What is Boiler Commissioning?
Each new boiler that is installed. It is required by law that the boiler installer is gas safe registered. Once a boiler has been installed it should be commissioned which can only be done by a gas safe registered installer, this is generally done by following the boiler commissioning checklist provided by the Heating and Hot Water Council (HHIC).
This is a checklist for your gas and heating engineer to record a range of readings from your boiler, to confirm specific details about the work they have done and to confirm they’ve properly informed their customer of all they need to know. Once your boiler has been installed by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer Gas Safe Register/CORGI-registered or OFTEC-registered installer, you will get a ‘building regulations compliance’ certificate from Gas Safe Register/CORGI or OFTEC after the work has been completed.
Boiler Commissioning Procedure
The boiler commissioning procedure involves checking that your new boiler installation is installed and set up correctly. This helps ensure you are gaining maximum efficiency from your heating and hot water products, and steps are in place to avoid common boiler issues. There are several tasks within the boiler commissioning checklist that the engineer will carry out. Some specifications state that this must be carried out by the manufacturer.
Boiler Commissioning Checklist:
Cleansing the system
Once the heating system has been installed, it is very important that it is cleansed as per manufacturer instructions. This involves flushing the new system. This will prevent Black Magnetite flowing through the heat exchanger of your new boiler.
Add a good corrosion inhibitor and refilling
Once the system has been cleansed a corrosion inhibitor will need to be added. This will protect radiators, and prevent hydrogen gas from forming within the system. This makes your boiler more efficient and helps prevent corrosion and future repairs. Engineers highly recommend that one of these is installed for the boiler’s long durability and to save future repairs and money.
Testing the Gas Flue Analyser
A Flue gas analyser test measures flue gases, It is mandatory that the benchmark book that runs in compliance with your new boiler installation is filed out and all analyser readings are included. All boilers come factory set, but there will be occasions when readings are too high or too low. Your engineer will need to make sure that your new boiler is running right for you by taking readings and tweaking until it gives the reading desired.
Gas rating the boiler for gas rate tolerance
This is a technical one. Your engineer may have connected your boiler to a new pipe. They will then need to complete a gas reading (gas rate boiler) to ensure that everything fits correctly. Sometimes the pipe may not be the right diameter. This will also help to ensure that the pipe is not blocked and everything is running smoothly.
Adjusting the boiler output
Your boiler will need to be set to the size of your house and the number of radiators. This is to ensure that it is running energy efficient and suitably heating all radiators. It also helps to ensure that the boiler is not overrunning and you aren’t overspending.
Let by and gas tightness test
A gas tightness test examines the gas pressure inside a property’s pipework. This involves the pipe running from the meter to the boiler. It needs to be pressure checked to ensure it is holding the right amount of pressure. This will prevent leaks, again preventing future repairs.
Registering your guarantee and explaining how everything works
For registering the guarantee, It’s best that your engineer does this. They usually have installer apps to help with the process. Once it’s registered, your guarantee should then be explained to you. Once your boiler commissioning checklist is complete and everything is running tightly, the engineer should then explain to you how your new boiler and its controls work. They will then go over any warranty and necessary regular boiler servicing maintenance.
It is important to make the right choice when choosing an engineer to commission your boiler. To find out more or to book an appointment get in touch.
