Author: MaintenX

How To Handle Water Intrusion Quickly And Painlessly

Water intrusion is one of the most common problems we see at MaintenX. A leak in the roof or burst pipe can quickly lead to a partial or complete shutdown of your facility. If the ceiling is compromised or mold starts to grow, you can’t safely have employees or clients inside the building. This leads to loss of productivity that is detrimental to your business. 

 

If you are experiencing water intrusion, it’s important to follow these four steps to minimize damage and ensure you’re back in business ASAP. The sooner you begin repairs with MaintenX, the less constantly it will be for your facility. But, here’s what you need to do first:

 

Notify your insurance.

Your insurance company needs to know immediately the cause of the issue and how invasive the water problem is. Take pictures and provide a complete history of the problem. This will increase your chances of insurance covering some or all of the cost of repairs. 

 

Call MaintenX about drywall repair. 

You will most likely need to replace any drywall affected by the water intrusion, which can be costly if the leak is major. WHile you’ll need to repair the leak first, it’s wise to contact MaintenX about drywall replacement as soon as possible to get the repairs on schedule. 

 

Notify your MaintenX plumber.

If the water intrusion was caused by a plumbing leak, you need to call your MaintenX plumber immediately in order to stop the leak. Even a small one can lead to major water intrusion. The sooner your plumber arrives, the sooner you can stop further water damage and get to work on repairing the drywall. 

 

Dry out the room.

Run fans, A/C, or leave windows open (if it is cool and not humid outside) in order to increase circulation. This will minimize the likelihood of mold and mildew growth. Once mold or mildew starts to grow you’ll have to cut out more of the drywall. Even a plug-in fan can work to help dry out the area and reduce additional damages. 

 

Once you’ve followed these four steps, you can rest assured that your water intrusion problem will be a quick fix. To learn more about plumbing and roofing leak maintenance, contact your local MaintenX team today!

Tips for Improving Your Restaurant Dining Area

MaintenX specializes in maintenance services for restaurants. We understand the beating your facility takes on a daily basis, as well as the long hours you work in order to create a thriving enterprise. All of this work means your maintenance schedule must be planned carefully and preferably, ahead of schedule. Unexpected repairs are the enemy to a restaurant owner which is why we avoid them at all costs. 

 

While MaintenX is known for our restaurant preventative care, we also help new restaurant owners wil equipment installation and facility design. Below are some of the most common design strategies we see that help our clients maximize their service experience once open: 

 

Prioritize ambiance over maximizing capacity

You want to be able to seat as many people as possible, but not if you have to sacrifice ambiance for guests. You want plenty of space between tables (especially those that aren’t booths). Once you have enough seating for a minimum capacity to break even, build slowly and stop once tables start to get less than four to six feet away from each other. 

 

Minimize unpleasant seating

Areas close to the front entrance, near the kitchen, or too close to the restrooms can create an unpleasant atmosphere for guests. By creating long hallways at entrances, bathroom areas, and kitchen spaces, you can minimize poor seating options. 

 

Schedule preventative care for your HVAC system

The HVAC system is arguably the most critical system in your entire restaurant for maintaining a pleasant atmosphere for guests. Commercial kitchens produce heat, smoke, and aromas that can taint the guest experience if you don’t have proper ventilation to remove them. Similarly, a tight capacity can make a restaurant feel stuffy if you don’t have proper air conditioning in the spring and summer. By investing in a high-quality system and preventative care, you can ensure your guests always have a comfortable atmosphere when they dine. 

 

If you need help with your restaurant’s HVAC system, call MaintenX today! We are experts in commercial kitchen ventilation and can help you install and maintain a system that works for you for years. 

How To Reduce Noise Inside Your Building

Creating a quiet commercial indoor space is essential for all businesses. Whether you’re operating an office space or a local restaurant, you want to keep indoor and outdoor disturbances to a minimum in order to enhance the atmosphere. Employees need quiet in order to concentrate, and customers want a quiet atmosphere in order to relax and enjoy their experience. However, reducing noise is not as easy as one might think. 

 

If your facility is experiencing uncomfortable levels of noise, try these four methods to reduce the commotion and create a more productive workspace: 

 

Carpeting and rugs

Carpet and rugs can help absorb unwanted noise as opposed to hard floor surfaces. While this may not be an option for all areas of your facility, it can be impactful in areas where carpeting is a safe option. Other cloth items like curtains can also help absorb noise coming from outside the building. 

 

Rubber door sweeps

Rubber door stops seal the gaps between the flooring and door to reduce noise coming in through the cracks. Building managers are often surprised by how much noise can be blocked with this simple addition. The same practice should be applied to windows as well. By sealing the gaps in your windows and doors you can noticeably reduce the noise coming in from outside. 

