Boiling point

Schools need to manage and maintain their boilers well so that it runs safely and efficiently.

Funding boilers

The school boiler is essential infrastructure to keep a school operating. Getting a new or replacement boiler is a ‘priority two’ item in a 10 Year Property Plan (10YPP). If the boiler breaks down or needs urgent repair, it becomes a ‘priority one’ project. If your school has to close down without it (because it is winter for example) it must be replaced or repaired immediately.

Issues to consider when installing a boiler

If you are considering installing a boiler, you need to consider the ministry requirements for room temperatures. The Ministry’s Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS) standards expect school rooms to be kept at certain temperatures so that people using them are comfortable, healthy and safe. You also need to check with your local council about whether your school area has restrictions on releasing emissions in the area to minimise pollution and the effects on neighbours, and if you will need a resource consent.

Modern wood chip boilers are the most environmentally sound option for schools. In most regions, they cost about the same to run as a coal-fired boiler.

If you are considering installing a boiler, you need to consider the ministry requirements for room temperatures.

If your school must burn a fossil fuel, natural gas boilers are environmentally preferable to coal or oil because their emissions are less harmful. However, they still can harm the environment and people’s health if they are not installed, maintained and operated correctly. If your school still has a coal boiler, only use high-grade coal. Lower-grade coal contains high levels of sulphur. It can corrode and shorten the life of the boiler.

Secondary teachers delighted dirty boilers are going

Secondary teachers are pleased the Government is removing coal boilers from schools, but they need to go sooner than 2025, says Melanie Webber, president of PPTA Te Wehengarua. “This is something that PPTA has been pushing for, through our involvement in the Fossil Free State Sector coalition.

“It is great that students and teachers will be able to work in safe and healthy learning environments, and it’s a sound investment by the government in the future for our rangatahi/ young people. “Learning environments need to reflect the future we want for our young people and everyone in Aotearoa.

“However, we would love to see this happen sooner than 2025, given the urgency of the climate crisis.

“There are still hundreds of school boilers fuelled by oil, gas and diesel. We challenge all parties to commit to the next step of funding all schools to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.”

www.mwheating.nz

E D Q MW Heating is a New Zealand owned business which specialises in servicing and maintaining wood chip and wood pellet boilers in schools

Mark Wiseman, the Managing Director of MW Heating has been installing and servicing biomass boilers in New Zealand schools since 2007 and is recognised as a specialist in the boiler field. Based in Ashburton, Mark and his team of service technicians currently cover school boilers from Auckland to Invercargill with most of the servicing work being completed during the school holidays and outside the heating season.

Converting Coal Boilers to Wood

MW Heating can convert existing coal boilers to use wood pellets which is becoming increasingly popular as New Zealand aims to remove coal and other fossil fuels.

Maintenance and On-Call Assistance

MW Heating recommends servicing your boiler before and after the heating season to ensure maximum efficiency from your fuel and school heating system. MW Heating can provide inclusive maintenance and servicing packages to suit your school with the option of 24/7 breakdown phone support to provide heating assurance during the winter seasons.

Staff Training Packages

Mark and his team of service technicians are available to provide your school caretaker or facilities manager with hands-on training and support ranging from half day modules on basic cleaning and operation to multi-day training packages to suit each schools’ needs. Many school boilers suffer from poor maintenance and lack of understanding of installed systems, MW Heating can assist you and your staff to tune and maximise the efficiency of your boiler to improve the environment inside your school.

To find out more about our maintenance packages for wood chip and wood pellet boilers or to receive a quote for an annual servicing or training package, please contact Mark Wiseman. Phone: 021 620 108 Email: office@mwheating.nz

BIRCHFIELD

COAL MINES LTD

Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd owns and operates the following opencast coal mines on the West Coast of the South Island:

• Island Block Opencast near Reefton; • Giles Creek in the Mai Mai Valley near Reefton; • Strongman Opencast Mine near Greymouth; • Mt Davy / Liverpool near Greymouth.

In addition to these mining permits and coal mining licences, Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd hold a number of exploration permits and other mining permits that are currently being developed into production or explored.

Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd supplies coal into the South Island domestic market, this market consists of hospitals, schools, dairy factories, swimming pools, aged care facilities and a number of smaller horticultural businesses.

