Commercial boiler service: what you need to know

A routine commercial boiler service is essential for ensuring safety, efficiency and longevity. Often responsible for heating large buildings such as warehouses, offices, schools and retail units, commercial heating systems can be more complex to run and maintain compared to their domestic counterparts. This blog details the steps we take for commercial boiler servicing, helping business owners and landlords to not only avoid unexpected breakdowns but ensure compliance with health and safety regulations too.

Visual check

Before any hands-on maintenance begins, our commercial boiler engineer will carry out a thorough visual inspection of the commercial boiler, as well as its surrounding casing and pipework, to assess the boiler’s current condition. This visual check will also identify any problems which could be negatively impacting the boiler’s performance such as wear and tear or corrosion.

Once the visual checks have taken place, the boiler’s maintenance history will be reviewed to check for any previous issues or repairs.

Safety check

With all boilers, both commercial and domestic, safety is paramount. Our boiler technician will carry out the following industrial boiler safety checks:

• Leak detections that inspect for water, steam and gas leaks that could pose a hazard
• Pressure checks that ensure correct pressure levels
• Safety valve tests that make sure all safety valves are operating correctly to release the pressure that is needed

Flame colour check

For any type of boiler, our heating engineers are looking for a healthy, blue flame. A yellow flame indicates that the heating system is ‘unhealthy’ – in other words it’s an indication of a problem.

Unit inspection

Next is the unit inspection, where the following checks are carried out on the inside of the heating unit:

• The gas valve is disconnected to turn off the gas. This allows the engineer to inspect the internal pipework and components
• If necessary, any dirt, debris or sludge that could be affecting the internal parts is cleaned out
• The burner is then removed for inspection – we check it for causes of uneven burning such as cracks or deformations
• Next is the heat exchanger inspection – it is examined to ensure there are no leaks and the ignition is working correctly. We then use an air duster to clean it
• Finally for the unit inspection is the seals check. They are looked at for damage that could prevent efficient combustion

Component testing 

Once all of the visual, safety, flame colour checks and unit inspections are complete, our commercial boiler expert will run the system through its cycles to observe whether it is functioning properly.

Component testing involves:

• Ensuring the flame is burning correctly and the correct colour by increasing temperature
• Applying tests to the gas pressure
• Making sure of no leaks, blockages or dangerous emissions by assessing the intakes of air and flues
• Bleeding the heating system of air so there is full capacity for running the boiler

Documentation and reporting

Finally, after all inspections and tests are carried out, our boiler engineers will document their findings and report accordingly. A comprehensive service report is written regarding the commercial boiler service, detailing any issues found and what requires fixing, as well as future maintenance recommendations.

So there you have it – an in depth look at what is carried out during a commercial boiler service. Remember: businesses and landlords can prevent costly downtime and extend their heating system’s lifespan by ensuring regular commercial boiler servicing.

If you think your commercial property is due a boiler service or if you have any questions regarding this topic, contact our expert heating and plumbing team.