 

Identifying loud furnishings and appliances

Perhaps the noise that’s most disrupting to your facility is coming from desk chairs scraping against the floors, or a noisy kitchen appliance that needs to be replaced. By identifying your biggest culprits, you can effectively transform your workspace. 

 

Isolating loud equipment

Sometimes there is no way around having loud equipment at your facility. It may be necessary for your operation, or simply cannot be replaced at the time. If so, do your best to isolate this equipment to reduce distractions for your staff and employees. 

 

MaintenX can help you improve your facility design to reduce noise and other distractions to your employees and customers. To learn more, you can contact us or visit our resource center. 

Tips for Adding Hardscape To Your Commercial Grounds

Many building owners don’t consider their exterior to be nearly as important as their interior design. However, at MaintenX we believe that first impressions truly start before a customer ever walks through the door. By investing in proper landscaping, you can make your commercial facility stand out from the crowd. This is especially important if you own a dealership or restaurant with outdoor seating, where the outdoor environment is an integral part of the customer experience. 

 

By adding hardscape to your landscaping design, you can instantly up your curb appeal. While hardscape is a major investment, it can reap incredible benefits. Here’s what you should know about hardscaping before you decide to put it into your outdoor design:

What is Hardscape? 

Hardscape includes the entire built environment outdoors, ranging from simple decorative stones to paver paths and elaborate courtyards. Hardscape can add aesthetic and financial value to your facility in many ways: 

 

  • Adds visual interest to your landscaping
  • Improves vegetation health (preventing erosion, pests, and other disturbances)
  • Gazebos and pergolas provide shade to employees or customers walking outdoors
  • Can improve the look and functionality of an outdoor showroom
  • Can improve your facility’s functionality for outdoor events and fundraisers

Rules for Hardscape Design

Adding hardscape to your commercial landscape is highly advised, but you should think about layout and design before beginning the project. Below are our top three tips to ensure your hardscape designs adds value rather than detracts from your facility’s aesthetic appeal: 

 

Match materials

Your hardscape materials don’t all have to match each other, but they should create a cohesive look with your building. For example, if your building is made of grey concrete, a stone pathway would look better than red brick for your entrance. However, if your building incorporates brick, you should try your best to match it in either color or material when building gazebos and walkways. 

 

Add curved lines over straight lines

Straight lines and right angles can make your hardscape look unnatural against the green background. In nature, most walkways will curve along water lines or streams, so it’s best to mimic this in your design of pathways. Straight paths will work at entrances and along property borders, but otherwise, it’s best to stick with winding trails when creating a courtyard path. 

 

Plan for drainage

Proper drainage ensures your hardscape won’t flood, and that your live plants and foliage won’t be deprived of rainwater due to the added hardscape. This should be at the forefront of your mind when designing a hardscape layout. Ask your MaintenX contractor about shaping your built environment for the benefit of your plants before starting. 

 

If you want to learn more about landscaping options for commercial buildings, contact us today!

COVID-19 Health & Safety Starts With Your Maintenance Department

COVID-19 has brought chaos to all American industries for almost two years now. This pandemic, which has taken millions of lives, is slowly but surely coming to an end. However, we still have a long way to go in the fight to stop the spread. By taking a proactive approach at your facility, you can help maintain the health and safety of both employees and staff. 

 

At MaintenX, we want to do our part in helping you to protect your facility from COVID-19 breakouts. Below are three ways in which our maintenance services can help you to keep a cleaner and healthier facility:

 

HVAC cleaning and maintenance for better ventilation.

Your HVAC system is responsible for ensuring clean indoor air quality throughout your entire indoor facility. Without proper cleaning and maintenance, your HVAC system can circulate germs and bacteria, leading to what we in the maintenance industry call “sick building syndrome.” This same principle can apply to COVID-19. If your HVAC is running inefficiently, you may be unknowingly circulating COVID-19 throughout your entire building. During this time it’s important to be vigilant in your HVAC cleaning service to prevent this. 

 

Plumbing maintenance to preserve sanitization services.

Your plumbing system may not be making a fuss, but it still needs regular TLC to ensure proper sanitization. Your hand-washing stations are getting extra use, and it’s more important now than ever to ensure they are working at all times. If you neglect to schedule pipe cleaning services, you could end up with plumbing problems that interfere with employee health and sanitization. Don’t let this happen during the pandemic — make time in your maintenance schedule for regular plumbing maintenance. 

 

Preventative care to reduce loss of productivity.

