BSRIA Guide BG35-2012 (Condition Surveys) PDF

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A BSRIA Guide www.bsria.co.uk
Condition Surveys and Asset

Data Capture
By Ralph Bell and Jo Harris
BG 35/2012
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The technical information and procedures in this Guide were developed

with input from industry representatives and BSRIA staff.
BSRIA wishes to thank the following members of the steering group for
their contributions:
Medina Jordan Skanska Facilities Services

Stephen Gathergood Interserve
Paddy Hastings Comserve
Andrew Saville Armville Consulting
George Adams Spie Matthew Hall
Steve Hunter Mitie TFM
Mark Duffy UCB
David Smith Datara
Special acknowledgement is given to David Smith of Datara

Management Solutions for providing content and facilitating the steering
group workshop. This publication has been designed and produced by
Ruth Radburn.
Every opportunity has been taken to incorporate the views of the

contributors, but final editorial control of this document rested with
BSRIA.
A limited number of advertising slots were offered to BSRIA member

companies and those who sat on the steering group for this publication.
The advertisements in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views
of BSRIA. BSRIA does not endorse the products and services of
advertisers and the technical content has not been influenced by the
advertisers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying,
recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.
©BSRIA January 2012 ISBN 978 0 86022 706 9 Printed by ImageData Ltd
CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 1

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
PREFACE
Assets must be maintained. This includes buildings, systems such as

chilled water systems, and individual plant items such as pumps. All too
often, building services maintenance is viewed as a service to those that
occupy buildings and, as such, is deemed merely an overhead. This view
underplays the importance of maintenance.
Maintenance is, in fact, an invaluable partner with respect to the

building’s core function. It also has an important role to play in reducing
carbon emissions from buildings. Building operators need confidence that
their building services systems will not let them down. This can be
achieved through concise, accurate knowledge of the state of each
individual item of plant.
Condition surveys and accurate asset registers allow management to think

ahead and give wise advice. They also enable in-depth planning of plant
and system renewals, occupant comfort improvements, and the
introduction of low or zero carbon technologies.
A condition survey is a systematic process of evaluating the condition of

building services plant and installations, updating the asset register, and
establishing whether the systems are capable of continuing to support the
building’s functions.
Condition surveys enable informed decisions to be made regarding the

human and financial resources required to prevent failures.
This guide is aimed at those who have the responsibility for maintaining
buildings. It outlines the benefits of having good knowledge of the assets
in a building and how, with a greater understanding of their condition,
they can be maintained in a more efficient and economical way.
The focus of this guide is building services. However, the guidance may
also apply to the fabric and structure of buildings, and other assets such as
process equipment. In addition to guidance, checklists are provided in
the appendices. Blank checklists in Microsoft Word format are attached
to this pdf, and can also be downloaded from the BSRIA website:
www.bsria.co.uk/goto/csc.
This guide is an update to BSRIA Application Guide AG 4/2000

Condition Survey of Building Services. It was updated by means of a
workshop and peer review process in which building managers, senior
industry services engineers and facility managers participated.
2 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
CONTENTS
1 THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA 5

1.1 What is a condition survey? 5
1.2 Benefits of condition surveys 6
1.3 Benefits in maintenance planning 7
1.4 Benefits in contracted maintenance 7
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY 8
2.1 Defining the task 8
2.2 Frequency of survey 8
2.3 Visual inspections 9
2.4 Simple tests and inspections 9
2.5 Specialist surveys 9
2.6 Plant and installation attributes that should be examined 10
2.7 Functional suitability and operational integrity 11
2.8 Physical condition 12
2.9 Compliance with legal and health and safety requirements 13
2.10 Conditions affecting operation and maintenance 14
2.11 The reasons for obsolescence 14
3 HOW TO DO A CONDITION SURVEY 18
3.1 Setting priorities 18
3.2 Sampling 19
3.3 Co-ordination with other inspections 19
3.4 Starting 19
3.5 Use of in-house staff resources 19
3.6 Selecting and commissioning a surveyor 20
3.7 Gathering information 20
3.8 Data capture during condition surveys 21
3.9 Data requirements 22
3.10 Asset tracking and barcoding 22
3.11 Condition data 23
3.12 Data structure 23
3.13 Method of data collection 24
3.14 Identification of assets 24
3.15 Scope of condition surveys 26
3.16 General tools and equipment 26
3.17 Ductwork and pipework cleanliness 27
4 NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING 28
4.1 General 28
4.2 Thermography 28
4.3 Power quality surveys 29
4.4 Vibration analysis and acoustic testing 30
4.5 Ultrasonic flaw detection and thickness gauging 30
4.6 Eddy current testing 31
4.7 Leak detection methods 31
5 GRADING 32
5.1 The use of ranking systems 32
5.2 Grading asset condition 32
5.3 Maintenance priority systems 32

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
CONTENTS
6 SURVEY TOOLKIT 33
6.1 Introduction 33
6.2 Overview and pre-survey checks 33
6.3 Common defects 34
6.4 Factors affecting the economic life of plant 39
REFERENCES 44
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: PRE-SURVEY CHECKLIST 40
APPENDIX B: GENERIC PLANT ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST 41
APPENDIX C: EXAMPLE SPREADSHEET 43
TABLES
Table 1: Equipment requiring specialist surveys 10
Table 2: Two-tier and three-tier data-recording 24
Table 3: Surveyor’s equipment and tools 26
Table 4: RICS classification of repair priorities 32
Table 5: Physical condition 34
Table 6: Operation and maintenance 34
Table 7: Operation and maintenance history 35
Table 8: Health and safety 35
Table 9: LV electrical installations – general power 36
Table 10: LV electrical installations – lighting 36
Table 11: Boilers, heating and hot water systems 37
Table 12: Ventilation and air conditioning systems 37
Table 13: Refrigeration systems 38
Table 14: Control systems 38
Table 15: Lift installations 38
Table 16: The economic life of plant 39
FIGURES
Figure 1 Building structure 11
Figure 2 Mechanical pump 11
Figure 3 Pressure vessel 12
Figure 4 Electrical control panel 12
Figure 5 Identifiable power source 25
Figure 6 Deterioration caused by arcing possibly due to excessive
neutral currents caused by harmonics 30
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA 1
1 THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA

Condition surveys enable informed decisions to be made regarding the
human and financial resources required to prevent failures. They can
help with:
• preparing long term asset investment plans

• establishing the condition of plant and systems before deciding to
purchase or lease buildings (pre-acquisition surveys)
• assessing dilapidation after a period of occupation
• establishing the condition of plant and systems before committing to
maintenance contracts
• identifying immediate repairs missed during routine maintenance
inspections.
1.1 WHAT IS A A building services condition survey is an inspection of plant and

CONDITION installations to assess their physical, operational and maintenance
SURVEY? [ 1]
condition. The publication Stock Condition Surveys defines a condition
survey as:
“The collection of data about the condition of a building, part of a building, estate
or portfolio, assessing how that condition compares to a pre-determined standard,
to identify any actions necessary to achieve that standard now, and maintain it
there over a specified time horizon, the purpose being to support management
decision making.”
Condition surveys may be carried out for many reasons. Organisations,

particularly some public sector bodies, have traditionally carried out
periodic condition surveys to support strategic planning of their estates.
Broad brush condition surveys

Broad brush surveys are aimed at providing an overall assessment of the
condition of the building stock. They consist of external visual
inspections only.
These surveys help to prepare a strategic investment programme which

specifies the timescale and resources required to bring the facility or
estate up to the desired standard.
Maintenance management condition surveys

