Author: MaintenX

How Important is Boiler Cleaning and Repair/Service?

Take the initiative with equipment maintenance, especially boiler maintenance. Appropriate planning of routine repairs helps you to identify and fix potential problems before they even happen. When you are proactive about boiler maintenance, you will also find that it operates more safely and efficiently.

Here are some tips:

– Keep the boiler room free of debris.

– Never use your boiler room for storage; it creates a safety hazard if items block the equipment.

– Make sure you know all the information about the maintenance needs of your boiler.

– Teach your staff about proper boiler safety. Inform them of the boiler’s basic operation. That way, if there’s a problem, they’ll know about it before it becomes a bigger one.

– Avoid storing flammable materials.

– Hire a professional service to inspect it regularly.

– Make necessary repairs immediately.

– Inspect equipment after every repair.

– Make a maintenance schedule and keep it updated.

– Keep an accurate and up-to-date maintenance log.

– Never overlook something because it is automated. It’s only automated if it’s working correctly, and all systems will eventually fail. Check it anyway.

Safety First

Your boiler is a powerful piece of gear. Make sure you follow your boiler technician’s recommendations. This will ensure safe, efficient operation.

Like anything else, boilers will be more dependable when serviced on a regular basis and with managed maintenance and servicing. This should allow your boiler to bring you excellent service for many years to come.

Are Commercial Cleaning Services worth the Money?

If you’re responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of a business, then you know how much of a headache it can be. We will review factors businesses have to consider when deciding whether to outsource those services.

Pros to Commercial Cleaning Services:

– Outsourcing can free up time, resources, and management for more important tasks

– Employees are trained, uniformed, insured, and bonded by company

– Knowledgeable and experienced in cleaning offices

– Account manager support

– Cleaning company provides appropriate cleaning equipment and chemicals for your office

Cons to Commercial Cleaning Service

– Usually the most expensive option

– Can be locked into a long contract

– Sometimes unsuited to businesses with highly specialized equipment or facilities

Properly Prepare

Prepare a list of cleaning services needed, making sure every task in your buildings is put into writing. Send a request for proposals based on the scope services to multiple contractors with experience cleaning your building type, that they have the necessary equipment, provide proper cleaning training to their cleaning staff, and meet your insurance’s requirements.

After looking at the various bids you receive, whittle your list down to only three contractors, and then ask each of them to prepare a presentation. This is very, very important. You are not looking for the contractor who gives the best performance, but rather the contractor you can count on, work with, and who can complete your cleaning needs most effectively.

What is a Smart Building?

A “Smart Building” links a building’s systems to a network, passively collecting data on their function. That information lets managers improve building operations by allocating resources optimally. Certain functions can even be automated.

Essentially, smart buildings provide building services that make their occupants happier and more productive by streamlining and automating things like:

– Lighting

– Climate control

– Air quality

– Security

– Sanitation

Smart buildings do this while also lowering costs and environmental impact over the building’s life. Smart buildings use IT systems to link an assortment of smaller systems which normally operate autonomously. That way, these systems can share data, enhancing a building’s overall performance.

There are many ways a smart building can save money; most involve optimized operation and increased efficiency:

– Preventative maintenance of equipment: Systems detect problems in performance before they cause issues with the power grid.

– Dynamic power consumption: By analyzing how and when you use electricity, a smart building can change its behavior to lower energy costs; it can even make you money by selling surplus power back to the grid!

Smart Buildings are the Future

Smart buildings do a lot more than save money and energy. They also extend the life of your equipment, appliances and systems. They allow innovation by making information easily accessible. They turn buildings into mini-power generators by allowing the system to sell the unused energy back to the market. They are a key element of a future in which IT and human resourcefulness come together to help foster a more connected and responsible world.

What is the Lifespan of a Commercial Building?

Most people think of buildings as permanent structures, and who can blame them? There might be buildings one or even two hundred years old in your city—sometimes much older.

Think Ahead

But buildings, like everything, degrade over time. That’s why they have to be maintained and occasionally renovated. Don’t wait for something to go wrong before you invest in your building. It makes better sense to get ahead of the problems a home, warehouse, or office space can experience.

How long will a Building Live?