Preventative maintenance should be an integral part of your maintenance budget. It not only helps to extend the service life of equipment, but it can help prevent unwanted downtime due to emergency repairs. At a time when many employees must take 14-day periods of sick days due to COVID-19, your business cannot afford more downtime. By investing a little extra in your preventative care, you can ensure to weather this storm with as few disruptions in productivity as possible. 

 

COVID-19 has been a hardship for all Americans, but MaintenX believes we can get through it together. If you have questions about how we’re committing to disease prevention and COVID-19 safety, contact us today!

How Facilities Can Prepare For New Wave of COVID-19

Re-evaluate protocols for employees and visitors. 

In the wake of the first wave of vaccinations for adults 18+ many businesses decided to change their protocols for both employees and customers. Mask recommendations were lifted, and capacity for large buildings was brought back up to their original numbers. However, as Delta-variant cases continue to climb, many businesses are going back to their original precautionary measures, often only for staff members. If your facility experiences high foot traffic, you may consider reinstating mask recommendations to help protect both customers and staff. 

 

Reinstall temporary sanitation facilities if necessary. 

In the summer of 2020, hand sanitization and mask stations were commonly found at the entrances of most facilities. As vaccinations became more prevalent, many retail outlets and restaurants removed these, but they may be necessary as Delta-variant cases continue to rise. You may consider reinstalling these sanitization facilities if your area or state experiences climbing COVID-19 case numbers. 

 

Provide new information to staff as needed. 

It’s important to keep your staff informed about up-to-date vaccine research, CDC-recommended protocols, and other helpful information to ensure they make informed decisions about their health. By taking a proactive approach, you can help employees feel safe coming to work and ensure the public that you take their health and safety seriously. The best defense against COVID-19 is an informed public, and you can do your part by providing that information as needed to your staff, especially in how COVID-19 affects their job duties. 

 

COVID-19 is a disease we can overcome if we fight it together. By providing your staff with the tools and information needed to protect themselves, you can ensure a cleaner and safer work environment for all. 

 

To learn more about the Delta-variant of COVID-19, visit the CDC website here. 

Repairing Drywall Cracks In Your Office Space

In a majority of modern office buildings, drywall is used throughout the interior to create a smooth, durable wall surface. It has become the predominant material over plaster or wood because of its affordability and practicality in large commercial facilities. However, drywall is not an infallible surface. It has a propensity for cracking along joint lines, which can cause long-term structural issues if not addressed. 

 

Often drywall will crack along joint lines because it is the weakest point of the wall. However, cracks can also occur due to rapidly changing temperature or humidity. They can also crack due to pressure, such as when a piece of furniture bumps against the wall. If the crack is small, it can typically be repaired by your handyman. 

 

Steps to DIY Drywall Repair

If the crack is small, all you need is an hour of your time and some supplies from your local home improvement store to repair it on your own. Here’s what you need to do:

 

Step 1: Clean the Area of Debris

Before you start applying drywall tape, you need to clean the area of any dirt or debris so as to not seal that into your drywall repair. You should also cover the surrounding area with painter’s tape to ensure the repair does not affect other parts of the drywall or other fixtures such as wood trim. 

 

Step 2: Apply The Drywall Tape

 

Next, you need to apply the drywall tape over every part of the crack. First, you want to fill the crack with a joint compound to adhere the tape to the area. Next, embed the drywall tape into the crack, covering it completely. Once you flatten these two layers, use the excess joint compound to smooth the surface and seal any small gaps in the repair. 

 

Step 3: Finishing

 

Once the compound has dried completely, you can use a putty knife to scrape off any excess. You can also use any excess joint compound to create a second or third layer on your repair to ensure it is completely smooth. 

 

While this method will work if the break is small, cracks wider than one-quarter of an inch must be repaired by a professional. MaintenX can assess the damage and either repair the crack or replace the drywall completely. Contact us today if you need help with major drywall repairs.

Four Installations You Can Use To Make Your Facility More Secure

Facility security is a top priority for most business owners. The technology and equipment you invest in are important not only for business tomorrow but for your long-term growth. Preventing losses and protecting staff should be a top concern when moving into a new building. It is also important to review safety and security practices after a disturbance has occurred to constantly improve upon the current building operations. 

 

Below are four different ways you can improve upon the security at your facility with low-cost and effective technologies. 

 

Fencing

Building a security fence is often the first step toward protecting a business from unwanted visitors. A sturdy fence with security cameras and optional alarms can help you to protect your property before theft has even occurred. A simple eight-foot chain link fence can even be effective in keeping some intruders out and will protect your building from unwanted loitering during off-hours. 