Maintenance management condition surveys are carried out to collect
data and appraise the condition of 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. The contractor’s ability to deliver the
performance set by the client and the cost of maintenance activities
required to achieve this objective depends on the condition of plant and
installations.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
1 THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA
The condition of plant and installations is an important criterion that

should be considered in pricing such contracts. Where comprehensive
records of conditions are kept by the client the contractor may obtain the
required information from them. However, such records are often
unavailable, and the contractor may have to carry out a detailed survey to
establish the maintenance commitment accurately.
Asset register
Watchpoint
One of the main objectives of any condition survey is to develop a
Condition surveys should
be repeated at regular reliable asset register along with a database on the overall condition of
intervals to enable a plant and associated systems. Both the asset register and the condition
review of the asset appraisal will help the maintenance and facility management staff plan for
condition, build a history their future maintenance, replacement and refurbishment needs. They
of the plant and system will also enable the continual support of the business needs giving due
and update the future
maintenance and financial
regard to:
programmes.
• functional suitability and performance
• physical and operational condition
• safety and statutory requirements
• energy and environmental performance.
[ 2]
BS 3811 defines a condition appraisal as:
“A formal and systematic appraisal of the condition of an item in respect of its

ability to perform its required function.”
However, 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 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.
The vast array of knowledge that can be gathered during condition
surveys can be used to identify and prioritise future works and to assess
the financial commitments required over a set period of time.
1.2 BENEFITS OF A condition survey can:

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.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA 1
The appraisal of the asset condition often needs to draw information

from other inspections carried out at different times. Therefore, a
condition survey can also be used as an exercise to co-ordinate
information from other inspections and draw final conclusions on asset
conditions and requirements for future work.
This information assists the planning of future maintenance and the

effective utilisation of available resources. It can help with:
• developing a property condition database that relates to an accurate

asset register
• valuing assets
• preparing long term asset investment plans
• achieving a balance between capital and maintenance funds
• targeting scarce maintenance resources (people and funds)
• benchmarking maintenance expenditure
• benchmarking property conditions.
1.3 BENEFITS IN To enable medium and long term maintenance to be effectively

MAINTENANCE undertaken the key questions to which the maintenance planner
PLANNING
requires answers are:
• What are the organisation’s building services assets?

• What assets are critical to the business requirements and other needs
of the organisation?
• What is the present condition of these assets?
• What is the estimated time to failure?
• What needs to be done to avert failure and to maintain the asset to
an acceptable condition?
• What priority does this action have?
• What is the likely cost?
• What other works will impact on the task?
• What are the alternatives – maintenance, renewal or refurbishment?
A well-formatted and well-undertaken condition survey should answer

these questions.
1.4 BENEFITS IN A condition survey can be used to evaluate maintainable assets. The
CONTRACTED application of a building survey to collect the data will provide a robust
MAINTENANCE
and consistent basis to award a maintenance contract. The data provided
will enable consistent pricing, improve the contractors’ mobilisation and
ensure contractor management teams can forecast, plan, and resource
appropriately and consistently. It will also provide baseline data for
analysis and subsequent improvement strategies to be developed.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY
2.1 DEFINING THE Before embarking on a condition survey it is necessary to establish its
TASK purpose and scope, and the nature of information required from the
survey.
All condition surveys are concerned with asset condition. However, the
extent to which the surveys are carried out and the information required
from them vary depending on the reason for the survey and the available
resource.
The issues that need to be addressed at the definition stage are:
• the objective and the purpose of the survey

• the areas and items to be covered (priorities for buildings and plant
items determine whether or not sampling is to be carried out)
• the attributes that should be evaluated (see list in Section 2.6)
• the depth of inspection and investigations, for example, the extent to
which the survey should make use of :
- visual inspections
- simple tests and measurements
- specialist tests and examinations
- plant internal examinations
- analysis of supportive data such as plant log books
- interviewing maintenance staff
• frequency of inspections
• co-ordination with other inspections such as building condition
surveys
• the nature of information required from the survey (for example,
condition of plant and installations, remedial requirements,
alternative action that may be possible, cost estimates).
2.2 FREQUENCY OF The frequency at which surveys need to be carried out can be
SURVEY determined by taking into account the following:
Watchpoint • the durability and reliability record of plant items

Maintenance staff should be • the extent to which conditions can be assessed during regular
encouraged to observe maintenance inspections
plant and installation
conditions during • the level of use of plant items
maintenance visits as a
• the age of plant items relative to their economic life
specific maintenance task.
They should continually • whether rapid or unusual deterioration has been observed.
review and update
condition and forward
maintenance records. It is important to note that a condition survey will only provide a picture
of the conditions at the time of inspection.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
LEVEL OF SURVEY 2
Maintenance records and forward maintenance plans need to be

reviewed to ensure an accurate condition appraisal is captured.
Where a five-yearly detailed survey is carried out, a two-yearly superficial

inspection or a less detailed interim survey is useful, as deterioration over
a five year period is difficult to predict accurately.
2.3 VISUAL Visual inspection is the most fundamental method of undertaking a

INSPECTIONS survey and is non-intrusive. It is easily carried out, inexpensive and may
be enhanced by the use of optical aids where required. Some defects
(such as corrosion), which manifest in a visible condition, can be
detected easily by careful visual inspection.
Optical aids can be used during condition surveys and range from simple
Watchpoint
equipment such as low power magnifiers to specialist equipment such as
Visual examinations,
borescopes, endoscopes and similar fibre optic devices. Most of these
unless backed by
guidelines and devices can be used with bespoke camera systems which are especially
measurement techniques, useful when inspecting plant in areas with controlled access (for example
can be subjective. where there are dangerous processes or toxic materials).
Visual inspections require good vision, good lighting and the knowledge
of what to look for. Surface preparation such as cleaning or etching is
sometimes used to aid the examination of surface-breaking defects.
2.4 SIMPLE TESTS Where information is not available from operation and maintenance
AND INSPECTIONS records, it may be necessary for the surveyor to carry out some simple
tests and measurements on environmental conditions and plant
performance. These measurements might include:
• ambient temperature monitoring

• relative humidity monitoring
• water quality testing
• lighting level checks
• electrical load monitoring.
The survey toolkit (Section 6) includes further coverage on the defects

that need to be assessed during a condition survey.
2.5 SPECIALIST Specialist surveys are necessary where the technology involved or the
SURVEYS more specialist aspects of the item of plant or system to be surveyed
demand it.
The use of specific measuring tools requires the use of trained surveyors.
Table 1 lists some of the plant or systems that require specialist surveys
requiring specific skills and knowledge.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY
Table 1: Equipment requiring specialist surveys
Plant or system Specialist survey

Boilers Combustion test
Safety circuit operation test
Burner operation test
Control systems Operational effectiveness check
Speed and functionality check
Sensor calibration
Fire alarm systems Condition of detectors
System continuity check
Generators Operation test
Switching test
Fuel economy check
Combustion test
Catering equipment Cleanliness and hygiene inspection
Safety check
Electrical test
Lifts and escalators Mandatory safety checks
Mandatory operational effectiveness check
Refrigeration plant Leakage tests
Cleanliness and hygiene inspection
Room temperature checks
Sprinkler systems Mandatory tests on control valves
Mandatory tests on heads
Uninterruptible power Operational tests of switching
supplies Operational tests of unit efficiency and control
Pressure vessels Mandatory test of pressure vessels
Pipework operational effectiveness check
Diaphragm check
2.6 PLANT AND The scope of the survey should include examination of some or all of
INSTALLATION the following aspects:
ATTRIBUTES THAT
SHOULD BE • functional suitability
EXAMINED
• operational integrity
• physical condition
• compliance with legal and health and safety requirements
• conditions affecting operation and maintenance
• economic life and obsolescence.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
LEVEL OF SURVEY 2
2.7 FUNCTIONAL These are the elements of the survey that relate to the assessed suitability
SUITABILITY AND of plant to serve the business function and are important attributes of the
OPERATIONAL
INTEGRITY plant which can affect client business profitability.
Aspects of functional suitability and operational integrity that should be

considered during a survey include:
• lighting levels and quality of lighting

• emergency lighting levels
• effectiveness of fire alarms
• adequacy of power supplies
• power quality
• an overview of heating and ventilation standards
• an overview of system performance.
Figure 1 to Figure 4 show examples of conditions affecting functional

suitability and operational integrity.
Figure 1 Building structure
The white ring highlights

cracks down gable wall to
left-hand side of lintel.
Figure 2 Mechanical pump
The white ring highlights a

bucket being used to
collect water from a
leaking seal.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY
Figure 3 Pipework
The white ring shows

severe corrosion, caused
by missing lagging and
exposure to water.
Figure 4: Electrical control panel
The white ring highlights a

lackadaisical approach to
maintenance which could
lead to misconnections or
overheating leading to
failure.
2.8 PHYSICAL The physical condition of building services plant can be observed
CONDITION through visual inspections and by other methods of non-destructive
testing.
However, the visual survey may recommend intrusive/destructive

testing, to establish the true condition of certain installations.
Typical examples of physical conditions that may signal forthcoming

maintenance requirements include:
• deterioration (such as corrosion)

