Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) Contracts

PPM contracts ensuring statutory compliance in line with ACoP L8

In order to protect against the risks of Legionella and other waterborne bacteria and ensure compliance in line with ACoP L8, you must be able to show that the tasks below have been carried out, as specified in HSG274 Part 2:

Table reproduced from HSE Part 2: The control of legionella bacteria in hot and cold water systems
Service	Action to take	Frequency
Calorifiers	Inspect calorifier internally by removing the inspection hatch or using a boroscope and clean by draining the vessel. The frequency of inspection and cleaning should be subject to the findings and increased or decreased based on conditions recorded	Annually, or as indicated by the rate of fouling
	Where there is no inspection hatch, purge any debris in the base of the calorifier to a suitable drain Collect the initial flush from the base of hot water heaters to inspect clarity, quantity of debris, and temperature	Annually, but may be increased as indicated by the risk assessment or result of inspection findings
	Check calorifier flow temperatures (thermostat settings should modulate as close to 60 °C as practicable without going below 60 °C) Check calorifier return temperatures (not below 50 °C)	Monthly
Hot water services	For non-circulating systems: take temperatures at sentinel points (nearest outlet, furthest outlet and long branches to outlets) to confirm they are at a minimum of 50 °C within one minute (55 °C in healthcare premises)	Monthly
	For circulating systems: take temperatures at return legs of principal loops (sentinel points) to confirm they are at a minimum of 50 °C (55 °C in healthcare premises). Temperature measurements may be taken on the surface of metallic pipework	Monthly
	For circulating systems: take temperatures at return legs of subordinate loops, temperature measurements can be taken on the surface of pipes, but where this is not practicable, the temperature of water from the last outlet on each loop may be measured and this should be greater than 50 °C within one minute of running 55 °C in healthcare premises). If the temperature rise is slow, it should be confirmed that the outlet is on a long leg and not that the flow and return has failed in that local area	Quarterly (ideally on a rolling monthly rota)
	All HWS systems: take temperatures at a representative selection of other points (intermediate outlets of single pipe systems and tertiary loops in circulating systems) to confirm they are at a minimum of 50 °C (55 °C in healthcare premises) to create a temperature profile of the whole system over a defined time period	Representative selection of other sentinel outlets considered on a rotational basis to ensure the whole system is reaching satisfactory temperatures for legionella control
POU water heaters (no greater than 15 litres)	Check water temperatures to confirm the heater operates at 50–60 °C (55 °C in healthcare premises) or check the installation has a high turnover	Monthly–six monthly, or as indicated by the risk assessment
Combination water heaters	Inspect the integral cold water header tanks as part of the cold water storage tank inspection regime, clean and disinfect as necessary. If evidence shows that the unit regularly overflows hot water into the integral cold water header tank, instigate a temperature monitoring regime to determine the frequency and take precautionary measures as determined by the findings of this monitoring regime	Annually
	Check water temperatures at an outlet to confirm the heater operates at 50–60 °C	Monthly
Cold water tanks	Inspect cold water storage tanks and carry out remedial work where necessary	Annually
	Check the tank water temperature remote from the ball valve and the incoming mains temperature. Record the maximum temperatures of the stored and supply water recorded by fixed maximum/minimum thermometers where fitted	Annually (Summer) or as indicated by the temperature profiling
Cold water services	Check temperatures at sentinel taps (typically those nearest to and furthest from the cold tank, but may also include other key locations on long branches to zones or floor levels). These outlets should be below 20 °C within two minutes of running the cold tap. To identify any local heat gain, which might not be apparent after one minute, observe the thermometer reading during flushing	Monthly
	Take temperatures at a representative selection of other points to confirm they are below 20 °C to create a temperature profile of the whole system over a defined time period. Peak temperatures or any temperatures that are slow to fall should be an indicator of a localised problem	Representative selection of other sentinel outlets considered on a rotational basis to ensure the whole system is reaching satisfactory temperatures for legionella control
	Check thermal insulation to ensure it is intact and consider weatherproofing where components are exposed to the outdoor environment	Annually
Showers and spray taps	Dismantle, clean and descale removable parts, heads, inserts and hoses where fitted	Quarterly or as indicated by the rate of fouling or other risk factors, eg areas with high risk patients
POU filters	Record the service start date and lifespan or end date and replace filters as recommended by the manufacturer (0.2 μm membrane POU filters should be used primarily as a temporary control measure while a permanent safe engineering solution is developed, although long-term use of such filters may be needed in some healthcare situations)	According to manufacturer’s guidelines
Base exchange softeners	Visually check the salt levels and top up salt, if required. Undertake a hardness check to confirm operation of the softener	Weekly, but depends on the size of the vessel and the rate of salt consumption
	Service and disinfect	Annually, or according to manufacturer’s guidelines
Multiple use filters	Backwash and regenerate as specified by the manufacturer	According to manufacturer’s guidelines
Infrequently used outlets	Consideration should be given to removing infrequently used showers, taps and any associated equipment that uses water. If removed, any redundant supply pipework should be cut back as far as possible to a common supply (eg to the recirculating pipework or the pipework supplying a more frequently used upstream fitting) but preferably by removing the feeding ‘T’ Infrequently used equipment within a water system (ie not used for a period equal to or greater than seven days) should be included on the flushing regime Flush the outlets until the temperature at the outlet stabilises and is comparable to supply water and purge to drain Regularly use the outlets to minimise the risk from microbial growth in the peripheral parts of the water system, sustain and log this procedure once started For high risk populations, eg healthcare and care homes, more frequent flushing may be required as indicated by the risk assessment	Weekly, or as indicated by the risk assessment
TMVs	Risk assess whether the TMV fitting is required, and if not, remove Where needed, inspect, clean, descale and disinfect any strainers or filters associated with TMVs To maintain protection against scald risk, TMVs require regular routine maintenance carried out by competent persons in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. There is further information in paragraphs 2.152– 2.168	Annually or on a frequency defined by the risk assessment, taking account of any manufacturer’s recommendations
Expansion vessels	Where practical, flush through and purge to drain. Bladders should be changed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines or as indicated by the risk assessment	Monthly–six monthly, as indicated by the risk assessment

