What is BSRIA and why is it important to the water treatment industry?

In the HVAC water treatment sector, there are two key documents that provide best practice guidance and help facilities managers, maintenance teams and building services engineers choose the most appropriate water treatment for their closed-circuit water systems:

• BSRIA BG50/2021 ‘Water Treatment for Closed Heating and Cooling Systems’; and
• BSRIA BG29/2021‘Pre-Commission Cleaning of Pipework Systems Amended 6th edition’.

What is BSRIA?

BSRIA is a non-profit organization that provides research, testing, and certification services to the construction and building services industries. Its focus is on sustainability, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, building management systems, and building regulations. BSRIA has been providing guidance to the building services industry for over 60 years and its rules of thumb are widely used by industry professionals.

Introduction to BG 50/2021 – Water Treatment for Closed Heating & Cooling Systems

BG 50/2021 is the latest version of BSRIA’s guide to Water Treatment for Closed Heating & Cooling Systems, designed for those involved in building services, construction, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). This guide replaces the previous edition, BG 50/2013, and provides an overview of the current theory and practice of water treatment in closed-circuit HVAC systems. It is intended for use by facilities managers, design engineers, installation contractors, and maintenance staff.

Duty of Care and Compliance

While BSRIA guidelines are not legally binding, BG50 incorporates the very latest thinking on the management and maintenance of closed-circuit water systems and is an important document for FMs and their teams.

Alongside in-depth technical guidance on a range of water treatment techniques, its latest edition acknowledges dissolved oxygen (DO) as one of the key contributing factors to corrosion in closed systems and specifies real-time monitoring technology as a mitigating factor.

The Importance of Water Treatment

Water treatment is essential to prevent microbiological fouling, corrosion, and scale in closed-circuit HVAC systems. Poorly maintained systems will use more energy, perform badly, and are more likely to breakdown. BG 50/2021 explains how water treatment works, what can be achieved if carried out appropriately, and the potentially disastrous consequences of ineffective water treatment.

Real-Time Monitoring

The latest version of BG 50 includes extensive information about real-time monitoring, which is a key tool in the fight against corrosion. Hevasure’s 24/7 remote monitoring technology is used to check the health of our clients’ water systems. This helps to identify potential issues before they become a problem, ensuring that the system remains efficient and prolonging its lifespan.

Extending Water System Life

A well-executed water treatment program will maintain system efficiency and cleanliness while prolonging the system’s life. BG 50/2021 explains how to achieve this through system design, installation, testing, and pre-commission cleaning, application of a correct and appropriate water treatment program, and effective management of the program.

BG50i – Guardian’s Intelligent Approach to Water Treatment

Guardian Water Treatment’s BG50i is an intelligent maintenance and real-time monitoring package designed to help responsible parties meet the requirements of BSRIA’s BG 50/2021. It is available as a one-off ‘health check’ or ongoing support packages and features Hevasure’s real-time corrosion monitoring technology. Guardian Water Treatment provides industry-leading water treatment services, ensuring that your closed-circuit HVAC system is operating efficiently and prolonging its lifespan.

To purchase BG 50/2021, visit the BSRIA website or for more information on BG50i, download our guide.