• wear and tear
• damage
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
LEVEL OF SURVEY 2
• blockages (for example those caused by scaling of pipes)

• loose electrical joints
• electrical components operating at excessive temperatures.
It is not possible to observe all aspects of physical deterioration so tests

and inspections are often included in separate surveys carried out by
specialists.
2.9 COMPLIANCE Asset conditions must comply with legal and health and safety
WITH LEGAL AND requirements. There is a vast amount of UK legislation that impacts on
HEALTH AND
SAFETY the building services plant and installations. For example The Health and
REQUIREMENTS Safety at Work Act 1974 and its supporting regulations have requirements
for plant and installations to be operated and maintained in safe
conditions and without detriment to health. They also have
requirements for conditions such as cleanliness of ductwork, adequacy
and level of task lighting and safety of electrical installations.
From time to time new legislation is introduced or existing legislation is

revised that may require the replacement of existing plant or major
modifications to them.
It is not possible to provide a comprehensive list covering all building

services installations. The following are some key regulations:
• Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1992
• Pressure Systems and Transportable Gas Containers Regulations 1989
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
• The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
• Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002
• Noise at Work Regulations 1989
• Lifting Plant and Equipment (Record of Test and Examinations etc.)
Regulations 1992
• Lifts Regulations 1997.
Note that the above list is not exhaustive and that different legislation
may be applicable in different parts of the UK. All UK legislation can be
accessed at www.legislation.gov.uk, and a detailed schedule of legislation
affecting building services can be found in the BSRIA Legislation and
Compliance Online Database which can be accessed through the BSRIA
website.
The surveyor should particularly be aware of legislation that has recently

been introduced or is likely to be introduced in the near future as they
may require changes to existing installations.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
2 LEVEL OF SURVEY
2.10 CONDITIONS The ability to operate and maintain building services without hindrance
AFFECTING as well as minimising downtime in the case of a failure can be extremely
OPERATION AND
MAINTENANCE important to business activities. The surveyor should note such
conditions that will cause downtime of critical plant items beyond
acceptable levels. Aspects of plant and installation configurations that can
seriously affect the ability to maintain and reduce downtime include:
• access to critical equipment
− personnel access
− ease of carrying tools and materials
− access for plant and equipment (such as lifts and hoists)
• space for doing the work
− ergonomics
− manoeuvring space for persons
− space for removing and replacing components such as boiler tubes
• built-in features for safe maintenance
− guards
− lockable switchgear
• information on operation and maintenance
− operation and maintenance manuals
− record drawings
− asset register
− planned preventive maintenance records
− health and safety file.
2.11 THE REASONS The survey, subject to the requirements of the brief, should identify
FOR plant that could become obsolete due to any of the reasons below.
OBSOLESCENCE
Physical obsolescence
Physical obsolescence happens when the physical condition of an item is
no longer acceptable. Abuse and vandalism can also cause an item to be
discarded before the end of its economic life.
Economic obsolescence
The economic life of an item of plant or system is the number of years
beyond which the item of plant will not represent a cost effective option
in providing the required function.
Further details are given in Section 6.4.
Functional obsolescence
An item is functionally obsolete when its function is no longer required.
Equipment that is not needed to support the business requirements
should be treated as functionally obsolete.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
LEVEL OF SURVEY 2
Technological obsolescence
New technologies are being continually expanded into the building
services industry. The willingness to include this modern technology can
make existing equipment obsolete.
Technological obsolescence can be assumed to take place when the item

is no longer technologically acceptable for the provision of its required
function or where a manufacturer no longer supports a technology.
Social and legal obsolescence

Equipment can become redundant because it is no longer socially or legally
acceptable. Plant that consumes excessive energy is not only expensive to
run but also can harm a client’s green image. Another example is machines
using CFC refrigerants which are being phased out.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
How much is your asset
maintenance costing you?
Regular condition surveys will help you effectively manage your
assets. Interserve’s flexible approach to asset data capture and
condition surveying ranges from desktop overview to detailed
surveys.
Financial planning for your assets,

property, plant and equipment
Whether you are managing a single property or a large
portfolio, we can help you evaluate the condition of the
fabric, systems and installations of your building, as well
as identify maintainable assets and functions in a more
efficient and economical way.
We have provided our clients in private and public

sectors with surveys to assess cost in use, targeted
defect identification and diagnosis, full and partial
building condition, thermographic surveys, energy
audits, historic building and statutory surveys.
Holistic asset management
• Deliver return on your

investment
• Total FM solutions or single-
point solutions
• Value for money on
maintenance and energy
costs
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asset maintenance needs
• Risk-based prioritisation
over the short, medium
or long term
Find out about our range of services

0118 932 0123
www.interserve.com The Trusted Partner

3 HOW TO DO A CONDITION SURVEY

Whether the regime consists of a single survey or a number of discrete
components, a condition survey consists of a number of essential steps.
These are set out in the following sections.
3.1 SETTING The operational and maintenance conditions of certain assets are often
PRIORITIES more important to businesses than those of others. The deterioration of
certain assets may also carry significant core business risks, health and
safety risks, penalties including the depreciation of asset value and non-
compliance with legislation that could affect business success.
Resources may be limited and condition surveys can be costly.

Depending on the scope, inspections may require plant to be shut down
and can disrupt the core business of the organisation.
The prioritisation of assets to the organisation in terms of business need,

health and safety, and energy and environmental performance is an
essential part of the survey process.
The assessment of the criticality of each asset is normally a decision that

needs to be made after discussion with the building occupier. Refer to
[3]
BSRIA Guide BG 3/2004: Business Focused Maintenance for further
details.
This assessment should include areas where the asset is particularly

important and the consequences of failure are serious, for example:
• interruptions to business processes

• health and safety risks
• excessive energy consumption
• damage to corporate image.
The importance of the assets/services can be represented by a ranking

system, for example:
a) critical services - services that are crucial and have a direct impact
on the core business of the organisation, those which affect health and
safety or compliance with legal requirements (for example, electrical
services for essential computer operation, task lighting)
b) essential services - services that significantly contribute to and have
a short term impact on the core business activities (for example,
heating where there are no other means of providing heating)
c) important services - services that are less significant but could have
long term impact on it to the core business activities (for example,
ventilation of certain areas)
d) desirable services - services that have no direct bearing on core
business activities but are desirable to the organisation (for example,
decorative lighting).
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
HOW TO DO A CONDITION SURVEY 3
3.2 SAMPLING Where there are similar installations working under similar conditions
(for example, services in a number of similar dwellings) it is economical
Watchpoint to carry out sample surveys. This consists of carrying out a survey of a
Where the cost of failure representative sample of installations and extrapolating the results to
is high it is not advisable draw conclusion about all installations. This is a cost-effective way of
to base surveys on
sampling techniques.
assessing future maintenance needs for planning budgets.
3.3 CO-ORDINATION Building fabric, services and other surveys may be carried out by
WITH OTHER different surveyors because of the different skill sets and experience
INSPECTIONS
required.
However, the condition of building services plant and installations and

their maintenance requirements can significantly interact with the
building fabric and other installations such as IT services. Although the
information may be collected by each of the various specialists, there are
advantages in carrying out these surveys as a co-ordinated exercise.
A combined survey of building fabric, services and other installations

helps to achieve close co-ordination between disciplines and avoids
duplication of effort.
3.4 STARTING A condition survey of building services plant and installations requires an
assessment of their ability to perform and their visible physical condition.
It requires an approach that combines information from a variety of
sources including:
• a survey of external physical condition of the plant and installations

