Most Permian operators don't only do heater treaters — you're also running BMS units, flares, PSVs, hatches, and inventory checks. Each of those is its own ticket type with its own field set. ReliableTrack handles all of them in one app, so the tech doesn't switch tools mid-day.
The full ROS operator story is in the case study. For the local Permian context, see the Permian Basin landing. For the broader oilfield page, see /oilfield.
FAQ
What should a heater treater PM ticket capture?+
At minimum: unit serial, GPS, pilot status, burner condition, hatch seal photo, gas reading at inlet/outlet, temperature reading, fluid level, any anomalies with photos, and tech + customer signatures.
How often should heater treaters be inspected?+
PM cadence varies by operator and production environment, but quarterly is common for low-pressure low-flow units and monthly is common for high-production or compliance-sensitive locations. Set the cadence per unit in your maintenance software, not per route.
Why use field service software instead of a paper PM checklist?+
Paper checklists don't enforce required fields, don't capture photos, don't timestamp GPS, and can't be searched two years later when an inspector asks. Field service software does all four by default if you set up the ticket type correctly.
Does ReliableTrack handle scheduling for recurring PMs?+
Yes. Recurring jobs can be set per unit with cadences, auto-generating tickets on the dispatch board ahead of the next due date.
Can I customize the PM ticket for my specific heater treater types?+
Yes. Templates are tailored to your business in 48 hours — different field sets for fired vs. unfired, vertical vs. horizontal, or by manufacturer if it matters to you.
Built for heater treater work — by a heater treater operator.
Tailored heater treater PM templates, close-out gating, recurring cadence. Live in 48 hours.