The lifespan of each building is different, because of the very complex nature of its construction, purpose, use and environment. But the life of a building can be broken down into several phases:

Under 1 Year

This is the very start. Everything is fresh and new. There are many facets and appliances that have various warranties. Maintenance is generally focused on cleaning and occasional inspections.

1 to 18 Years

The owners have full responsibility for maintenance, repairs and renovations of the building. The owners should have a maintenance program in place with a rainy-day fund for major repairs.

18 to 30 Years

This phase will usually see the first instances of high-cost maintenance and renewal projects. At this stage, owners may have to reevaluate the projected costs of future renovations.

30 to 50

The biggest and most costly renewal projects have a tendency to arise during this stage in a building’s life. So a lot of money is required to keep the building working and functional.

50 and Older

At this time, all structures will have undergone at least one renovation or replacement. So, essentially, the owners just go back to the second stage. The cycle continues from there, repeating in this mode until the owners sell the property and/or it is demolished.

Want to know more about maintaining a building? Give MaintenX a call!

What is Air Conditioning Repair, Service and Maintenance?

Central air conditioners have two major components: the condenser and the evaporator. The condenser is typically positioned outside the house, usually on a slab of concrete. The evaporator coil is mounted in the main duct above the furnace.

How an Air Conditioner Works

HVAC systems are normally connected to a home or structure’s forced-air distribution system. That means that the same motor, ductwork, and components that are used for heating are also used to distribute cool air from the air conditioning system. When a central air conditioner is turned on, hot air moves to the furnace through the return-air duct. The hot air is moved through the blower, then through the ducts, which cool the structure.

When the weather gets warmer, you know spring is over and you’ll be needing a working air conditioning system. That’s why spring is the ideal time to perform regular maintenance on your HVAC system.

Replace the Old Air Filter

You’ll need to replace your used filters periodically. An air conditioner in constant use should have its filter replaced once a month. A more frequent filter change may become necessary if allergens and other particles are present.

Test your Unit

After you’ve changed your filter, test your HVAC system to make sure it’s working properly. Turn the unit on, switch to cool, then lower the temperature until the air starts to cool. If the unit doesn’t come on, first check the circuit breaker. If that doesn’t solve the problem, call MaintenX!

What are the Best Practices in Property Management?

Property management is no easy task. You have to be able to quickly attend to urgent needs, manage and resolve recurring problems, and safeguard your property by regularly maintaining it. Here are some tips to make this necessary job a lot easier.

Management

Sustain your company’s profitability by ensuring regular maintenance is performed on schedule. That means different things for different businesses and their facilities. If you cannot afford to hire a Property Manager, do your research on the proper times to perform maintenance on the various equipment and structures of your property.

Stay Connected

A property manager works with a lot of different people on the job, including contractors, vendors, and suppliers. In many cases, finding good, honest contractors comes down to one thing: word-of-mouth. That’s why you should have solid working relationships with all the people you’ll need to keep your property in great shape.

Having a solid list of skilled, experienced contractors and suppliers comes with a huge list of benefits:

– They’ll know exactly when something is going wrong during an inspection

– They can often resolve billing errors or work order mistakes quickly and efficiently

– They have experience in the industry and know who to contact if a certain issue is outside their scope

– You will never have to worry about shoddy or overpriced work.

Property Management is an integral part of any business’s success. Make sure that you have a solid, well-crafted Property Management Plan. What to know more about Property Management? Call MaintenX!

What is Preventive Maintenance?

Preventive maintenance is the regular, planned maintenance done to keep your business’s equipment running. It prevents unexpected downtime and/or expensive repairs from unforeseen equipment problems while allowing managers to plan expenses. Proper preventative maintenance requires careful development and scheduling to prevent potential issues, as well as detailed records inspections and equipment servicing reports. Unsurprisingly, preventive management tends to be a complicated task to master, but a very important one for the success of the company.

Benefits of Preventative Maintenance

Here are just a few of the benefits of Preventative Maintenance:

– Equipment downtime is significantly reduced

– Number of major repairs (and their costs) are reduced

– Better preservation of assets

– Increased efficient lifespan of assets

– Lowered equipment replacement costs

– Reduced overtime costs

– Better and cheaper use of maintenance workers

– Improved safety and health conditions for owners, management, staff, and customers

Costs of not implementing a Preventative Maintenance Plan:

– Safety and health issues

– Erratic and unpredictable maintenance and repair costs

– Shorter life of equipment

– Higher chances of equipment failure and downtime

When preventive maintenance is properly organized, all of these costs can be … well, prevented!