• the use of specialist inspections and tests
• the information held in operational and maintenance records
• the knowledge of building owners, operators, maintenance
personnel, facilities managers and occupants.
The condition survey starts with an initial examination of external plant

conditions and its environment along with simple tests, measurements
and the gathering of historic information about the behaviour of the
installation. This can be enhanced by specialist inspections and tests,
which may include the invasive examination of plant items.
The extent to which all the survey activities are included in a single
exercise depends on the client’s requirements, budget and the ability of
an organisation to take up all the constituent activities. It is important
that the brief for the condition survey should clearly describe the extent
to which these activities are to be covered.
3.5 USE OF IN-HOUSE In-house operation and maintenance staff are an invaluable source of
STAFF RESOURCES information. They carry vital knowledge of plant and installation
conditions, their operational status and maintenance problems.
Wherever possible maintenance staff should be attached to the survey
team.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
3.6 SELECTING AND Condition surveys, or parts of them, may be carried out by in-house
COMMISSIONING A maintenance staff, contractors or consultants with sufficient competence.
SURVEYOR
Different work tasks (for example, specialist tests) can be contracted to
different parties and co-ordinated by the persons leading the survey (for
example a lead consultant or the client’s maintenance advisor).
If this work is carried out on a consultancy basis, surveyors are normally

employed on a fixed price basis to carry out the work described in the
client’s brief. Fixed price commissions should have a mechanism to
change the price if the scope of the contract changes.
The selection of a surveyor can be made through competitive tender or

by negotiation. The purpose of competitive tendering is to ensure value
for money on bids submitted on a similar basis. This form of selection
requires a clear and comprehensive brief. Fee tendering may be more
suitable for clients carrying out a survey for the first time. Fee tendering
is a more costly process than negotiation as the client has to spend more
time in preparing and evaluating tenders and answering queries.
Fee negotiation is normally quicker as the surveyor can participate in

developing and finalising the brief. It also allows the client to work with
a surveyor with previous experience of the estate and who has an
understanding of the client’s requirements. The report format normally
adopted by the surveyor is likely to be acceptable to the client, which
could reduce the cost of the survey.
As part of the approval process the surveyor’s professional indemnity and

public liability insurance should be verified. In order to clarify the
standard of work and the programme, the client should seek the
following information (as a minimum) during the selection process:
• a typical example of the surveyor’s work reflecting all information

and reports that will be provided within the fee quoted (particularly
where the brief does not detail these requirements and leaves the
report format to the surveyor)
• CVs of staff who will carry out the surveys and their respective roles
• an outline programme of survey activities indicating areas to be
visited, timescales for completing specific activities and staffing levels
• a list of information and assistance required from the client.
3.7 GATHERING The gathering of generic and technical information about the assets that
INFORMATION need to be examined is a pre-requisite to the condition survey process.
This information needs to consist of details on the ownership and

location, manufacture, design details, output requirements and initial
operational and performance parameters of each asset as applicable, and
will assist the surveyor in the planning of the survey as well as comparing
original intentions and performance patterns with present conditions.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
The surveyor must have access to the following documents:

Watchpoint
Most computer based
maintenance management • the asset register
systems include an asset • as-installed drawings (record drawings)
register facility. A distinct
advantage of capturing • operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals
the condition survey data
using a computer-based • the health and safety file
asset register is that the • information about warranties and guarantees
asset condition
information can easily • commissioning data
become a part of the • previous survey data and records of the condition of plant and
maintenance management
information system.
installations
• competent person examination reports and other specialist inspection
reports
• the forward maintenance plan
• information on maintenance backlog
• relocation or refurbishment plans that could affect building services.
Manufacturers’ information about plant items and details of the design

and maintenance strategy can be found in operation and maintenance
(O&M) manuals and record drawings.
The extent to which the required data is available from existing records
varies from one organisation to another. An asset register or other forms
of comprehensive asset records may not exist and asset information may
need to be built up while carrying out the survey.
3.8 DATA CAPTURE A significant part of a condition survey is examining plant and recording
DURING condition information. Surveyors spend considerable time on site
CONDITION
SURVEYS gathering and recording condition data. An important pre-requisite of
the survey process is to determine the extent to which data is collected.
Consideration should be given to:
• what data to collect

• what level of detail to record
• how to record the data, for example the format and the structure
• what systems and platforms are to be used for this purpose (for
example paper, computer hardware, software)
• how to store them for future use.
The way this data is collected, recorded and stored can affect the cost, the
outcome of the survey and the use of data at a future time.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
3.9 DATA The basic information about the assets provides a basis for collecting data
REQUIREMENTS about the plant condition. Core data such as equipment type and
location is static and does not change in the short term. Once in a
database, data only requires checking and updating. Basic asset
information includes:
• asset identity/reference
• description of the asset
• location
• date of installation
• functional requirements
• importance to client business
• acceptable maintenance condition.
Watchpoint
Too often the inclusion Property and plant data should be accessible to the maintenance staff as
of new information into
an integral part of their role within the building. However, some
as-built drawings is
omitted from the work organisations maintain fragmented information about their assets. A
arising from surveys. As recent BSRIA guide on Building Manuals provides a template to gather
these drawings are used together all of the important information, which could be a
by maintenance staff in recommendation to the occupier after the survey is completed.
carrying out this work it
is imperative that these Computer based asset registers may contain information in a format that
are updated along with
the O&M’s.
can be downloaded to a computer based system used for collecting
condition data.
3.10 ASSET TRACKING Building an asset register and recording core information required for
AND BARCODING condition surveys becomes an easier task with barcoding or radio
frequency identification (RFID) devices and asset tracking systems.
In the past asset registers were paper documents which seldom got
updated as doing so was an unwieldy task. Technology that captures asset
information should be built in at the initial construction stage.
With the use of technology, asset tracking and maintaining asset registers
becomes a much easier task.
Asset tracking software uses pull-down menus and commands to record

asset details such as asset description, manufacturer, serial number and
location, so consistent data is captured.
Using relational database systems to hold asset information and other
maintenance data, a wide range of reports and queries can be run for
quick access of asset and maintenance information. The system can also
be extended to record information relating to condition, faults, and
replacement parts.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
3.11 CONDITION DATA The task associated with condition recording is to assess plant and
installation conditions against a reference standard of acceptability. The
information recorded is usually a statement about plant symptoms from
which the likelihood of failure or non-compliance can be evaluated.
The reference standards on which the conditions are evaluated, such as

the legal requirement and specifications, should be expressed. Where
possible, the data recorded should be supported with drawings, sketches
and photographs. Remedial works required to bring the asset to a level of
acceptability should also be recorded where possible.
Condition grading systems are used to categorise the plant condition.
These provide a means of broadly identifying the condition in a uniform
manner and grouping plant items in accordance with their conditions. It
enables maintenance action to be prioritised in accordance with the
condition category. A condition grading system is given in Section 5.2.
Condition data recorded will include:
• the current condition using a standard condition grade

• whether a defective condition exists or not
• defects or non-conformities in comparison to the acceptable
condition
• any maintenance action required to bring the asset up to the required
condition (where this can be established on site).
The above should be supplemented with the following information:
• method of inspection/data collection (including details of inspection

techniques used)
• any limitations associated with the survey/inspection process such as
where plant could not be inspected
• documents inspected
• persons interviewed
• observations including results of any tests and measurements carried
out
• photographic or diagrammatic records to illustrate the conditions.
This information will help the surveyor to justify the findings in the
report.
3.12 DATA STRUCTURE The level at which data is collected is important and will depend on the
purpose of the survey and the size, complexity and nature of engineering
systems.
Special Report 249, Legislation Non-Compliance and Condition Appraisal

[ 4]
Systems details a building appraisal system developed by chartered
surveyors Drake and Kannemeyer. It promotes a two-tier system for data
recording and reporting purposes.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
Whilst a two-tier system may be perfectly adequate for smaller buildings

and broad-brush surveys, it may be necessary to break the installation
down to a further tier in the case of large properties with numerous
engineering systems. Examples of alternative terminologies used in both
two and three-tier systems are given in Table 2.
Table 2: Two-tier and three-tier data-recording
Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 (optional)

Parent Child
Primary Secondary Tertiary
System Sub-system Component
Element Sub-element
3.13 METHOD OF DATA The method of collection should provide easy and quick means of
COLLECTION collecting data, validating it and transferring the relevant information to
permanent records held elsewhere.
There are two main methods of data collection:
1. paper-based
2. hand-held technology.
A traditional method of data collection consists of two components - the

collection of data on site and entry on to analysis sheets such as
spreadsheets or databases. Data is often collected on questionnaires,
forms, tick-box sheets and voice recorders. Transcribing this data can be
time-consuming, and errors are likely so checking is required.
Paper-based data collection