We have a nationwide team of expert engineers ready to visit your premises and action all these important duties. We also make sure the relevant information detailing work undertaken has been entered onto EPIC, our bespoke online compliance portal.

A PPM contact with Rock Compliance means you don’t have to worry about diarising key dates, calling round suppliers to check availability, or keeping on top of what needs doing when – we take care of all that for you.

Temperature monitoring

In order to control the growth of Legionella bacteria in hot and cold water systems, water temperatures need to be kept outside the growth range of 20°C-45°C.

HSG274 Part 2 recommends that cold water is maintained below 20°C, and hot water is stored at 60°C within water heaters and calorifiers, with it reaching hot outlets at temperatures greater than 50°C within one minute of the outlet being operated (55°C in healthcare premises).

It is important to evidence that your hot and cold water systems are storing water at the required temperatures. To facilitate this, it is a requirement to have the sentinel outlets (the nearest and furthest outlets from the point of storage) tested on a monthly frequency to record the temperature of the hot and cold water.

In addition, all outlets should be tested over the course of each year. Where the temperature fails to achieve the required level, identification of the cause needs to be undertaken and the defect recorded in the building defects register.

The building defects register must be kept up to date with all incidents of failures to achieve levels detailed in the control scheme. Where a defect is recorded, it should identify the date it was identified, who identified it, corrective action taken to resolve the defect, when the defect was corrected and by whom, and if any other action is required to prevent repeat occurrences.

Microbiological water analysis

“Microbiological monitoring of domestic hot and cold water supplied from the mains is not usually required, unless the risk assessment or monitoring indicates there is a problem. The risk assessment should specifically consider systems supplied from sources other than the mains, such as private water supplies, and sampling and analysis may be appropriate.

“Legionella monitoring should be carried out where there is doubt about the efficacy of the control regime or it is known that recommended temperatures, disinfectant concentrations or other precautions are not being consistently achieved throughout the system. The risk assessment should also consider where it might also be appropriate to monitor in some high risk situations, such as certain healthcare premises.”
HSG274 Part 2, Section 2.120

Water that is supplied to buildings from a mains water supply can contain harmful bacteria. Water companies have to remove it so water is safe to use and drink, but low-levels of bacteria can still get through and enter the domestic water system.

For this reason, it’s important to carry out microbiological water analysis to make sure the bacteria levels are not increasing.

Cold water tank inspections

During a building’s operational life, its water systems are highly likely to require cleaning and disinfection of the cold-water storage tanks, calorifiers and system pipework.

Where this work is identified as being required, either due to visual inspection of cold water tanks or from positive bacterial samples, disinfections should be carried out in accordance with ACoP L8 and PD855468:2015.

Following disinfection works, validation sampling will be required when works are conducted in response to previous high bacterial counts. These samples should be taken no sooner than 48 hours after the disinfection works to ensure that any residual disinfectant in the system does not provide a false representation of the effectiveness of the disinfection.

In systems where high levels of bacterial infection are present, repeated disinfections may be required in order to successfully remove any biofilms that could be harbouring bacteria. Installation of secondary disinfection technologies may be required to provide ongoing system control for the growth of Legionella.

