The availability of the Recovery boiler is critical to the continuous operation of a Kraft pulp and paper mills. Sootblowers play a crucial role to the safe and efficient operation of the boiler. These sootblowers are operated on a continuous basis. The lack of availability of any critical blowers for an extended period of time leads to heavy fouling of the heat transfer surfaces and the eventual plugging of the flue gas passes. This tip addresses the best practices for the operation and maintenance of these pieces of equipment. It provides a window into common areas for problems and some general suggestions to avoid them. It covers in general some of the crucial components and subcomponents of a sootblower. General recommendations of what to do and what NOT to do when it comes to the proper and safe operation sootblowers is covered. The owners should always consult their O&M manuals and the manufacturers for specific details on their equipment. This TIP does not provide any design standards, critical operating parameters or guidelines for acceptance criteria when it comes to inspection. It is not the intent of the TIP to provide detailed welding procedures. It is expected that welds meet at the qualifications for ASME section IX This TIP is meant to serve as a reference to owners/users of sootblowers. It is not the intent of this TIP to evaluate or compare designs of different sootblower models.