Paper-based data collection involves suitable pro-formas to be developed
for recording information, manually entering survey results, validating
information and transferring it to permanent records. The surveyor also
needs to carry a significant amount of supplementary information about
plant and installations. Paper-based data collection is relatively inflexible
and cumbersome in comparison to the use of hand held technology.
Hand-held technology
Hand-held technology has the advantage of holding electronic
information that can be referenced while being used to capture data.
Using hand-held technology greatly reduces the processing time required
and speeds up the reporting process.
3.14 IDENTIFICATION An asset coding structure should be agreed. Each element of the code has to
OF ASSETS be clearly understood and recognised by everyone who is likely to use it.
For a clear understanding of the asset there must be clarity in all aspects -
not only what it is, but where it is installed. This ensures that everyone is
discussing the same asset.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
An example of a chilled water non-return valve identified using an asset-

coding structure is given below:
Building 134 (a number or letter code)
Floor 1 (a number or letter code)
System CHW (a short code agreed by all)
Asset Type NRV (a short code agreed by all)
Number 054 (a number)
Building Floor System Asset type No

134 001 CHW NRV 054
Giving 134/001/CHW/NRV/054
For a larger property additional elements to identify location may be

required. An example of a low temperature hot water circulating pump is
given below:
Building MNB (a number or letter code)
Level B01 (a number or letter code)
Location PR01 (a number or letter code)
System LTHW (a short code agreed by all)
Asset Type CPP (a short code agreed by all)
Number 001 (a number)
Building Level Location System Asset type No

MNB B01 PR01 LTHW CPP 001
Giving MNB/B01/PR01/LTHW/CPP/001
There is already a convention for identifying power sources. The

electrical industry uses a cascading alphanumeric system to annotate the
items for identification.
Figure 5: Identifiable power source

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
3.15 SCOPE OF Generic tasks that form a part of a full condition appraisal include:
CONDITION
SURVEYS • external examination of plant items and installations
• evaluation of the performance of plant and installations
• evaluation of the operation and maintenance conditions of plant and
installations
• carrying out specialist inspections and internal examinations
• co-ordinating information from inspections and tests carried out
previously
• co-ordinating information from other sources
• evaluation of compliance with health and safety and legal
requirements
• analysis of condition data and information
• identifying future maintenance requirements, their priorities and time
scales
• identifying funds required to carry out this work
• developing a knowledge base of the condition of plant and
installations.
[1]
The publication Stock Condition Surveys states that the scope of the
condition survey should be driven by the client’s objectives in
commissioning the survey in the first place. It also goes on to say that
there is no ‘standard package’ for condition surveys. A detailed briefing
process is required to establish the exact purpose for which the
information is to be used before the condition survey is finalised.
3.16 GENERAL TOOLS The surveyor needs to carry (or have access to) equipment and tools to
AND EQUIPMENT give access to plant, installations and test/measuring instruments for
specific tests and measurements. A list of general equipment and tools is
provided below.
The testing and measuring instruments that need to be carried will

depend on the extent of tests and measurements to be done on site.
Table 3: Surveyor’s equipment and tools
Watchpoint Access ladder, cradle or hoist as required

A health and safety risk A set of screwdrivers, spanners and Allen keys
assessment should be
Torch
carried out as a pre-
requisite to the survey. Personal protective equipment (for example safety shoes, gloves, protective clothing,
Particular reference safety glasses, and hard hat)
should be made to
inherent dangers such as A first aid kit*
lone working, and A mobile phone (mobile phones sometimes do not work inside buildings, particularly
working at heights. in plant rooms located in basements. In such event an alternative arrangement may
be required)
* If the survey is carried out in remote places where there is no close contact during an
emergency
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
3.17 DUCTWORK AND The cleanliness of both ductwork and pipework is extremely important
PIPEWORK and must be considered as part of any complete survey. A valid condition
CLEANLINESS
assessment sometimes requires invasive examination.
Ductwork
Discolouration around intake and supply grilles can give a general guide
as to the cleanliness of the ductwork. However, the use of boroscopes
and mirrors can greatly enhance the inspection of the ductwork
supported with the use of swabs and analysis. The use of cameras, both
still and video, can support the eventual report made on duct cleanliness
and assist in the decision on whether or not to clean.
Pipework
The cleanliness of pipework can be assessed by chemical analysis. The
surveyor should have access to records on dosing and bacteriological
contamination. If laboratory results indicate high levels of metal in the
water, inspection of internal pipe surfaces should be carried out. If there
are high levels of contamination or evidence of pseudomonas, it may be
necessary to replace pipework.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
4 NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
4.1 GENERAL The purpose of this section is to provide a general overview of some
non-destructive techniques commonly used to evaluate the condition of
plant and installations. Where it is intended to use such techniques,
further advice should be sought from a specialist in the field.
Non-destructive testing (NDT) forms a part of an overall investigation

into the condition of plant and installations but generally falls outside the
scope of the initial survey. Where there is likelihood of hidden failure
but insufficient evidence to establish whether a failure condition exists
non-destructive testing should be carried out. More information on non-
destructive testing can be found in the BSRIA publication, AG 1/2003:
[5]
Conditioned Based Maintenance - Using Non-Destructive Testing .
Requirements for such tests and investigations should be identified

during an initial survey. The following provides an outline of some of
the more common techniques used.
4.2 THERMOGRAPHY Thermography is a technique which provides an image of the

temperature profile over the surface of an object and helps to diagnose
the cause of heat generation. This is carried out using an infrared camera.
Temperature variations in the subject are displayed as different colours.
Thermography is now one of the most versatile NDT and condition

monitoring methods and is particularly useful in detecting heat build-up
in electrical and electronic circuits.
The common problems associated with electrical installations are loose

connections and the overloading of conductors.
Frictional heating caused by bearing wear, lubrication problems, shaft

misalignment and gear problems can be diagnosed using thermography.
Boiler and furnace linings can be examined by using suitable filters that
cut out the short infrared wavelengths radiated by flames.
Thermal imaging can also be used to detect heat losses from building
fabric and pipes, air leakage, leaks in chimneys and flues and leaks from
underground mains.
Further guidance on thermal imaging can be found in the following

BSRIA publications:
• AG 17/97, Safe Thermal Imaging of Electrical Systems (Up to and

[ 6]
Including 1000V a.c.)
• FMS 5/99, Guidance and Standard Specification for Thermal Imaging of
[7
LV Electrical Installations ]
• FMS 6/2000,Guidance and Specification for Thermal Imaging of Non-
[ 8]
Electrical Installations
•
[ 9]
BG 39/2011, Thermal Imaging of Building Fabric
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING 4
4.3 POWER QUALITY There is concern in the industry about the quality of electrical power
SURVEYS systems used to run buildings. The increased usage of IT and other
electronic equipment has exacerbated power quality problems such as
Harmonic Distortion.
The most common cause of harmonic distortion in buildings is the

switched-mode power supplies used to convert AC to DC for electronic
equipment.
Simply, current is drawn in short bursts of high amplitude in each half

cycle of the supply current and this non-linear behaviour distorts the
current sine wave in a way that can best be described by the introduction
of harmonics (multiples of the fundamental frequency).
In a three-phase four-wire supply the neutral conductor should carry no

current as the phases (L1, L2 and L3) are expected to carry balanced
loads. With switched-mode power supplies the short bursts of current
draw can happen independently at different times on each phase of a
three-phase power supply.
The harmonics that are prevalent in this type of system can combine in
amplitude in the neutral conductor to a value greater than that of the
phase current even under well balanced load conditions.
Typical problems that can be caused by harmonic distortion include:
• excessive neutral currents in three-phase power supplies

(see Figure 6)
• high levels of neutral to ground voltage
• low power factors
• higher energy costs
• excessively high currents in the power factor correction circuits
• high transformer core losses and copper losses, resulting in
overheating and shortening of transformer life.
Power quality surveys involve the detailed measurement and analysis of

current and voltage waveforms to establish the presence of harmonic and
transient currents and voltages.
Power quality problems can cause damage and deterioration in electrical

installations. The likelihood of power quality problems and the need for
any remedial action should be considered during condition appraisals.
More information on power quality problems can be found in BSRIA

[10]
AG 2/2000: BSRIA Power Quality Guide .

