Every question, answered straight.

PSSR stands for the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000. Steam inside a commercial espresso boiler is classed as a relevant fluid and steam systems are in scope at any pressure and any volume, so any workplace coffee machine with a steam boiler — in a café, restaurant, hotel, office or staff canteen — must have a Written Scheme of Examination and be examined periodically by a competent person. If you employ staff or hold commercial insurance, you are expected to be able to produce that certificate.

The interval is set out in your Written Scheme of Examination and is commonly 12 to 14 months for a commercial espresso boiler. We record the due date in your compliance file and remind you before it expires, so a renewal never lands during a busy week.

No. Steam is a relevant fluid under PSSR 2000 and steam systems are in scope at any pressure and any volume, so boiler size does not create an exemption. A coffee machine is classed as a minor system, which affects how the examination is carried out rather than whether one is required.

No. A service invoice is not a certificate. PSSR compliance documentation is a Written Scheme of Examination plus a report of examination from a competent person. A service improves reliability; it does not discharge the statutory duty, which is why we carry both out in a single visit.

If the machine contains a steam boiler or another pressure vessel holding a relevant fluid, it is in scope. Many bean-to-cup machines generate steam in a smaller boiler or flash heater, so the deciding factor is whether steam is present under pressure rather than the machine category. Send the make and model and we will confirm.

A pressure system needs a Written Scheme of Examination and an examination before it is first operated. That comes from regulations 8 and 9 of PSSR 2000, and a manufacturer's warranty does not satisfy it. If your installer did not supply a certified scheme, the machine can be out of compliance on its first day. A commissioning scheme is quick to arrange and starts the renewal clock from the right date.

Anything drawing steam or pressurised water from the machine's own boiler is covered by that machine's examination. A separate pressure system is not — a wall-mounted bulk boiler such as a Marco or Calomax font has its own vessel and needs its own entry on the scheme. Tell us at booking if you run both and they can go on one visit and one quote.

Yes. The models on this site are the ones we have documented in detail because they are what we meet most often — they are not a list of what we will examine. Any commercial espresso machine with a steam boiler is in scope, including older machines, discontinued models, own-brand imports and machines with no readable badge. We price by group count, not by model: £265 + VAT for a 1 or 2 group machine and £295 + VAT for a 3 group. Send a photograph of the boiler plate, or describe the machine on the call, and we will confirm the price and the valve type before anyone travels.

Yes. Water treatment, descaling, seal replacement, grinder and brew-unit servicing are all carried out on bean-to-cup machines. Whether the machine also needs a statutory PSSR examination depends on whether it holds steam under pressure, which we confirm from the make and model.

Consumable service parts — group gaskets, shower plates and anti-vac valve seals — are included in the bundled packages. Additional components such as certified safety valves, steam valve assemblies, elements and grinder burrs are quoted and charged separately. Your quote states exactly what is included before we travel.

Your PSSR.uk quote covers the examination, the Written Scheme of Examination and the certificate, and there is no separate charge for the certification itself. If your insurer, landlord or group requires submission to a particular registry, tell us at booking and we will confirm any cost in writing before we travel.

No. Losing 90 minutes of lunchtime trade costs more than the examination does, so early-morning, evening and weekend slots are charged at the standard published rate. A 1 or 2 group machine is £265 + VAT whenever it is booked, with no premium for the hour and no travel loading added.

A Purity C300 cartridge is £107, or £144 as a complete starter system with the bypass head, two hoses, mains adapter and wall bracket. The C500 is £153 (£190 as a system) and the C1100 is £200 (£220 as a system). All prices exclude VAT and cover supply; fitting is included when the filter is changed during a PSSR examination, service, breakdown call-out or water test. We do not post cartridges out: every filter is fitted on site by an engineer. Ordered with no other work, the standard call-out applies.

It depends on volume and hardness, not on machine size alone. At a typical UK hardness of 10°dH with a 30% bypass, the C300 yields about 3,464 litres and suits a 2-group machine in a normal-volume shop. The C500 yields about 6,800 litres for a busy 2 or 3 group machine, or a site running a combi oven too. The C1100 yields about 11,500 litres for high-volume multi-group or bean-to-cup equipment. We test your water and set the bypass to match rather than guessing from the model.

A standalone PSSR examination is £265 + VAT on a 1 or 2 group traditional machine and £295 + VAT on a 3 group machine. A combined service and PSSR bundle is £405, £440 or £500 + VAT for 1, 2 or 3 group machines, and a certified safety valve where one is required to pass the examination is £35 + VAT.

No. Travel is included nationwide in the published prices. Sites outside those areas are quoted in writing before the booking is confirmed, so the figure you agree is the figure you pay.

A second machine at the same site, or within one mile, is 15% off. A third and fourth machine within the same group is 20% off, and five or more London locations under a group contract unlocks a fixed 20% discount across every site invoice with consolidated monthly invoicing.

All prices exclude VAT, which is charged at 20% where applicable. Invoices are issued on completion and are payable within 14 days; group and trade accounts are billed monthly on agreed terms. We do not take card payments on site.

Because we publish them. Our routes are planned geographically, we carry the parts that actually fail, and we do not add survey fees or day rates. Our current published rate for a 2 group service and PSSR bundle is £440 + VAT against £445 or more charged by comparable national providers, and a combined visit removes a second call-out.

A standalone PSSR examination takes around 60 to 90 minutes. A combined service and PSSR bundle takes roughly 2 to 3 hours depending on group count. Most sites are booked before opening or after close, so no service is lost. Emergency slots are available for breakdowns. Across a year that is under 0.05% of your opening hours — a rounding error against the insurance cover it protects.

