A commercial heating system that coped last winter is not guaranteed to cope this one. This guide sets out how to winterise a commercial heating system in seven ordered steps, so your property is ready before the North East weather turns. You will separate the checks you can safely make yourself from the work that must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you will have a plan in place if something fails.
Before you start, have your plant room records to hand: the latest service report, gas safety documentation and any warranty paperwork. Allow time to walk the building.
Start with paperwork. Collect the last service report, any gas safety or inspection records, warranty documents, and a list of known faults or recurring complaints from occupants, such as a cold office on the north side or a pump that tends to be noisy. This list tells the engineer where to look first.
Next, set a deadline. Engineers' diaries fill quickly once the first cold snap arrives, so in the North East you should typically aim to complete checks and servicing by early October. Timing varies from year to year, so treat that as a guide and work back from when your building usually needs heat.
Then name the duty holder for each building or plant room. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place duties on employers, landlords and others who control premises to keep gas appliances, pipework and flues in a safe condition. Who holds those duties depends on your lease arrangements and who controls the plant, so check the specifics for each site and write down a named person.
A common mistake is to assume last winter's service still covers you. Check the date on the report and read any outstanding advisories or defects. If an item was noted as "monitor" or "recommend replacement" twelve months ago and nothing happened, it belongs at the top of this year's list.
This step involves looking, not touching. You are checking the conditions around the boiler, not the boiler itself. Opening casings, adjusting burners, or altering flues and gas pipework is Gas Safe work only.
In the plant room, check for:
Plant rooms often become storage space over the year. Boxes, cleaning supplies and spare furniture close to the boiler are a fire risk and can restrict the air supply the appliance needs, so clear them.
Outside, look at flue terminals and condensate pipes from ground level. You are looking for obvious damage, displaced sections, staining, or a pipe that looks blocked or hanging loose. Do not climb, touch or alter them. Condensate pipes on external walls are prone to freezing in cold weather, so note any that are exposed.
Record any smells, unusual noises or soot marks, with the location and date, and pass them to your engineer. Soot marks in particular should be reported promptly, as they can indicate a combustion problem.
Safety: if you smell gas, or suspect a leak, leave the area immediately, do not operate switches or naked flames, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
A commercial boiler service is a regulated task. It typically covers combustion and flue checks, safety devices, controls, and pressure and water-side checks, though the exact scope depends on the plant and the manufacturer's instructions. A larger or older installation may need more than a smaller modern one.
Before you confirm a booking, verify the engineer or company on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see their ID card and check the reverse, which lists the types of gas work they are qualified to do. Commercial plant and commercial catering categories differ from domestic ones, so a heating engineer who is registered for homes is not automatically qualified for your boiler house. This is a widespread misconception and worth checking explicitly.
Agree what you will receive afterwards. Ask for a written report that lists:
That split matters. Some defects mean an appliance should not stay in use until fixed; others can be scheduled. You should not have to guess which is which.
Commercial Boiler Solutions is Gas Safe registered and carries out annual commercial boiler inspections across the North East and Northumberland, and also offers regional maintenance contracts for properties that prefer a fixed schedule to booking each year. Whichever contractor you choose, the checks above apply.
Servicing the boiler is only part of winterisation. Many winter complaints come from the rest of the system, so ask your engineer to assess it as well.
Ask for circulation pumps, valves, expansion vessels and system pressure to be checked. Cold spots on radiators, or radiators that heat at the top but not the bottom, can point to sludge or poor circulation. Raise these with the engineer rather than bleeding or flushing things yourself on gas-fired plant.
Discuss water treatment too. Inhibitor, a chemical added to system water to limit corrosion and scale, needs to be at the right level to protect the boiler and pipework. Do not guess at dosing: levels depend on the product and system, so follow the manufacturer's guidance and your engineer's advice.
Controls are often set once and forgotten. Check time schedules, seasonal setpoints, optimum start settings, thermostats and any building management system (BMS) against how the building is used now. Hybrid working, changed opening hours or a reconfigured floor can leave you heating empty space or starting late for the occupied one.
Confirm that frost stats, thermostats that bring the heating on when temperatures fall towards freezing, are in place and working. Check pipe insulation on exposed or unheated runs, including roof spaces, external pipework and vacant units. Empty units are easy to overlook, and a burst pipe in one can go unnoticed for days.
Use the service report to rank components by age and risk. Pumps, valves, sensors, and ignition and control parts are common failure points when a system runs continuously through a cold spell. A part that is marginal in September can fail in January.
For each item flagged, choose one of three routes:
The economics usually favour planning. A scheduled replacement can be priced, booked and carried out when the building is quiet. An emergency one happens on the engineer's earliest availability, may involve out-of-hours working, and can leave occupants without heat while parts are found. Ask your engineer to explain the likely difference for your plant rather than relying on a general rule.
Ask about parts availability, especially for older plant. If a part has a long lead time or the model is no longer widely supported, discuss whether to hold a spare critical part on site.
All component replacement on gas-fired plant must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That includes parts that look simple to swap.
After servicing, ask for a controlled start-up and run-through. The aim is for faults to show up on a mild autumn day, when you can fix them without distress, rather than during a freeze.
During the first heating cycles, walk the building and check:
Log each issue with its location and the date, so the engineer can act on specifics rather than general impressions. Pass the list on promptly while the engineer's visit is still fresh.
This is also the moment to look at carbon monoxide alarms. Consider, as part of your risk assessment, whether alarms are fitted where appropriate, in date and tested. Make sure staff know what the alarm sounds like and what to do: leave the area, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 if gas is suspected. Your risk assessment should decide where alarms are needed for your premises.
Finally, record the date and findings in a maintenance log. Together with the service report, it forms useful evidence that you have met your responsibilities if a question is ever raised.
Even a well-prepared system can fail. A one-page plan means the right person acts quickly instead of searching for numbers. It should include:
Next, identify vulnerable areas and occupants. Care settings, schools, food storage and server rooms all have different tolerance for lost heat. Decide in advance what the contingency is for each. If temporary heating is part of the answer, remember that portable heaters need their own fire and electrical risk assessment: they draw significant power, and placing them badly creates new hazards.
Finally, confirm your contractor offers emergency callouts and covers your location. Commercial Boiler Solutions serves Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Teesside, Tyneside, Wearside, North Yorkshire and Northumberland. Ask any contractor what their emergency arrangements are in practice, and do not build your plan around a response time that has not been confirmed in writing.
Once the steps are done, put your service report, the actions agreed on any defects, your maintenance log and the emergency plan in one place, and make sure the named duty holder knows where it is. Review the file once the heating season ends, so that planned work is booked before next autumn rather than after.
If you would like a pre-winter inspection from a Gas Safe registered team, or want to discuss a maintenance contract for your premises, get in touch with Commercial Boiler Solutions. Learn more about our services