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
Figure 6 Deterioration caused by arcing possibly due to excessive neutral currents

caused by harmonics
4.4 VIBRATION Vibration Analysis

ANALYSIS AND All rotating machinery has a natural resonance which can be measured.
ACOUSTIC
TESTING
Vibration analysis uses the vibrations within machinery, due to bearing
degradation, misalignment or winding faults, to assess the condition of
the plant. As the fault worsens the vibrations will increase in magnitude.
Regular analysis of an item of plant can show deterioration of a bearing
or winding.
Vibration analysis is possibly the most extensively used element in a well

filled NDT toolbox. If properly and sensibly used it has the ability to
effectively detect many different faults on a wide variety of plant.
Acoustic emission
The vibration within a piece of rotating equipment such as a pump or a
fan creates stress within the materials from which they are made, caused
by friction, cavitation and impacts. These emit high-frequency sound
which can be measured to give an overall condition of the plant.
The time taken to carry out the test is short. Repeated tests are an
accurate, cost effective and practical way of obtaining operating
information.
4.5 ULTRASONIC Ultrasonic methods use sound waves of short wavelength and high
FLAW DETECTION frequency (ultrasound) to detect flaws or measure material thickness.
AND THICKNESS
GAUGING Pulsed beams of ultrasound are used, via a hand-held transducer placed
on the object to be tested. Any defects reflect the sound back to the
transducer. Flaw size, distance and reflectivity can be interpreted. This is
a complex task and specialist skills are required to do this work.
This technique can also be used to measure metal thickness and

determine wastage or corrosion in pipework systems. It is normally
carried out when a problem is suspected or when the economic life of
the asset has been reached.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING 4
4.6 EDDY CURRENT Eddy current testing is an electromagnetic technique and can only be
TESTING
used on conductive materials. Its applications include crack detection,
detection of flaws, size variations, or material variation.
Eddy current inspection is based on the principles of electromagnetic

induction. When an energised coil is brought near to the surface of a metal
component, eddy currents are induced into the specimen. These currents
set up a magnetic field that tends to oppose the original magnetic field.
The impedance of the coil in close proximity to the specimen is affected
by the presence of the induced eddy currents in the specimen.
When the eddy currents in the specimen are distorted by the presence of
flaws or material variations, the impedance in the coil is altered. This
change is measured and displayed in a manner that indicates the type of
flaw or material condition.
Eddy current testing, which is highly specialised technique, is employed

to detect corrosion, cracks and other surface problems in plant items such
as large heat exchangers, boiler tubes and diesel engine crank shafts.
4.7 LEAK DETECTION Leak detection methods can be used to determine the integrity of
METHODS materials and joints in pipework, ductwork and pressure systems.
Leak detection methods vary from simple bubble testing by visual

examination to very sensitive methods using specialist equipment. Leaks
from pipework and ductwork systems can also be observed by
monitoring pressure drops.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
5 GRADING
5 GRADING
5.1 THE USE OF It is essential that a level of uniformity is employed for key information
RANKING SYSTEMS and observations, such as asset condition and maintenance priorities.
Visual survey data recording is often down to the judgement of the

surveyor and is therefore subjective. This does not reduce the
requirement for an assessment to be made of the state of the asset. Data
should be recorded according to an agreed standard.
The use of subjective descriptions such as “good”, “satisfactory”, and

“urgent action required”, can often give different meanings to different
people. The following grading system helps to standardise the way the
condition of assets and maintenance priorities are described.
5.2 GRADING ASSET The following is a grading system used to identify information about the
CONDITION condition of assets and for evaluating future facilities plans and
maintenance strategies. A uniform system for grading asset condition can
accurately identify assets that should be monitored more frequently.
Such a grading system can be used to specify the level to which the
condition of the plant should be improved, for example from a current
condition “C” to the required condition “B”. The following system is
recommended but can be modified to suit the particular situation.
A - the element is as new and can be expected to perform adequately to

Watchpoint
its full normal life
Grading systems only give
B - the element is sound, operationally safe, and exhibits only minor
a superficial indication of
a condition. They do not deterioration
fully describe the C - the element is operational but major repair or replacement will be
symptoms associated needed soon, that is, within three years for a building (surveys on
with defects in building entire buildings are not in the scope of this publication) and one year
services plant. for an engineering element
D - the element runs a serious risk of imminent breakdown
X - (a rating added to C or D to indicate that it is impossible to improve
without replacement).
5.3 MAINTENANCE The prioritising of maintenance requirements allows the aligning of

PRIORITY SYSTEMS maintenance resources in accordance with the priorities set out by the
business. Owners of large estates generally have maintenance planning
strategies and systems for assessing maintenance priorities.
[1]
A classification system suggested in Stock Condition Surveys , is based on
priority categories for repair, is shown in Table 4.
Table 4: RICS classification of repair priorities
Priority 1 Health and safety (such as compliance with stature and/or duty)
Priority 2 Neglect that might lead to damage or reversion
Priority 3 Neglect that might affect current rental income
Priority 4 Necessary to maintain in ‘repair’
This is the recommended system but it can be modified to suit the

particular situation.
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
SURVEY TOOLKIT 6
6 SURVEY TOOLKIT
6.1 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this section is to provide direction to some checks that
may be included in condition surveys. The items listed have been based
on common defects and other issues relating to plant and installation
conditions that could give rise to future maintenance requirements.
They have been derived from case studies, discussion with clients and
maintenance organisations, site visits and BSRIA studies on durability.
The aim is to provide an aide mémoire to generic checks and common
defects. It should not be regarded as comprehensive.
A pre-survey checklist can be found in Appendix A, and a generic plant

assessment checklist can be found in Appendix B. Blank checklists in
Microsoft Word format are attached to this pdf, and can also be
downloaded from the BSRIA website: www.bsria.co.uk/goto/csc.
The results of a condition survey can be transferred into a spreadsheet.

An example can be found in Appendix C, using condition grade and
priority ratings to aid decision-making for interventions such as
maintenance or plant replacement.
6.2 OVERVIEW AND Before the start of the survey, certain essential information needs to be
PRE-SURVEY available and other necessary arrangements need to be in place. These
CHECKS
include:
 a survey programme agreed with the client and other persons

involved
 a list of plant and installations subject to the survey, and their details
 a record of site constraints and restrictions such as security, asbestos,
access restrictions, safety hazards, and attendance requirements
 documents to be examined such as the asset register, operation and
maintenance log books, and competent person examination records
 lists of persons to be interviewed, ensure that they are pre-informed
and available
 support required from the client such as escorts, contractors, and
attendance, ensure that the appropriate persons are pre-informed and
ready to assist
 tools and equipment required for the survey such as measuring
devices, ladders, and personal protective equipment
 any special training and similar requirements such as special training
required to work on the roof
 method statements and risk assessments as appropriate.
A pre-survey checklist can be found in Appendix A.

