PRE-COMMISSION CLEANING

All Chemflow engineers are trained and certified to work within the new recommended guidelines for Pre- Commission pipework cleaning (BG29/2012). For more information regarding the new guidelines please contact Chemflow Environmental.

New Installations:

As you are probably aware, any new system pipe work should be chemically cleaned prior to being commissioned and handed over to the main contractor. System contaminants, such as mill scale, jointing compounds, building debris will inevitably be found in newly installed pipe work systems. If allowed to remain in the system in sufficient quantities, these contaminants will make the system prone to blockages at strainers, control valves and small bore pipe work, i.e; fan-coils, batteries, ahu’s, etc, not only causing problems at commissioning stage, but may well initiate further corrosion and encourage the growth of micro-organisms.

The objectives of chemical cleaning are therefore to loosen the surface deposits bringing them into suspension so they can be flushed away and create a stable surface within the pipe work, which if maintained properly with a water treatment regime, will resist further corrosion.

Fit-Outs & Existing:

Some existing systems may have experienced blockages and poor circulation and have a high iron content and corrosion deposit build up that could have occurred over a long period of time, if the system has not had a water treatment regime in place. This could affect the new installed pipe work, if not independent, on opening to the base build system. It is therefore recommended to take samples to determine the existing system status before new installations work is carried out.

General:

Pseudomonas are a naturally occurring bacteria that live in the water in certain areas of the UK. Its many strains are becoming notorious for attacking water systems, forming a bio-film that clings to pipes and fittings, attracting dirt and creating corrosive conditions and exuding a noxious smell. The problem is nationwide, but once detected it is easily treated with a bactericide. In order to control bacteria and bio-films, which may become established inside pipe work during the installation process, it is sometimes advisable to carry out a biocide wash as an additional stage of the chemical cleaning procedure. In view of the increasing incidence of bacterial contamination, biocide washes are an additional stage of the chemical cleaning procedure and sometimes viewed as an essential precautionary measure to avoid or control the problem.