INTRODUCTION
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Standard Maintenance Specification |
The original specification was produced in 1990, until then there had been no standard document covering
the maintenance of heating, cooling and ventilation plant in buildings. The specification has continually evolved
and been updated since then.
In 1990, The Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA)
in association with the Chartered Institute of Building Engineers (CIBSE), the Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit
(BRECSU) and, what was then the Energy Efficiency Office at
the Department of Energy, developed the above Standard Maintenance Specification which was aimed at maintenance contractors
and organisations, by providing a standard against which to evaluate and audit adequate standards. HVCA members use it as
a standard both for tendering and in carrying out the work and those organisations
going out for tender also use the standard as an integral part of the tender specification.
The revised Standard is produced in alpha sort under 66 service equipment headings, each having the same
format and covering major elements in heating, cooling and ventilation. Newly included in
this latest version is reference to HVCA’s Guide to Ventilation Hygiene (Ductwork Cleaning).
Safe operation of the plant and its immediate environment is a fundamental part of good maintenance practice
and should be taken into account at all times. Ventilation and adequate lighting is essential
in boiler houses and plant rooms and any deficiencies in these areas must be brought to the client’s
attention immediately. The responsibility for ensuring safe access to equipment should be clearly defined.
It should be noted that certain specialised functions such as fire prevention and lifts are not covered
by the standard and any person working on such equipment should,
in the case of fire prevention and alarms, be registered with the Loss Prevention Council or should be the
Manufacturer’s nominated fire prevention contractor. Similar considerations apply in the case of lifts.
All electrical equipment should be capable of local isolation in accordance with the regulations of the Institute of Electrical Engineers – Regulations for Electrical
Installation (IEE Wiring Regulations Current Edition),
BS 7671:2001, and as detailed in guidance note No2, Isolation of switching.
All electrical equipment shall be provided with means of isolation, which disconnects the respective item
of equipment and any associated control devices and circuits.
There are also stringent requirements and guidance in the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989), and of
particular importance is Regulation 12 – “Means for cutting off the supply and for isolation”. In this Regulation, isolation means the disconnection
and separation of the electrical equipment from every source of electrical energy in such a way that this disconnection and separation is secure.
The word ‘secure’ is specifically mentioned in the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) and requires the means of isolation to
be such that it is not likely to fail, become loose, etc. by the action of vibration, mechanical shock or knocks, or be accidentally or inadvertently
operated. Padlocking is a widely used means, with clear labelling and warning notices.
Although the specification is presented in a checklist format describing specific maintenance activities applied
to generic types of plant, it is not implied that maintenance responsibilities should be defined in that way. The responsible agent, either as a contractor or as an employee is responsible
for maintaining the entire system, not just groups of components. Regarding the maintenance activity in respect of a system care should be taken to ensure that
maintenance tasks are carried out by suitably qualified and experienced staff capable
of exercising professional standards of judgement and discretion in relation to
individual systems. The specification is a statement of typical standards, and further reference to manufacturers should
be sought for detailed guidance to supplement the specification. In the absence of a manufacture specification this specification is a minimum
standard for safe working and efficiency.
This Specification represents the maintenance practice in general terms. For specific items of plant it is essential that the maintenance engineer
should be familiar with the equipment manufacturer’s maintenance manual and comply
with the instructions contained therein. It is anticipated that this standard will be used not only by maintenance engineers
carrying out the maintenance but also by managers as a means of checking that the work
has been carried out and conforms to the tender requirements.
It is essential that a manual should be kept on site which should record the clearly defined responsibilities
of:
(a) Plant attendants
(b) Operators
(c) Supervisors
Together with a list detailing the equipment and normal settings and the location of operating and maintenance
manuals relating to specific plant and control equipment.
A record should be kept of all events and changes related to the equipment, the various settings of controls and valve positions.
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Efficiency and Emissions |
European Directives and UK law will require Carbon emissions from the combustion process to be controlled in
order to achieve low fuel consumption and thus greater overall efficiency.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) are also produced during combustion. When oxides of nitrogen combine with water in the upper atmosphere, acidic compounds
are formed which then lead to the acid rain formation, which can cause damage to
plants, aquatic life and buildings.
Low NOx boilers are available to counter this effect and to comply with European
Directives and UK law, the aim of which is to reduce the permitted NO2
emissions from new fossil fuel heat generators to 180mg/Nm3 (normal cubic metres).
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Timing key (as shown at the bottom of each schedule page) |
All estimated times are expressed as decimal fractions, i.e. 0.10 = 6 minutes.
Where there is more than one frequency - the subsequent frequency includes any prior scheduled frequency time.
Click
here to a view an example of a typical schedule layout.