PM: A Smart Choice

Implementing a preventive maintenance plan can be an intimidating job, but it more than pays for itself in the long run. With all the benefits gained from no or low downtime and a healthier, more productive work environment, it’s easy to see why, though it can be painful to plan and execute, so many companies opt to create a preventative maintenance plan.

What is the Importance of Facility Management?

Facilities account for a huge part of the assets and expenses of a company. Still, Facilities Management often doesn’t get the amount of attention other parts of the organization enjoy.

Here are just a few of the responsibilities of Facility Management:

– Risk calculation

– Waste management

– Facility accessibility

– Health and safety code compliance

– Strategic planning for future maintenance

– Use and disposal of harmful substances

Well-organized Facility Management

Company assets—everything from air conditioners to fire alarms to servers and appliances—run more efficiently and live much longer when they are properly maintained on a regular basis. That’s one of the crucial jobs of a Facility Management department. They track all these needs and complete the required maintenance on each part of a building’s structures and components. In turn, this reduces or eliminates equipment downtime, thus upping your company’s overall productivity. It produces a greater return on your investment over time.

Economical

Although facility management requires a big initial investment, it ends up paying for itself long-term. The pros of facility management far outweigh the cost of implementation.

However underappreciated it usually is, the role of facility manager is a crucial one to a company’s efficiency, profits, and the well-being of employees, customers, and tenants. A competent, experienced facility management department will allow you to focus on moving your business forward, as they keep the infrastructure of your workspace running smoothly.

What is the Best Software for Maintenance Management?

Your company keeps working efficiently, dependent on a strong network of communication, usually a CMMS. Computerized Maintenance Management Software is a central hub containing information about your company’s machinery, property, equipment, and workforce which is easily accessible by the people within the company who need access to it.

Below is a list of some of the best maintenance management services:

FT Maintenance

FT Maintenance has an array of powerful tools for your maintenance management plan. It works with many sectors, including those that interact with servers on a regular basis

Key Features:

– Highly-respected in the CMMS field

– Offers a Demo

– Real-time, trackable system

– Service history tracking

Manager Plus

A lot of industry leaders depend on Manager Plus for their CMMS needs. The Manager Plus is ideal for companies of all sizes and can be personalized for scale and sector. Data is easily accessible, and the user interface is easy to operate.

Key features:

– Easily track work orders

– Scheduling assistance

– Automatically records asset history

– Offers external network requests

– Work Order Management

Corrigo

Corrigo is aimed at complete automation at every level of facility management. It encompasses systems that can be accessed by customers, managers, employees, contractors, and technicians throughout every stage of the process. This can aid management on all levels of facilities management and implementation.

Key Features:

– Planning Calendar

– Purchasing

– Scheduling

– Technician Management

– Facilities Management

– Risk Management

– Inventory Management

Submit and Check on Work Orders

Work Order Basics

A work order is a document that details the specifics of a scheduled task. You can think of it as a link between a customer and a business, or one between employees and the maintenance department of a business.

Uses of Work Orders

Service businesses handle tasks like:

– Renovation

– Landscaping Work

– Cleaning

– Routine Maintenance

– Snow Removal

– HVAC Maintenance

Such companies use work orders to organize tasks. Used by employees, customers, and the contractors themselves, work orders ensure everyone knows the specifics of the tasks being performed.

For example: A customer calls a landscaper to ask for a tree to be removed from their property, an employee of the contractor comes to survey the issue, gives the customer a quote, and once the customer accepts the quoted price, another employee schedules the job and generates a detailed work order.

A work order contains information like:

– Contact Details

– Order Timeframe

– Estimated Cost

Work Order App

A mobile work order app is the best way to make sure your technicians are using your work order software to its fullest extent. It lets anyone in your facility log a problem when they spot it, and lets technicians in the field see open work orders without having to run back to a computer terminal. This saves time and ultimately money in your day-to-day operations.