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
6 SURVEY TOOLKIT
6.3 COMMON Table 5 – Table 15 list the common defects or problems of a generic
DEFECTS nature related to building services.
Table 5: Physical condition
Defect
Signs of deterioration, in particular premature deterioration. The root cause of the
deterioration should be identified where possible
Damage or missing equipment and components, such as lagging or vapour barriers
Jammed isolation (including safety isolation) devices such as valves
Incorrect parts
Disconnected parts or components
Water leaks/pooling of water
Poor drainage
Inadequate testing and commissioning points
Commissioning points in the wrong place
Inadequate protection, for example lack of protection against weather damage
Undue damage or deterioration to plant
Environmental factors that can adversely affect plant such as pollutants, dust, high
temperature and high humidity
Signs of mishandling or abuse of plant items
Unusual operational conditions such as smells, noise, vibration, leaks and excessive
surface temperature
Adverse internal conditions. Where possible check internal condition by removing
access covers, and sections of lagging
Table 6: Operation and maintenance
Watchpoint Defect
The conditions affecting Lack of good quality, comprehensive record drawings and O&M manuals including the
plant operation and health and safety file
maintenance are crucial
to service delivery. If Inadequate personnel access to plant rooms
plant cannot easily be Inadequate access for plant, equipment and materials such as lifting gear
operated or maintained
to provide the services Inadequate access for maintenance such as withdrawal of boiler tubes
required for them, Unavailability of spares
modifications may need
to be carried out. Lack of personal protective equipment
Inadequate means of isolation, locking off and barriers
Lack of redundant or standby plant to maintain service needs during maintenance
shut-downs
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
SURVEY TOOLKIT 6
Table 7: Operation and maintenance history
Watchpoint Defect
The operations and Consistent maintenance problems recorded in maintenance log books
maintenance records
should be examined and High maintenance costs
maintenance staff should Excessive energy consumption
be consulted to identify
conditions that signal the Trends of plant deterioration, for example an increase in vibration
need for repairs or Electrical loads that exceed the safe capacity of the supply
replacements.
Defects reported as part of specialist examinations
Table 8: Health and safety
Defect
Unavailability of emergency equipment in plant rooms, for example alarms,
emergency telephones, panic buttons, and emergency isolation devices
Lack of safety equipment in plant rooms, such as rubber matting in front of electrical
switch panels
Inadequate means of escape from plant rooms
Lack of first aid equipment
Inadequate safety signs and posters
Inadequate warning and danger notices
Inadequate guards and barriers, particularly in the case of rotating and moving
machinery
Lack of means of local isolation for maintenance, particularly in the case of remotely
controlled machinery
Inadequate security of plant rooms
Presence of hazardous substances in plant rooms without adequate precautions, for
example unsecured gas bottles
Hazards in plant rooms due to lack of headroom, holes, and trenches without
adequate identification such as warning tapes and protection.
Generally unsafe plant rooms, for example slippery floors, uneven floors and steep
ramps
Undue noise in plant rooms
Undue noise in other areas emanating from building services plant
Inadequate guards and rails against falling, for example on roof areas, access gantries
and platforms
Inadequate heating, ventilating and lighting in plant rooms
Use of plant rooms as storage areas

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
6 SURVEY TOOLKIT
Table 9: LV electrical installations – general power
Defect
Redundant cables and switchgear
Inadequate identification and labelling of switchgear, distribution boards and circuits
Inadequate display of warning and danger notices
Inadequate mechanical protection of cable systems
Inadequate protection of cable systems against other causes of damage and
deterioration such as heat and chemicals
Cables and conductors exposed due to damage, corrosion, and missing covers
Inadequate means of isolation
Inadequate means of locking off after isolation (where required)
Inadequate means of emergency switching
Inadequate or damaged barriers or enclosures
Inappropriate circuit protective devices for example rewirable fuses where there
should be HRC fuses or MCBs
Lack of barriers against unauthorised tampering
Broken or disconnected earthing systems
Damaged flexible conduits
Inadequate main incoming power supply
Inadequate power supply to specific areas
Overloading of circuits
Insufficient number of socket outlets resulting in safety hazards such as trailing cables
Improper segregation of cables
Watchpoint Signs of deterioration of cable insulation

Results of periodic tests Old and redundant cable systems, such as V.I.R. cables
and inspections should be
checked and the results Problems arising from loose joints, such as excessive temperatures and, vibration in
extrapolated to identify busbar systems
any need for replacement Power quality problems, particularly where there are large microprocessor
applications
Lack of availability of 115 V supply
Table 10: LV electrical installations – lighting
Defect
Inadequate lighting levels
Inappropriate luminaires for the type of work carried out for example those which
cause glare on computer screens
Switching arrangements unacceptable to the client
Inadequate emergency lighting. Guidance is found in British Standard BS 5266 -
Emergency Lighting. Part 1[ 11]
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
SURVEY TOOLKIT 6
Table 11: Boilers, heating and hot water systems
Defect
Redundant plant and pipework
Inadequate identification of pipework systems
Inadequate boiler capacity or inadequate supply of heat to particular areas
(complaints from occupiers or operational records may indicate possible shortages)
Back-end corrosion of the boiler
Boiler section cracks
Restricted flow due to waterside fouling
Air-side fouling caused by poor combustion
Inadequate supply of combustion air to the boiler house
Inadequate hot water capacity and supply points
Inability of the hot water system to achieve hot water storage and supply
12
temperature requirements stated in HS(G) 70[ ]
Inadequate arrangements for pasteurising calorifiers
Presence of dead legs in domestic hot water pipework configuration
Unsafe hot water temperature for the type of occupant
Unlagged pipework causing undue heat emission in specific areas or causing danger to
occupants
Incorrect type of heat emitters for the type of occupant, for example high radiator
surface temperatures in homes for the elderly, or emitters with sharp edges where
persons could harm themselves
Obstruction to heat distribution from heat emitters for example radiators obstructed
by furniture
Inadequate barriers against unauthorised tampering and operation
Table 12: Ventilation and air conditioning systems
Defect
Noise and vibration in fans
Dampers not operational or disconnected from actuators
Differential pressure devices removed or not having fluid in them
Leaking ductwork or air-handling units
Incorrect positioning of main air intake and outlet points, for example allowing the
possibility of cross contamination
Dirty or blocked main air intake and outlet louvres
Dirty or broken filters
Incorrectly sized fan systems, for example as a result of areas no longer being served
by the system
Ventilation control devices such as flow control devices working incorrectly
Dirty or mouldy AHU housings
Water side and air side fouling of heat exchangers
Water stagnation in drip trays
Damaged fins and coils in heater/cooler batteries
Blocked humidifier nozzles and scaling of steam humidifiers
Dirty ductwork systems

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
6 SURVEY TOOLKIT
Defect
Supply and extract grilles blocked by furniture
Poor drainage of condensate from fan coil units and free-standing air conditioning
units
Excessive or inadequate air movement in conditioned spaces
Incorrect balancing - particularly after changes to systems
Positive and negative pressure areas not being maintained as expected
Air leakage at doors or windows
Use of portable/temporary heaters in conditioned space.
Table 13: Refrigeration systems

Watchpoint
Many refrigeration Defect
systems use fluorinated
gases as refrigerants. As Use of refrigerants which are being phased out
these can contribute to Refrigerant and oil leaks
global warming, they have
been regulated by the EU Waterside fouling of chiller heater exchangers
under the F-gas Wooden components in cooling towers
Regulations. Depending on
the type and size of Drift eliminators not fitted to cooling towers
refrigeration system, Corrosion of cooling towers and cooling tower fans
owners have obligations
including checking for Damaged or missing insulation
leaks and record keeping. Water/condensate in BMS sensor pockets
Table 14: Control systems
Defect
Incorrect positioning of sensors
Excessive hunting of actuators leading to increased wear
Disconnected controls such as actuators
Poor ventilation of control panels
Timeswitches set incorrectly
Set points set incorrectly
Damaged sensor casings
No calibration records of sensors
Manual overrides not removed
Table 15: Lift installations
Defect
Lack of emergency instructions
Lack of emergency equipment
Inadequate lift shaft lighting and ventilation
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
SURVEY TOOLKIT 6
6.4 FACTORS There is no definitive way of determining the economic life of an item
AFFECTING THE of plant. It can, however, be estimated. Published figures provide a
ECONOMIC LIFE [ 13] [14]
OF PLANT starting point. BS ISO 15686-1 and CIBSE Guide M recommend a
factored approach. Some factors which affect the economic life of plant
are given in Table 16.
Table 16: The economic life of plant
Design and installation quality and standards

• Life factor figures assume plant design and installation, testing and commissioning in
accordance with good practice
• Damage caused at the installation stage can reduce the life of some equipment such as
finned heat exchangers, and room air conditioning units
• Degree of rigour of commissioning and recording of standards achieved

Internal and external environments
• Installations in urban and industrial areas could be exposed to pollutants that will
cause excessive deterioration
• Installations on rooftops with exposure to wind, rain and snow could deteriorate
prematurely
• Installations in coastal areas with exposure to salty conditions could be subjected to

excessive corrosion
• Makeup water quality can affect the condition of pipework installations
• Susceptibility to damage, abuse and vandalism could reduce the life of plant
Quality and standard of maintenance
• The adequacy of planned maintenance
• The standard of planned maintenance records
• The use of correct and quality spares
• Signs of improper operation and maintenance, such as overloading

