Closed System Dosing, Testing & Flushing

Closed System Dosing

4i Water Services carries out pre-commissioning and flushing to BSRIA BG/11 for LTHW and chilled systems. All 4i WS chemicals used will be suitably chosen for the system which include biocides, dispersants, oxide removers and bio-dispersants.

BSRIA BG29/12 Pre Commissioning Cleaning of New Pipework Systems:

New commercial Heating/Cooling/Condenser pipe work systems are installed within British Standard specifications and comply to design criteria, this is crucial to ensure that they operate within their design parameters and operate efficiently.

New systems lean towards “green energy” and higher efficiency systems due to the UK's commitment to lowering its CO2 footprint by 2020, coupled with rising fuel costs that consumers and businesses are faced with. Although there are usually high upfront costs to installing these systems the payback time is usually justified.

However, these systems are only able to deliver the savings and operate within their lifespan if they are:

- Designed correctly and fit for purpose

- Installed correctly

- Cleaned & commissioned correctly

- Maintained correctly

Failing any of the four above mentioned items will result in poor system performance, reduced system lifetime and longer payback time, in some cases none at all.

The final commissioning costs are relatively very low, when compared to the design and installation of plant. They are in fact however just as crucial. Unfortunately in many cases it is either through lack of understanding or budgetary constraints that this phase of the works can be neglected, or not executed correctly.

To ensure pipeline systems are commissioned correctly, the Building Services Research and Information Centre (BSRIA) first published guidance in the early 1990s.

Since then BSRIA has produced revisions to this publication, with the most recent in 2012 (please see attached to this document).

The revisions have come from feedback from engineers in the field and from laboratory trends.

The publication (BG 29/2012) focuses on the correct scope of pre-commissioning chemical cleaning of new installations, in brief to ensure that they:

  • Are designed to facilitate the removal of installation contaminants. 
  • Provide guidance on successfully cleansing the system, both from microbiological, chemical and foreign object contaminants. 
  • Removal of dirt and air on an on-going basis. 
  • Maintained water treatment regimes. 

At 4i Water Services, we have a wealth of experience when it comes to pre commissioning chemical cleaning of new pipework systems ranging from: Hospitals, Offices, Schools and Pharmaceutical sectors. We have also been heavily involved in large District Heating scheme projects.

Some of our clients include:

  • Vital energi Utilities Ltd 
  • E.on Substainable Energy 
  • Galliford Try 
  • Scientific Lesser 

We have a range of temporary pumps & filtration plant, along with a vast selection of high quality tried and tested chemical formulations that enable us to provide you with the correct level of service you require, to enable you to complete your project to a high standard, on time every time. Our workforce has a flexible approach too, as we understand within the construction industry not everything goes as planned, so we work with our clients to help deliver projects with minimal fuss.

Terminal unit strainer removal, debris removed from Heating.

Aged System Chemical Cleaning

To limit the production of greenhouse gases (GHG) resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels and the impact of global warming, it is essential to use energy as efficiently as possible. It's estimated that 40% of domestic energy is used to heat homes and around 45% to heat commercial property in the UK, so even a small increase in efficiency of the production and distribution of heat will significantly reduce GHG emissions.

Carbon Trust has identified some limiting factors namely that of scale build up on the inside of central heating radiators and heat exchangers, and the presence of hydrogen gas in radiators that severely impairs the efficiency of a heating system.

It is common practice to flush and treat systems upon installation; however new systems if not treated after installation can lose up to 6% efficiency in 3 weeks! (Carbon Trust).
 

Systems that are not treated at least annually (commercial systems should be a minimum of Bi-Annually) will soon begin to suffer from corrosion and scale formation, gassing can occur and in some cases microbiological proliferation. All of this can see up to as much as 30-40% reduction in system efficiency on severely sludged and fouled systems.
 

At 4i we have identified to our clients that sometimes the smaller, less expensive costs of chemically cleaning and de-sludging aged heating/chilled/condenser systems can have as much as an impact in overall savings and CO2 reduction when compared to the cost of new expensive controls or boilers for example.

We offer our clients a “system health check” service, whereby we review the current condition of the system water and pipework, thermal imagery and if required metallurgical analysis of system pipework to establish system lifespan and its suitability for chemical de-sludge.

For some systems it may only be possible to add a filter aid product along with temporary filters and magnets, in some cases installed side stream filter units.

The above enables us to formulate a bespoke method for our clients to restore aged sludged systems, resulting in:

  • Increased system performance
  • Lower Gas bills
  • Increased system life which avoids expensive system replacement and capital outlay
  • Reduced breakdown and repairs
  • Better distribution of heat throughout buildings, thus protecting building materials from damp ect.
  • Reduced CO2 footprint

If you have noticed cold spots on your radiator or are experiencing circulation problems with your system, then please call and we can arrange for a consultant to visit your building and discuss with you the options available.

Closed System Sampling & Monitoring

On the 30th November 2012 BS 8552 was released; this Standard addresses:

"Sampling and monitoring of water from building services closed systems. Code of practice"

BS 8552:2012 addresses the particular issues of sampling water from closed-circuit heating, cooling systems in buildings and related infrastructure. Construction, pressure testing, pre-commission cleaning and commissioning to routine operation. The purpose of sampling a closed-circuit water system is to provide information about the current condition of that system and/or the water within it. That might include, but is not limited to, water treatment status, water quality, bacteriological contamination and corrosion activity. Confidence in the results obtained, which are crucially dependent on consistent sampling and analysis protocols, is extremely important to industry.

BS 8552:2012 gives recommendations for the design of the sampling programme during each phase of the system lifecycle, including the location and suitability of sampling points, frequency of sampling and recordkeeping, to facilitate the control of closed system water quality throughout the life of the building.

It also gives guidance on:

Procedures for the collection, preservation, handling and storage of samples prior to analysis (by reference to BS EN ISO 56673 Water Quality. Sampling. Preservation and handling of water samples;see below); analytical methods (by reference to other British Standards and approved methods) and the statistical treatment of results.

The selection of the analytical parameters appropriate to the sampled system and life stage.

Correct maintenance of closed systems will ensure they operate within their design parameters and lifetime, if systems are not correctly treated and maintained then this will lead to unnecessary fuel bills, CO2 emissions and eventually system failure.

At 4i Water Services we are able to offer our clients peace of mind that not only do we understand exactly what is right for their systems in terms of treatment, but we also are able to interpret laboratory analysis and trends to understand if there are potential issues within a system before they occur, honing in on the “prevention is better than cure” ethos.

Find out how our water treatment solution experts can help you today