Yes. Staggered renewal dates across several sites are an administrative problem, not a legal one, and they can be consolidated. We pro-rata or adjust the cycles so every site in the group falls due in the same week. Five or more UK locations unlocks a fixed 20% discount, consolidated billing and one point of contact.

The boiler has to be drained and cool to handle for an internal inspection, so the heating element should be switched off about three to four hours before the appointment. We agree that timeline with you at booking, around your opening hours, so the machine is not lost to a morning's trade. You do not need to remove panels or drain anything yourself — isolation and draining are part of the visit.

Roughly two hours on a 1 group machine, two and a half hours on a 2 group machine and three hours on a 3 group machine. Because the front-end service and the statutory examination share the same strip-down, the bundle is faster than booking the two jobs separately.

Because a phone call gets you a price, not a queue. We only need the machine make, the group count and the postcode to quote a PSSR examination, and we can confirm a date in the same conversation. A form has to be read, routed and answered — usually the next working day, sometimes after two more questions. Two minutes on the phone is the fastest route we have, and it is the one we recommend.

No. We deliberately do not take bookings through the website. A statutory examination has too many variables for a calendar widget to price correctly — group count, boiler type, water hardness, access — and we would rather answer your question than send you a confirmation you have to correct later. Call 0208 037 9340 and we will price it while you are on the line.

Most the UK sites are seen within the same week, and certificates are issued within 48 hours of the visit. Call 0208 037 9340 and we will confirm the next available slot there and then, including pre-opening and after-close appointments.

Leave your number using the callback form on this page and we will ring you, usually within a couple of working hours. Calling is still faster — a callback means waiting for us to reach you, whereas a call gets the answer immediately.

Safe access to the machine including rear or under-counter panels, a working water supply, drainage and a nearby power isolator. Have the machine make, model and group count to hand when you call, and send any previous certificates or Written Scheme of Examination in advance.

Yes. Out-of-hours slots are standard: before opening from 06:30, during quiet afternoon trade or after close, including Sundays for sites that trade all weekend. Emergency breakdown call-outs are £135 + VAT for the first hour on site.

PSSR does not license individuals and does not require a commercial scheme provider. Regulation 8 requires the scheme to be drawn up, or certified as suitable, by a competent person — someone with the practical and theoretical knowledge and experience to detect defects and assess their importance. The Written Scheme of Examination that PSSR.uk issues is written and backed by CoffeeSafe, who act as the competent person for the scheme.

The Written Scheme of Examination is written and backed by CoffeeSafe, who act as the competent person under regulation 8 of PSSR 2000. The engineers in our network carry out the inspection on site and fill in the report of examination, which CoffeeSafe backs. You receive the scheme, the signed report and the asset record together, within 48 hours of the visit.

If the boiler fails, causing property damage or injury, your insurer will ask for your compliance records. Commercial policies carry a condition requiring you to comply with statute, and PSSR 2000 is statute. Without a valid Written Scheme of Examination and a current report, an insurer can decline the claim and leave the business owner personally liable for the damage and the legal costs. It also matters before any incident: a landlord, a franchisor or a buyer's solicitor will ask for the same two documents.

Yes. The compliance record belongs to the machine, not the company. The digital asset record, the Written Scheme of Examination and the signed report travel with the equipment, which is why an up-to-date history is worth having when you sell. Buyers' surveyors and their solicitors ask for exactly this file during due diligence.

Two documents. An active Written Scheme of Examination, which sets out how and when the system is examined, and a signed Report of Examination issued within the last 14 months by a competent person. A repair invoice is not a substitute for either. Both are archived digitally against your site, so they can be produced on a phone or tablet during an unannounced visit.

The boiler is isolated, depressurised and fully drained, then inspected internally with an endoscope for scale, corrosion and weld condition. Protective devices, fittings and the pressure gauge are checked against a calibrated test gauge, and the system is pressure tested and held before being re-assembled, refilled, heated and function tested. You receive a Written Scheme of Examination, a report of examination, an asset record and a boiler-plate compliance sticker.

Yes. We act as the technical sub-contractor for wholesale roasters, restaurant and café groups, hotel operators, commercial landlords and facilities managers. Five or more London locations unlocks a fixed 20% discount across all site invoices with consolidated reporting and one point of contact.

A service engineer keeps the machine reliable: gaskets, screens, valves, calibration. A competent person under PSSR 2000 has to assess structural condition and certify it — the vessel, the protective devices and the pipework that could give rise to danger. The two jobs overlap but they are not the same, and a service invoice does not discharge the legal duty. Every engineer in our network is independent, vetted and CoffeeSafe-registered to meet that threshold.

Yes. The engineers in our network examine and service any commercial machine regardless of who supplied or installed it, and we do not sell machines, so there is no incentive to condemn equipment that can be repaired. For machines we have never seen, we ask for the make, model, group count and postcode before quoting.

Heavy scale on an element, a probe or a boiler weld can obscure the endoscope view and hide stress cracks underneath. If the engineer cannot make a proper structural assessment they will not certify it, but they will show you exactly what was found and what is needed to clear it so it can pass on a return visit, with photographs and a fixed quote. Scale is the most common defect we record in hard-water areas.

The attending engineer explains in plain terms what additional work is required to pass, or why the vessel cannot be certified and what the realistic options are. The visit is charged at the published examination rate; there is no separate failure charge, and no obligation to use PSSR.uk for the repair.