Imagine you are the facilities manager for a large health club and your boiler has just failed. The weather is cold, and your clients are complaining about the lack of hot water in the showers. You've only recently been able to reopen following lockdown and you can't afford to lose any more business right now. You've called in your trusted boiler servicing company, but the problem can't be fixed quickly. You're in a bind. Is this bad luck or poor planning?
A well-thought-out contingency plan for this kind of situation can prevent a lot of stress and financial loss. Instead of searching the internet or phoning round your contacts to find a last-minute solution, the sensible facilities manager will have a pre-sourced supplier that can quickly install the right packaged boiler in case of an emergency.
Packaged boiler plant rooms are becoming an increasingly common solution
Packaged boiler plant rooms are becoming an increasingly common solution to businesses’ short, medium and long-term heating supply requirements. They can also be a quick way to get an interim service functioning with minimum disruption. If you work with your chosen partner ahead of time, you can carry out a survey, specify equipment, open a credit account and deal with any admin - avoiding the need to do all this in the midst of a crisis. It should also prevent you having to pay emergency call-out fees or rush charges.
Planning ahead for a quick and safe emergency installation
To create a good contingency plan, you need to ask the right questions. Firstly, where will your temporary boiler plant be positioned? Are you certain that the products of combustion (POC) can be dispersed safely, without causing problems for the occupants of your own or surrounding buildings? Will an extended flue be required? Bear in mind that openings such as windows, doors and vents could allow fumes to enter, so your plant needs to be situated at an adequate distance from any building. If you need a fuel tank, make sure its location adheres to fire regulations.
Consideration also needs to be given to safe and nondisruptive access for vehicles delivering the packaged boiler plant, and the fuel if you're using diesel. These are likely to be large lorries, so route planning may be required to avoid low bridges or narrow streets. Is there a safe path from the plant laydown area to the system interface, avoiding trip hazards? Running hoses through an open plant room doorway could allow access to unauthorized people.
Consideration also needs to be given to safe and nondisruptive access
Once you've identified an appropriate site, there are a number of things you can do to prepare the space. Carrying out any enabling works in advance will save a great deal of time and stress and help to ensure a fast, safe and secure connection. Simple measures like fitting an electrical isolator, bringing hard pipework to the plant area, or creating a safe route for hoses by fitting purpose-built hatches, can improve safety and reduce fitting time.
It's also worthwhile working through how the contingency system will be connected to your existing heating infrastructure. Where is the best place to break into the building’s hot water system(s)? Can you use your current expansion, pressurization and top up equipment, heat exchangers and other accessories, or do you need to factor these items into your hire package? Is there a suitable power supply for the new plant? Bear in mind that while the incumbent heating plant already has an electrical connection, that may need to be maintained for repairs and testing, at the same time as the rental equipment is in use.
Getting the spec right
As well as preparing a suitable location, you need to think about how much capacity your emergency system will need. Can you cope with less than your regular boiler, perhaps by heating only the most important or vulnerable areas in an emergency? Of course, demand varies greatly at different times of year, so don't hire more than you need. However, bear in mind that short-term solutions often end up being on site longer than anticipated.
Think about the type of fuel you want, too. Most rental boilers can run on diesel or natural gas. While gas is cheaper and cleaner, diesel is generally quicker to install in an emergency. One option is to install a diesel unit for speed then switch to gas later if you end up needing to use it for longer. Make sure the boiler hire company you choose can offer energy-efficient equipment for this reason. ICS Cool Energy commonly specifies the Viessmann Vitoplex SX2A, with heating outputs from 90 to 2 MW, which we choose to run on diesel (condensing gas and oil options are available) because it works well in almost any environment. It’s unusual for a contemporary boiler to be high in water content, yet capable of working at the high temperatures other light-weight models cannot cope with.
Write it down
Make sure you document all this information in your contingency plan clearly and thoroughly. Take some time to ensure everyone understands and familiarizes themselves with their responsibilities in the event of a catastrophic boiler failure - that includes your hire company as well as your own team. Remember, the devil is invariably in the detail in these things, so make sure you cover every aspect completely. As well as clear written instructions, consider adding drawings and photographs. They may be particularly helpful to people working at speed.
Make sure you document all this information in your contingency plan clearly and thoroughly
Once your plan is in place, remember to revisit it at regular intervals with your rental partner to check if anything needs to be updated. Buildings change over time; old walls may be knocked down or new ones built, extensions may be added, or furniture layouts changed. What was once a good location for a packaged boiler plant room may no longer be so. Technology and legislation also move on and there may be new options and factors to consider.
When everything is working well, it can feel a little bit like overkill to conduct such a thorough contingency planning process. However, in reality it shows sound leadership. In the event of a breakdown, your foresight could be the only thing protecting your organization from disaster.
