What does a con­di­tion inspec­tion cov­er?

The aim of a con­di­tion inspec­tion is to estab­lish the actu­al con­di­tion of the sys­tem, any prob­lems, and the need for main­ten­ance and repairs before they cause dis­rup­tion or extra costs.

An inspec­tion typ­ic­ally exam­ines:

• The gen­er­al con­di­tion of the heat­ing or cool­ing net­work
• The con­cen­tra­tion, pH and con­di­tion of the heat trans­fer flu­id
• The clean­li­ness of the sys­tem water and any sed­i­ment, mag­netite and cor­ro­sion
• The oper­a­tion of fil­ters, sep­ar­at­ors and equip­ment
• Net­work pres­sures, tem­per­at­ures and flow con­di­tions
• Air prob­lems and their effect on sys­tem oper­a­tion
• Factors affect­ing energy effi­ciency
• Poten­tial leak­age, cor­ro­sion and reli­ab­il­ity risks

If needed, we take flu­id or water samples for labor­at­ory ana­lys­is. This allows a more pre­cise assess­ment of, for example, the amount of cor­ro­sion products and wheth­er the flu­id is fit for con­tin­ued use.

After the con­di­tion inspec­tion, the cus­tom­er has a clear pic­ture of the cur­rent state of the sys­tem, along with recom­mend­a­tions on any clean­ing, flu­id replace­ment, fil­tra­tion or oth­er main­ten­ance meas­ures.

How often should an inspec­tion be car­ried out?

The gen­er­al recom­mend­a­tion is to inspect the sys­tem once a year. Demand­ing indus­tri­al sites may need more fre­quent inspec­tions. Our experts set the inspec­tion inter­val accord­ing to the site.

What are the risks of neg­lect­ing inspec­tions?

• High­er energy con­sump­tion: a fouled or incor­rectly adjus­ted sys­tem uses more elec­tri­city and heat.
• Equip­ment dam­age: small faults can quickly devel­op into big­ger and more expens­ive prob­lems.
• Down­time: a sud­den sys­tem fail­ure can bring oper­a­tions to a com­plete halt, caus­ing unne­ces­sary costs and dis­rup­tion.
• Great­er hygiene and safety risks: deteri­or­at­ing water qual­ity, for example, can affect both liv­ing com­fort and pro­cess safety.

When should glycol or heat trans­fer flu­id be replaced? 5 signs

Heat trans­fer flu­id does not last for ever. Over time its cor­ro­sion pro­tec­tion weak­ens, impur­it­ies build up and its heat trans­fer capa­city can decline. The con­di­tion of the flu­id affects both heat trans­fer effi­ciency and sys­tem safety. The fol­low­ing signs indic­ate that the flu­id should be checked and replace­ment con­sidered:

1. The pH has dropped and the cor­ro­sion inhib­it­or con­cen­tra­tion has fallen

A pH that is too low shows that the pro­tect­ive addit­ives in the flu­id have been used up. This increases the risk of cor­ro­sion in pipe­work, heat exchangers and equip­ment.

2. The flu­id is cloudy or con­tains sed­i­ment

Cloud­i­ness, dis­col­our­a­tion or vis­ible sed­i­ment point to impur­it­ies, cor­ro­sion products or break­down of the addit­ives.

3. Sys­tem per­form­ance has declined

If heat­ing or cool­ing out­put has dropped for no oth­er obvi­ous reas­on, the cause may be aged or con­tam­in­ated heat trans­fer flu­id.

4. There is cor­ro­sion or block­age in the net­work

Rust, mag­netite, sludge build-up and clog­ging fil­ters are signs that the flu­id no longer pro­tects the sys­tem adequately.

5. The flu­id is more than 5–10 years old

Even if no prob­lems are appar­ent, the prop­er­ties of heat trans­fer flu­id deteri­or­ate over time. A reg­u­lar con­di­tion inspec­tion and labor­at­ory ana­lys­is show wheth­er the flu­id is still fit for use.

Ves­iTekno checks the con­cen­tra­tion, pH, freez­ing point and gen­er­al con­di­tion of the heat trans­fer flu­id. If needed, samples are ana­lysed in an accred­ited labor­at­ory, and the res­ults are used to assess the remain­ing ser­vice life of the flu­id and wheth­er it needs repla­cing.

After the inspec­tion

If the inspec­tion finds any­thing that needs fix­ing, we take care of the fol­low-up work: clean­ing and flush­ing the net­work, repla­cing the flu­id, filling and vent­ing, and installing a fil­ter if needed. Reg­u­lar inspec­tions can be included in a main­ten­ance agree­ment.

Who is the ser­vice for?

A con­di­tion inspec­tion suits sites where the reli­ab­il­ity of the heat­ing, cool­ing or water treat­ment sys­tem is import­ant:

• Hous­ing com­pan­ies and prop­erty com­pan­ies
• Con­struc­tion com­pan­ies
• Indus­tri­al sites and the food industry
• Data centres
• Ice rinks and freez­ing plants

How much does an inspec­tion cost?

The price of a con­di­tion inspec­tion depends on the size and loc­a­tion of the site and on the meas­ure­ments and sampling required. In small prop­er­ties an inspec­tion is usu­ally quick to carry out, where­as for large heat­ing, cool­ing and glycol net­works the scope of the inspec­tion is defined site by site.

A con­di­tion inspec­tion can typ­ic­ally include:

• Visu­al inspec­tion of the sys­tem
• Con­di­tion meas­ure­ments of the heat trans­fer flu­id or glycol
• Check­ing pH, con­cen­tra­tion and freez­ing point
• Assess­ment of the gen­er­al con­di­tion of the net­work
• Main­ten­ance and improve­ment recom­mend­a­tions

If needed, samples can be sent to an accred­ited labor­at­ory for more detailed ana­lys­is.

Request a quote and we will work out the scope and cost of an inspec­tion for your site. A con­di­tion inspec­tion often pays for itself quickly when prob­lems are detec­ted before costly faults or a rise in energy con­sump­tion.