Building Services Validations
Mechanical Services Validation
Validation surveys are second nature to us including reading and recording existing mechanical, electrical and controls systems, typically within buildings scheduled to be fitted out or altered to Cat A or B. This may involve working to guidance such as BSRIA BG35/2012 Condition Surveys and Asset Data Capture. A building services condition survey is an inspection of plant and installations to assess their physical and operational condition. The external physical condition of building services plant or systems in many cases is not truly representative of its ability to perform the required function. In these cases, internal or intrusive inspections are required. For example, the condition of electrical connections inside a switchgear enclosure cannot be established by a visual inspection of the enclosure alone.
A typical validation exercise may include:
- Visual inspections
- Intrusive tests and examinations (Air and water flowrates, pipework intrusive surveys, boiler condition and operation, chiller condition and operation, ambient temperature monitoring, relative humidity monitoring, water quality testing, lighting level checks and electrical load monitoring etc)
- Plant internal examinations
- Analysis of supportive data such as plan log books
- Interviewing maintenance staff
Condition surveys may be carried out for many reasons:
- Broad brush condition surveys – Broad brush surveys are aimed at providing an overall assessment of the condition of the building services.
- Maintenance management condition surveys –Maintenance management condition surveys are carried out to collect data and appraise the condition of the building services plant and systems. It is vitally important for contractors to establish the maintenance condition of plant and installations before committing to comprehensive maintenance contracts.
- Asset Register – One of the main objectives of any condition survey is to develop a reliable asset register along with a database on the overall condition of plant and associated systems. Both the asset register and the condition appraisal will help the maintenance and facility management staff plan for their future maintenance, replacement and refurbishment needs.
Benefits of Condition Surveys:
- Identify any significant defects that would adversely affect the performance of the building services
- Identify when 'fault' plant conditions could be reached, report on their cause and provide an indication of what maintenance actions need to be carried out
- Identify budgets required for maintenance work
- Prioritise and recommend the maintenance actions and identification of critical spares
- Recommend intrusive inspections outside the scope of the condition survey