Coal from the Mt Davy / Liverpool permit is a highly sought after export coking coal that can be used in any number of industries, these include: • Steel production • Cement production

In 2017 Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd purchased a number of Solid Energy New Zealand assets, a number of these assets including rehabilitation liabilities and work continues to appropriately rehabilitate these sites to meet high environmental standards.

Some coals supplied to the domestic markets are blended. Both Giles Creek and Strongman Coals are screened and washed to remove fines and gravels that can contaminate the coal during the mining process.

Both of these coals are very low in ash due to washing and have a very low sulphur content, Giles Creek .5 Sulphur and Strongman .3 Sulphur.

Our coal blending is done using a purpose built coal blending plant that takes all the guess work out of blending and produces a consistent blend every time.

Phone 0275310998

www.birchfieldcoal.co.nz

Maintaining your boiler

Every school needs to manage and maintain their system well, as there is a legal responsibility to make sure school boilers are safe.

Identify boiler failure as a potential risk in your health and safety plan, and include this work as part of your school’s maintenance planning. For more on your legal responsibilities, go to approved code of practice for the design, servicing, maintenance and safe operation of boilers, visit: ww.business.govt.nz/ worksafe/

You can minimise energy loss with regular maintenance. Set up a system so that the boiler does not run when it is not needed.

Boiler tuning business grant

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), estimates that for every $1 spent on boiler tuning, $30 can be saved through increased efficiency. EECA runs a boiler tuning funding programme for organisations with boiler capacity of over 200kW. For more information, go to boiler tuning support on the EECA website.

Engaging a maintenance contractor and inspector

As part of managing a boiler well, you need to engage a boiler maintenance company, under a preventative maintenance contract, which can maintain your boiler regularly, preventing the boiler from breaking down or developing dangerous faults. You’ll also need an inspector who is independent from your maintenance contractor, to do a certified boiler safety inspection each year. For information on inspection firms, contact WorkSafe New Zealand.

Provide the maintenance contractor, inspector and the person operating your boiler, with all relevant information and records. You should have an operating manual. If you don’t, ask your maintenance contractor to provide one.

Keeping records

Keep records of all work, repairs or modifications to your boiler. Ask your maintenance contractor and inspector to provide updated information after each visit.

It is your responsibility

Reminder: with the new Health and Safety legalisation, everyone from school boards, principals and staff have a responsibility to keep everyone safe.

www.viessmann.com

For effective health protection in schools: Air purif ication and ventilation system in a single unit.

VITOVENT 200-P

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Keeping youR pool healthy

Schools are required by law to test their swimming pool water to ensure it is safe to swim in.

Swimming Pools are treated to keep the microorganism population down to levels which are considered safe for bathers and the quality of the water depends on the efficiency of the water treatment.

To gauge this, a testing programme has been set up with accepted guidelines as per the New Zealand Standard for Pool Water Quality NZS 5826:2010.

Four different tests are carried out and below is an explanation of each:

Standard Plate Count

This test looks for the total number of general bacteria, which present in the water. If there are high counts of bacteria it may be indicative of a problem, and “where there is smoke, there may well be fire”.

Faecal Coliform Count

This is an indicator test which looks at the presence of bacteria of faecal origin. If faecal coliforms are present, it indicates that there is a possibility that other bacteria associated with the gut, such as Salmonella or Campylobacter, may also be present. These bacteria can cause sickness.

Staphylococcus aureus Count

This bacteria can cause skin irritations especially in wounds, cuts or abrasions. It can also cause sickness if swallowed or ingested. It can be found in infected wounds or in the nasal cavity when you have a cold.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Count

This bacteria is associated with eye and ear infections when dunking the head in swimming pools.

Spa and swimming pool

guidelines - NZ5826:2010 Standard Guidelines

• Standard Plate Count: (less than) <200 bacteria per ml water

• Faecal Coliform Count: (less than) <1 bacteria per 100mls water

• Staphylococcus aureus Count: (less than) <100 bacteria per 100mls water

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Count: (less than) <10 bacteria per 100mls water.

THE SPECIALISTS IN SCHOOL POOL RENOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS

SINCE 1978

NZ Pool Renovations LTD

✓ SCHOOL POOLS ✓ COMMERCIAL POOLS ✓ HOME POOLS