Safe & Warm: How to Maintain Your Commercial Heating System

Your commercial heating system is a vital asset to your business or organisation, where temperature control is required to keep employees and customers comfortable, as well as to protect goods and stock. A poorly maintained system could be increasing your energy bills as well as posing a serious safety hazard.

It can be a great cause for concern if your heating system breaks down, which can jeopardise trade and damage your reputation. In order to prevent an unexpected malfunction, it is important to adhere to certain maintenance routines and practices.

If you’re not a heating expert it can be difficult to know exactly how to look after your system. Read on for a comprehensive guide to what you can be doing, as well as an overview of the maintenance services offered by Caledonian Heating Ltd.

The Importance Of Heating System Maintenance

You will see a variety of benefits when you start taking care of your commercial heating system, where proper maintenance can save you time, money and hassle. The various benefits could include:

Lower Energy Costs - regular maintenance can seem costly, but it will save you money in the long run by reducing your energy bills, as a well maintained and modern system will always be more energy efficient than a rundown model

Safety - taking care of your heating system can ensure you have priceless peace of mind when it comes to the safety of your business, where a faulty model could cause gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning or spontaneous fires

Durability - proper heating system maintenance is an investment in your machinery, where regular checks and repairs can help your system to last longer, whilst also preventing large scale breakdowns in future that would end up costing you more

Types Of Heating Systems

Understanding what kind of commercial heating system you have will allow you to recognise what repairs and maintenance checks you need to invest in.

Common types of commercial heating system generally include:

●    Warm air heating - air is drawn in from the outside and heated using a gas, oil or water heater, where the air is then circulated evenly through the building

●    Air rotation heating - this method involves circulating large air quantities at a low speed where cool air is constantly circulated with warmer air

●    Radiant heating - this system uses infrared radiation to emit air from suspended ceiling or floor heaters

●    Destratification heating - where internal air mixing takes place to destabilise stratified layers of air inside a building, allowing for even temperatures

Ways To Maintain Your Heating System

Inspect Your Thermostat

Thermostats are the instruments which primarily control your heating system. They therefore need to be maintained to keep your system working properly. If your thermostat is installed incorrectly, or if it gets knocked then it could cause your system to fail, whilst dust and dirt can also impact efficiency levels. Prevent this by keeping your thermostat clean and protected from passing footfall. Regular maintenance checks can also ensure everything is working properly.

Clean Ventilation Systems

Ventilation systems can easily become clogged by dust and dirt, and do require semi-regular cleaning. A build-up of debris will affect the efficiency of your heating system, whilst also increasing the risk of spontaneous combustion. To prevent this ensure that your grilles and valves are cleaned monthly, and that filters are regularly replaced. A professional deep clean of your ventilation ducts will also keep your system running smoothly.

Clean Oil Filters

It is always a good idea to clean and replace your oil filters at the beginning of winter, or whenever you’re using your heating system again after a period of disuse. These filters remove grit and debris from the oil that circulates through your system, where problems quickly emerge if this oil isn’t cleaned properly. This can cause your machinery to lack lubrication, where it can quickly overheat, causing malfunctions and eventually posing a fire hazard.

Check For Leaks

A leak is a sign that your commercial heating system has broken down or fractured, resulting in ineffective heating and potential fire hazards. In order to check for leaks, you should inspect the areas around, underneath and behind your system for unfamiliar liquids or smells, where paper or a trough can collect leaks as they emerge. Also keep an eye on radiator valves as well as surrounding walls for signs of leaks.

Check Smoke Alarms

Ideally you will be maintaining your heating system in such a way that prevents fires and gas leaks. But as a last resort for safety, your smoke alarm system should be kept in good working order, to detect invisible smoke, gases and excess heat output that can cause fire. Conduct regular inspections of your detector systems, and never remove batteries without simultaneously replacing them.

Keep A Maintenance Log

It can be difficult to remember what maintenance checks have been carried out and when, especially when you’re busy running your business. Keeping a log will help you to see what areas have been neglected, as well as providing a comprehensive report to give to your repair professional if a malfunction does occur. It can be a useful tool for noting if your system is declining or if it is working well overall. Maintenance logs can also be useful for insurance or inspection purposes.

Commercial Boiler Maintenance

Commercial boilers are generally larger than domestic alternatives, with a larger output designed to heat buildings of a greater volume. Your boiler is an essential part of your heating system, where it needs to be looked after in order to allow the whole system to function properly.

Keeping an eye on your boiler for unusual activity can provide an early indication that something is amiss. This could include strange or escalating noises, as well as a sudden unexplained increase in your energy bills.

Here’s a list of basic maintenance tips to consider when tending to your boiler:

●    Book an annual boiler service - this will pre-empt and prevent major breakdowns

●    Ventilate your boiler - don’t crowd your boiler room with goods and materials

●    Bleed your radiators - this allows for the relief of harmful air pockets, reducing pressure on your boiler

●    Use your heating regularly - long periods of disuse can cause boiler issues

These tips are useful for keeping track of small maintenance issues, whilst for larger malfunctions or for your annual boiler service, you will need to enlist a professional to help. Professional boiler maintenance generally involves an engineer removing the outer casing of your boiler in order to inspect its parts, alongside flue and pressure checks. The engineer will also carry out cleaning procedures around the burner and heat exchanger to keep your boiler working well for longer.

Caledonian Heating Ltd: Providing Your Business With Commercial Heating Maintenance

At Caledonian Heating, we’re working to provide a range of reliable and affordable heating maintenance services across Edinburgh, Dundee and the surrounding areas. We offer a variety of repair plans to suit your needs and the size of your business. Our repairs team is equipped to deliver planned and ongoing maintenance for your system, as well as emergency repairs as needed.

In addition to our repairs services, we can also install your commercial heating system, where we can work with boilers, gas boosters, water heaters and many more system types. Our commercial heating services also incorporate heating reports and surveys, where we can assess the efficiency of your current system and recommend updates.

Our Other Services

Caledonian Heating Ltd can also offer you a comprehensive range of commercial plumbing services, including installation, repairs and maintenance. Alongside this, we work to meet water quality standards by carrying out legionella testing, water tank chlorination and risk assessment practices.

Our services are specially catered to put the client first, where we can offer monthly, biannual or quarterly checks and inspections depending on your requirements. We offer free quotes and estimates, whilst also providing nationwide support and 24-hour assistance to our contracted clients. At Caledonian Heating, we provide only the very best services carried out by our fully qualified team of engineers, who are all registered and certified to cater to your heating and plumbing needs.

Contact us today for more information about heating maintenance or any of our other services, or to request an obligation free quote.