Hours of operation
[14]
• The data given in the CIBSE Guide M assumes 12-hour operation during Monday to
Friday and eight hours during the weekends
• Excessive operation can affect plant items, particularly moving and rotating equipment
System compatibility
• Compatibly of different materials installed in a system, for example in a water system
copper installed upstream of steel pipes can cause serious corrosion

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A: PRE-SURVEY CHECKLIST
CONDITION SURVEY CHECKLIST

Your Company Name and
address here
Document reference:
Project title:
Project number:
Revision control:
Revision Description Originator Date Approved by Date
Document distribution:
Recipient name Recipient title Date of issue Revision
Pre-survey checks
Initial and
Tick if
Item relevant
date when Notes or comments
completed
Has a survey programme been agreed with the client and

other persons involved?
Is there a list of plant and installations subject to the survey,

with their details?
Is there a record of site constraints and restrictions, such

as security and access restrictions, safety hazards including
asbestos and attendance requirements?
Have arrangements been made to examine documents such

as the asset register, operating and maintenance logbooks
and competent person examination records?
Has a list been prepared of persons to be interviewed?
Has the client agreed what support will be provided, such

as providing escorts and attendance by contractors? If so,
have the appropriate persons been informed and are they
ready to assist?
Are suitable tools and equipment available for the survey,

such as measuring devices, ladders and personal protective
equipment?
Is any special training or site-specific information required,

for activities such as working on roofs? If so, has the
training been completed?
Has a method statement and risk assessment been

prepared for the condition survey?
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B: GENERIC PLANT ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST
GENERIC PLANT ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

Your Company Name and
address here
Asset reference: Asset location:
Date of survey: PPM frequency:
Manufacturer: Type/model:
Comment:
Date of Condition Priority

manufacture: grade: grade:
Pre-survey checks
Initial and
Item Tick if relevant date when Notes or comments
completed
Is the equipment kept in good condition? Look for signs of Yes

moisture, mould build-up, cracks, damage, corrosion, dirty No
filters, disconnected actuators, broken parts or missing
covers. Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is the equipment running on full load? Is the load variable? Yes
No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Are there any undue water leaks, pooling of water or signs Yes
of poor drainage? No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is the ductwork or pipework well insulated? Look for signs Yes

of bare heating pipes, condensation or damaged insulation No
and lagging.
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is there adequate identification on the asset? Look at Yes

pipework flow directions, electrical and asset labelling. No
Not
checked
Not
applicable

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
APPENDIX B
Initial and
Item Tick if relevant date when Notes or comments
completed
Are there any undue noises or vibrations present? Look at Yes

the supporting springs on motors and pumps and brackets No
on pipework.
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Are the temperatures and pressures within normal Yes

operating conditions? Look for signs of overheating and No
discoloration.
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is there adequate external protection, for example from Yes

weather or mechanical damage? No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is there evidence of redundant plant, pipework or cables? Yes
No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is there evidence of water treatment being carried out? Yes

Review records and chemical dosing stations. No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Is there any evidence of air-side fouling caused by poor Yes

combustion? Are there any records of previous No
combustion tests? Check the flue duct is in good
condition. Look for signs of smoke or condensation build- Not
up on the flue duct. checked
Not
applicable
Are there adequate barriers against unauthorised Yes

tampering? Is the plant room lockable? No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
Are there any records of breakdown history? Yes
No
Not
checked
Not
applicable
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
APPENDIX C
APPENDIX C: EXAMPLE SPREADSHEET

© BSRIA BG 35/2012
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
1 Stock Condition Surveys - A Guidance Note, RICS. 2005. ISBN 978 184219 227 6
2 BS 3811:1993. Glossary of Terms used in Terotechnology. ISBN 0 58022 484 8 (proposed for
withdrawal)
3 BSRIA BG 3/2004. Business Focused Maintenance. ISBN 0 86022 604 2
4 Special Report 249. Legislation Non - Compliance and Condition Appraisal Systems. BMI 1996.
ISBN 978 1900 85853 6
5 BSRIA AG 1/2003. Condition Based Maintenance - Using Non-Destructive Testing.

ISBN 0 86022 611 5
6 BSRIA AG. 17/97. Safe Thermal Imaging of Electrical Systems (Up to and Including 1000V a.c.. 1997.
ISBN 0 86022 470 8
7 BSRIA FMS 5/99. Guidance and the Standard Specification for Thermal Imaging of LV Electrical
Installations. ISBN 0 86022 516 X
8 BSRIA FMS 6/99. Guidance and the Standard Specification for Thermal Imaging Testing of Non-
Electrical Building Services Installations. ISBN 0 86022 540 2
9 BSRIA BG 39/2011. Thermal Imaging of Building Fabric. ISBN 978 86022 705 2
10 BSRIA AG 2/2000. BSRIA Power Quality Guide. ISBN 0 86022 539 9
11 BS 5266:1999. Emergency Lighting. Part 1: Code of Practice for the Emergency Lighting of Premises Other
than Cinemas and Certain Other Specified Premises used for Entertainment. ISBN 0 58033 044 3 (Now
withdrawn)
nd
12 HSG (70). The Control of Legionellosis Including Legionnaires’ Disease. 2 Edition. HSE Books 1993.
ISBN 0 717 604519 (Replaced in 2000)
13 BS ISO 15686-1:2011. Buildings and Constructed Assets. Service Life Planning: General Principles and
Framework. ISBN 978 0 580 60675 5
14 CIBSE Guide M – Maintenance Engineering and Management. 2008. ISBN 978 1 903 28793 4
© BSRIA BG 35/2012
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BG 35-12 (condition survey) cover_D3-2010 Legislation cover.

qxd 07/12/2011 16:23 Page 1

A BSRIA Guide www.bsria.co.uk

Condition Surveys and Asset

By Ralph Bell and Jo Harris

The technical information and procedures in this Guide were developed

Medina Jordan Skanska Facilities Services

Special acknowledgement is given to David Smith of Datara

Every opportunity has been taken to incorporate the views of the

A limited number of advertising slots were offered to BSRIA member

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 1

Assets must be maintained. This includes buildings, systems such as

Maintenance is, in fact, an invaluable partner with respect to the

Condition surveys and accurate asset registers allow management to think

A condition survey is a systematic process of evaluating the condition of

Condition surveys enable informed decisions to be made regarding the

This guide is an update to BSRIA Application Guide AG 4/2000

2 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE

1 THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA 5

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 3

4 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE

1 THE VALUE OF ASSET DATA

• preparing long term asset investment plans

1.1 WHAT IS A A building services condition survey is an inspection of plant and

Condition surveys may be carried out for many reasons. Organisations,

Broad brush condition surveys

These surveys help to prepare a strategic investment programme which

Maintenance management condition surveys

It is vitally important for contractors to establish the maintenance

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 5

The condition of plant and installations is an important criterion that

“A formal and systematic appraisal of the condition of an item in respect of its

However, the external physical condition of building services plant or

1.2 BENEFITS OF A condition survey can:

6 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE

The appraisal of the asset condition often needs to draw information

This information assists the planning of future maintenance and the

• developing a property condition database that relates to an accurate

1.3 BENEFITS IN To enable medium and long term maintenance to be effectively

• What are the organisation’s building services assets?

A well-formatted and well-undertaken condition survey should answer

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 7

The issues that need to be addressed at the definition stage are:

• the objective and the purpose of the survey

Watchpoint • the durability and reliability record of plant items

8 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE

Maintenance records and forward maintenance plans need to be

Where a five-yearly detailed survey is carried out, a two-yearly superficial

2.3 VISUAL Visual inspection is the most fundamental method of undertaking a

• ambient temperature monitoring

The survey toolkit (Section 6) includes further coverage on the defects

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 9

Table 1: Equipment requiring specialist surveys

Plant or system Specialist survey

10 CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE

Aspects of functional suitability and operational integrity that should be

• lighting levels and quality of lighting

Figure 1 to Figure 4 show examples of conditions affecting functional

Figure 1 Building structure

The white ring highlights

Figure 2 Mechanical pump

The white ring highlights a

CONDITION SURVEYS AND ASSET DATA CAPTURE 11