 

Security alarms

Security alarms are often the next logical step when implementing a security system for your building. These alarms will not only hasten the police presence at your location in the event of a break-in but can deter some burglars from staying on the property to steal or vandalize. Your security system should include windows as well as doors and other entryways to protect your building from all types of break-ins. 

 

Security cameras

Security cameras are not only a great aid to law enforcement after a burglary but can be a deterrent all their own. Even if you do not have security staff, the mere presence of a security camera can motivate some to avoid your location as a place for criminal activity. The more you place and the higher they are from the ground, the less likely you are to experience break-ins. 

 

Panic buttons

Panic buttons are becoming more and more popular for 24-hour facilities, especially in places where shift work is common. If you have an employee that is isolated, they can use a silent panic button to communicate to the police or an outside authority when a crisis occurs. Whether that is a robbery or other disaster, a panic button can accelerate communication and protect your employees from all types of dangerous situations while at work. 

 

With these systems in place, you can better care for your employees and ensure they are safe at all times. To learn more about your security installation options inside and out, contact MaintenX today!

What’s That Smell? 4 Odors in Your Facility You Should Never Ignore

Typically, when something in the office stinks, your employees take notice. However, they may not always speak up when they need to. Unreported odors from your HVAC or furnace could be signs of trouble within a piece of equipment, often resulting in risk to employees and tenants. It’s important to speak up and make an immediate service call if you smell one of these three odors:

 

Rotten eggs

The smell of rotten eggs is often associated with a sewage leak. A pipe could have burst and be causing issues with your sanitization in and around the facility. Even if you aren’t having issues in your bathrooms, contact a MaintenX plumber to inspect the site once you notice this odor. 

 

Ammonia

Many commercial facilities use ammonia-based cleaners; however, if you notice this smell after the janitors have left, it could be cause for concern. Ammonia is sometimes used in the coolant of older commercial appliances, which means its scent could indicate a leak. Ammonia-like smells can also occur if you have mold or pests living within your walls. No matter what, this odor is cause for a consult with your MaintenX professionals. 

 

Burning smell

Oftentimes heaters can smell like they’re burning when they first come on in the winter. This happens due to dust accumulation, and it can mean that dust and dirt are circling through your facility. However, if you smell this in the summer, it could be cause for other issues within your HVAC system. Contact your local MaintenX HVAC technician to identify the cause of the odor. 

 

Never Ignore What Your Detector Tells You

Unfortunately, some of the most dangerous contaminants are those without a smell. Carbon monoxide (CO) — a chemical that can be deadly when inhaled — is colorless and odorless, making it impossible to detect without a CO detector. CO leaks can happen due to industrial combustion and are very serious. Be prepared and install monitors in every area of your facility to ensure a safe working environment. 

 

MaintenX takes these odors very seriously. They are often the warning signs of a serious problem within your HVAC or plumbing system and must be addressed before they become a danger to your staff. To learn more about our emergency maintenance service, call your local MaintenX today!

Preparing for Fall Landscaping

Autumn is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about your fall landscaping. In the summertime, most of the work is put into maintaining beautiful flower blooms and keeping the grass well-watered. However, as the blooms start to wane and the colors change, you’ll need to invest more in cleaning up your lawn and preparing for spring. Below are four tips to help get you started with fall landscaping for commercial facilities: 

 

Prune cautiously. 

Autumn is often an ideal time to prune your plants to allow new growth in the spring. However, some plants won’t survive the winter if they are pruned too much. Talk to your landscaper to ensure that shrubs and trees are properly pruned for growth in the spring. 

 

Provide mulch for your plants. 

Most landscaping in the fall requires the raking of leaves to ensure the lawn looks clean and tidy. However, we often forget that the fallen leaves serve as insulation and fertilizer for plants naturally. Without them, the roots of your trees and surrounding foliage need insulation and fertilization to survive through the winter. Mulch serves as a good fertilizer and insulator for plants in the winter and can look neater than fallen leaves. 

 

Plant new trees and shrubs. 

Smaller perennial plants such as flowers and ornamental grass are typically not planted in fall because they won’t last through the winter. However, trees and shrubs can often thrive in the fall. Take advantage of your landscaper’s open schedule and plant new trees and shrubs during this time. 

 

Add grass seed. 

Oftentimes, landscaping will go brown in the fall. You can take advantage of this dormant period to plant grass seed and ensure a vibrant green lawn in the spring. You can even re-sod your lawn during this time to correct brown patches and take advantage of cheaper rates during the slow season. 

 

These simple tips can help you maintain a healthy landscape and set you up for a beautiful spring. To learn more about outdoor maintenance for commercial buildings, contact your local MaintenX today!