Commercial planned preventative maintenance
Commercial engineers covering Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire
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A team of over 10 local engineers to call on · Gas Safe 985448 · Call 0800 0996 007 · WhatsApp 07947 578332
Keep commercial heating dependable with planned preventative maintenance (PPM) for boilers, pumps, controls, hot-water systems and plant rooms. Visit frequency is discussed against the building and equipment — call to enquire about a suitable arrangement for your site.
What a PPM arrangement can cover
Scheduled servicing, plant-room checks, fault finding, safety observations and a clear record of recommended remedial work. Scope is agreed after we understand your site.
We support commercial gas systems and, where suitable, oil plant with OFTEC trained oil engineers. Gas work is undertaken by Gas Safe registered engineers (985448).
Why plan maintenance instead of waiting for a breakdown?
Most commercial heating failures give warning signs long before the building goes cold: a burner that is slow to light, a pump bearing that has started to run noisy, an expansion vessel that has lost its charge, or a pressurisation unit that tops up the system far more often than it should. A planned visit is the time to spot those signs and deal with them on your terms, rather than on the coldest morning of the year with staff, residents, pupils or guests waiting.
A schedule also keeps the paperwork in one place. Service sheets, gas safety records and defect reports build into a history of the plant, which is useful when a boiler nears the end of its life and you need to decide between repair and replacement.
Plant a PPM schedule can include
The asset list is built from what is actually in your plant room. Typical items are:
- Boilers and burners: combustion analysis, burner and ignition checks, heat exchanger and condensate trap inspection on condensing boilers, and safety device tests.
- Cascade and modular boiler sets: sequencing and lead-boiler rotation, so wear is shared rather than one boiler doing all the work.
- Pumps: duty and standby changeover, noise and vibration, seals and speed settings.
- Pressurisation units and expansion vessels: cut-in and cut-out pressures, vessel pre-charge, and signs of a hidden leak on the system.
- Controls: time clocks, weather compensation, frost protection, zone valves and the boiler interface with any building management system.
- Gas supply and plant-room safety: tightness testing of the installation pipework, gas solenoid and interlock checks, emergency isolation, ventilation openings and flue condition.
- Hot water plant: direct-fired water heaters and calorifiers, including thermostat settings, safety and relief valves and stored water temperature.
- Oil-fired plant: burner, nozzle and filter work by OFTEC trained engineers, plus a visual check of the oil supply line and tank area.
Choosing a visit pattern for your type of site
There is no single right frequency. The aim is to match visits to how hard the plant works and when the building can tolerate a shutdown:
- Schools and colleges: the main visit in the summer holiday, so any remedial work is finished before the autumn term, with a short check at half term if the plant is older.
- Care homes: heating and hot water are needed every day of the year, so work is staged one boiler at a time and visits are timed with the manager.
- Offices and commercial units: an early-autumn visit before the heating comes on, with work done early in the day or at weekends where that suits.
- Warehouses and industrial units: warm air and radiant heaters often sit alongside boilers, so they can share the same visit and the same records.
- Churches and community halls: plant that runs only a few hours a week benefits from a check before the first cold service of the season, as long idle periods can hide faults.
- Hotels, pubs and restaurants: hot-water demand peaks at set times of day, so visits are booked into the quieter part of the day.
How we set up a PPM arrangement
- Tell us about the site. Call 0800 0996 007 or WhatsApp 07947 578332 with the address, the type of building, the number of boilers and the fuel. Photos of the boiler data plates help.
- First visit and asset list. An engineer looks at the plant room, notes each item of plant, and records its condition and any existing defects.
- Agree scope and timing. We propose which items are covered, what is checked on each visit and when visits happen. Nothing is added without your agreement.
- Scheduled visits. Engineers from our team of over 10 local engineers attend as planned and leave a written record of what was checked and found.
- Remedial work. Defects come with a clear explanation and a priced remedy, so you can approve, plan or budget the work.
- Yearly review. Once a year we look back at the records with you and adjust the scope if the plant, the building or its use has changed.
Records you keep from each visit
Good records are a big part of the value of PPM. Depending on the agreed scope, you can expect an asset list for the plant room, a service sheet for each boiler with its combustion readings, gas safety records for the appliances checked, and a defect list. Unsafe situations are classified and labelled in line with the gas industry unsafe situations procedure, so it is clear what is urgent and what can be planned. Keep these with your building log book: insurers, landlords and auditors often ask to see them.
Compliance a PPM schedule helps you show
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998: employers and those in control of premises must keep gas appliances, flues and pipework in a safe condition, and landlords need an annual gas safety check on appliances they provide. Planned visits give you dated evidence of both.
- Pressure systems: some heating and hot-water plant falls under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and needs a written scheme of examination. We work alongside your insurer's engineer surveyor so maintenance and examinations line up.
- Hot water safety: keeping calorifiers and water heaters at the right stored temperature supports your legionella control plan. Your water-safety risk assessment sets the checks; PPM visits can record the boiler-side readings for it.
- Manufacturer and warranty conditions: many commercial boiler warranties expect yearly servicing by a competent engineer, and a schedule makes sure it happens.
All gas work is carried out under Gas Safe registration 985448, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register website.
PPM questions we get asked
What is a commercial PPM arrangement?
Planned preventative maintenance is a schedule of visits agreed in advance for the heating and hot-water plant on a site. Each visit follows a checklist for the equipment on the asset list, the results are recorded, and any defects are reported with a recommended remedy, so faults are found and fixed before they turn into breakdowns.
Is PPM worth it for a site with a single boiler?
It can be. A single boiler serving an office, shop, church hall or small workshop still needs its annual service and gas safety check, and putting both on a schedule with the pumps, controls and pressurisation unit means nothing gets missed. We will tell you honestly if a simple annual service suits the site better.
Can you take over PPM from another contractor?
Yes. Send us the existing asset list, the last service sheets and any open defects. We review them, check the plant on a first visit and carry the records forward, so the history of the plant is not lost when the contractor changes.
How often will engineers visit?
It depends on the plant and how hard it works. Many sites have one main visit before the heating season with a lighter check in spring; plant that runs all year, such as hot water in care homes and hotels, may need more. The visit pattern is agreed with you after we have seen the site.
Do PPM visits cover oil and LPG boilers?
Yes. Commercial gas plant is maintained under our Gas Safe registration, number 985448, oil-fired plant by our OFTEC trained engineers, and LPG plant is covered too. Tell us the fuel for each boiler when you enquire.
Can visits be planned around opening hours or school holidays?
Tell us when the building is quiet and we plan the main visits around it where we can, for example school holidays, weekends at offices, or a staged shutdown at a care home so residents keep heating and hot water.
What happens if a fault is found on a PPM visit?
Small adjustments are made on the visit where it is safe and agreed. Anything bigger is written up with the cause and a priced remedy for you to approve. Anything unsafe is made safe and explained on the day, following the gas industry unsafe situations procedure.
Do you offer PPM for homes?
No. Fast Commercial Boiler Help is commercial only: plant rooms, commercial boilers, commercial water heaters and commercial heating.