Softener supply

Water softeners are installed in areas of the country that experience hard water. They remove calcium and magnesium ions, which form as scale on outlets and heat exchange surfaces like showers and heating elements in water heaters and calorifiers.

Water softeners utilise softener-grade salt to affect ion exchange with their vessels. They have to ‘regenerate’, either based on the water turnover or via timer control.

In addition to weekly checking to ensure salt levels within the brine tanks are maintained and that they are producing soft water, water softeners should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, but at no less than an annual frequency.

Secondary disinfection options

Secondary disinfection options should be considered where there is doubt about the efficacy of the control regime, primarily temperature control.

There are two principles of disinfection: primary disinfection to achieve desired levels of microorganism kill, and secondary disinfection to provide enhanced protection by preventing regrowth of microorganisms.

The disinfectant achieves this by killing potentially harmful organisms as it moves through the water pipes. It is particularly important in buildings with vulnerable residents or customers, for example care homes and hospitals.

We offer a two secondary disinfection options:

The Rock Compliance Oxidation Station – designed to provide eight levels of control, with fail-safe protection against the risk of dangerous overdosing.

Copper and Silver Ionisation – generates a constant supply of ions at a predetermined rate and delivers them in a highly controlled and systematic way, in line with proportional control. It offers three key benefits:

1. A long-term residual remains in the system for ongoing water disinfection
2. It’s effective in dead legs (pipework can be difficult to trace in older buildings with no schematics, causing possible dead legs)
3. It eradicates the need for chemicals to be brought to site, reducing COSHH handling concerns and chemical deliveries

Pre-treatment equipment and installation

Whether your site is supplied with mains water or bore water, it is important that the water entering your hot and cold water systems is of the highest quality.

Water pre-treatment does this by removing suspended impurities, solids, colloids and living organisms from incoming water. This has tangible energy and environmental benefits, as well as establishing that equipment is maintained to the highest standard.

Water pre-treatment:

✔ Minimises scale deposition, ensuring maximum heat exchange efficiency (minimising energy consumption and costs)
✔ Prevents scale build up on showers, taps and even elements within your kettles (making for a much more pleasant cup of tea!)
✔ Reduces costs by maximising the lifecycle of the water systems
✔ Ensures the water is safe and pleasant to drink (private drinking water supplies)

Booster Pumps – Maintenance and Servicing PPM contracts

Booster pumps increase water pressure, so water can be transported across several storeys or a building. They are found across the sectors, in schools, residential apartments, hospitals, offices and public buildings. They should undergo an annual service from a professional pump engineer to ensure they are in peak condition.

Neglecting regular maintenance by qualified engineers is never a good idea.

Leaving essential tasks to general on-onsite maintenance teams without the skills, tools and expertise to maintain the booster pumps or recognise issues is not a successful long-term strategy.

If a booster pump fails, water pressure drops. Water supplies may even be cut off completely. This is very disruptive for everyone in the building.

With a PPM contract for booster pump maintenance, engineers from our national team visit annually to service the pumps, reducing the risk of inconvenient unexpected breakdowns and increasing performance efficiency.

We will also monitor pump noise and vibration and make sure that any small problems are noted and rectified before they turn into bigger problems – and bigger headaches for you.

A serviced booster pump is also a safer booster pump – and as a responsible business owner, we know how important this is to you.

Innovations

Innovation keeps our business and yours growing.

We are always looking for new innovations to join the services we offer our customers across the sectors. Each one goes through a rigorous process of assessment and evaluation before being added to our innovation portfolio, which now includes:

Commercial and domestic hot and cold water services

Secondary disinfection
Remote temperature monitoring

Closed systems

Remote corrosion monitoring
Side stream filtration
BSP Filter Dosing pot / Dosafil
Hydrosphere

Work asset and management system

EPIC

IOT

Remote monitoring technology
Air Quality
Radon
Space management

Water treatment

Cooling tower controllers/probes, including self-cleaning probes
PTSA traced inhibitors for cooling
Fluorescein-traced polymers for boilers
Boiler feed water control to include direct oxygen scavenger readings, pH, and Fluorescein readings
Full remote monitoring for cooling and boilers, allowing alarms 24/7 with remote comms and control
Filtration for closed loops and cooling tower systems
Chlorine dioxide dosing and control systems

MINIMISING RISK. DELIVERING COMPLIANCE. MAKING IT SIMPLE.

MINIMISING RISK. DELIVERING COMPLIANCE. MAKING IT SIMPLE.

MINIMISING RISK. DELIVERING COMPLIANCE. MAKING IT SIMPLE.

MINIMISING RISK. DELIVERING COMPLIANCE. MAKING IT SIMPLE.