Feature
Baxi Heating’s Technical Director Andy Green
The COVID-Lockdown Building Hokey Cokey
As England heads into a winter lockdown, Baxi Heating’s Technical Director Andy Green offers pointers on protecting unoccupied buildings and their heating systems in the colder months
With England in the midst of its second national lockdown, building operators will once again need to put into place measures to protect the heating and hot water systems in any unoccupied premises.
Déjà vu? Well, yes and no. While this second lockdown is anticipated to be shorter than the first, lasting one month rather than three, it takes place at the onset of winter. Heating engineers and facility management providers will therefore need to adapt the maintenance schedule accordingly to ensure that the heating and hot water system operates efficiently and – crucially – safely once the premises is reactivated.
Freezing and frost damage
Turning off the heating in November, for example, would make the building susceptible to freezing of the pipework and the possibility of frost damage to the property.
While the thermal efficiencies of old and new buildings will differ, in both, setting the temperature to a minimum of 10ºC using a frost thermostat or weather compensator will prevent any damage caused by freezing. We advise increasing the temperature during normal occupancy hours to keep structural damp at bay.
Dampness can not only cause damage to the building fabric but enable mould to grow which can lead to sick building syndrome. Proactively preventing this will help protect occupant wellbeing and safety in addition to avoiding the possibility of deterioration of stock.
Low usage maintenance schedule
As with the first lockdown, a weekly low occupancy mode maintenance programme should be implemented in empty buildings to keep the system in top condition and avoid any risk of legionella.
40 fmuk
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