Working with schools
Schools have a lot of plant for the size of the site: boilers that work hard all winter, kitchens and science labs with their own gas, washrooms used by hundreds of people a day, and water systems that sit unused over the holidays. The people responsible are usually bursars, business managers and site teams with plenty of other priorities. CommGas looks after heating, gas and plumbing in schools across London and the South East, and plans the work around the school year rather than the other way round.
Gas safety and compliance paperwork
Your gas appliances, pipework and flues must be kept safe under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. We carry out gas safety inspections of boiler plant, kitchens and science labs, test lab installations to IGEM/UP/11, and check catering interlocks and ventilation. You get gas safety records, service records and a priced list of any remedial works, set out so they can go straight into your compliance file or in front of governors or your trust.
Servicing in the holidays
We service boilers and plant in the summer holidays where we can, so faults are found and put right before the heating is needed. Smaller visits and checks fit into half terms. The report after each visit tells you what is a safety issue, what affects reliability and what should be budgeted for.
Plant and boiler replacement
Replacing a school's boilers is usually a summer job, and it has to be finished, tested and running before staff return. We survey the plant in the spring, give you a priced scope with the options set out, order plant early to allow for lead times, and programme the strip-out, installation and commissioning to fit the holiday. As a Vaillant Advance installer we supply and install Vaillant commercial boilers, and we work with other manufacturers too.
Heating upgrades
Cold classrooms are often caused by the distribution rather than the boilers: blocked strainers, failed valves, unbalanced circuits or dirty system water. We find where the problems are and price the work to fix them, from rebalancing and valve replacement to new pipework and heat emitters, then flush and treat the system so it stays clean.
Washrooms and plumbing works
We refurbish pupil and staff washrooms, replace sanitaryware and pipework, fit thermostatic mixing valves where they are needed, and replace booster sets and water heaters. Washroom work is normally phased over the holidays so the facilities you need stay open.
Water hygiene
School water systems can sit unused for weeks over the holidays, which raises the Legionella risk. As a WaterSafe approved contractor we disinfect new and altered pipework and storage tanks, remove dead legs, and make sure hot and cold water can be kept at safe temperatures. Our work fits with your Legionella risk assessment and comes with certificates for your water hygiene file.
Summer works programmes
If you have several jobs for the summer, we can put them into one programme: surveys and prices in the spring, decisions and orders early where lead times need it, and the work sequenced so systems are back on, tested and handed over before term starts. For trusts with more than one school, we can plan the summer across the sites.
Working safely on a school site
Our engineers hold enhanced DBS checks. We provide RAMS before we start, follow your signing-in and safeguarding procedures, keep work areas secure and away from pupils, and agree noisy work and shutdowns with the site team in advance. Our engineers are Gas Safe registered, and CommGas is SSIP accredited and a Constructionline Silver member.