Category: Building Maintenance

Outsourcing maintenance and repair work is becoming the new normal for commercial facilities across the U.S. Limble CMMS conducted a 2021 Maintenance trends study that showed over 90% of facilities outsource maintenance tasks instead of staffing a full-time maintenance team. This is in large part due to the lower cost of outsourcing, and the better selection of qualified specialists who would rather subcontract than work full-time for a facility. Other reasons to outsource maintenance include: 

 

• Ability to delegate more resources to core staffing
• Greater flexibility in maintenance staffing and budget
• Higher caliber subcontractors are available when needed without having to pay full-time salaries for experts in the field

 

While outsourcing your maintenance can be highly beneficial to your business, you need to ensure you hire quality technicians for your HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and roofing repair. Here’s what to look for before you hire: 

 

Ability to address your specific concerns. 

Before you hire a maintenance contractor, go over some of your current roadblocks and maintenance issues you want to address. If they can provide clear solutions for your facility’s current state, you will be off to a better start. 

 

Financial stability. 

While new companies can have a lot of talent to offer, a financially secure business is better for long-term strategy. If you are looking to contract with a maintenance partner for several years, choose a company that has been in business a long time and can prove their success year after year. 

 

Reputable individual contractors.

The strength of a maintenance company comes from the training, knowledge, and experience of its individual technicians. If you have positive experiences with the company’s onsite workers, you can rest assured that the rest of the staff is committed to excellence. 

 

An established reputation in your industry. 

Not all maintenance companies can handle a medical facility, large-scale restaurant, or industrial site. Each of these types of commercial buildings has specific needs that require a specialist’s attention, so it’s important to look for a partner that can meet your facility’s demands. 

 

MaintenX specialties in restaurant, healthcare, retail, and commercial sites and have built a reputation for excellence in these fields. To learn about our services for your industry, contact your local MaintenX team.

In any commercial facility, productivity heavily relies on asset performance. Even the greatest staff cannot perform well with old, dilapidated, or inefficient equipment. That is why your MaintenX team is so integral to the rest of your staff. By maintaining facility machinery and basic systems, you can improve functionality across the board. 

 

An optimal maintenance strategy for equipment will: 

 

• Improve reliability and reduce downtime
• Without increasing costs or wasting maintenance staff time and resources

 

You want your preventative maintenance to reduce emergency repairs and improve asset performance, but going overboard can cost you more in maintenance than your asset is worth. In order to meet this perfect balance between affordability and efficacy, your maintenance team needs to focus on three core issues:

 

Balance maintenance cost with performance

Before creating a maintenance plan for your assets, you want to consider the life cycle cost (LCC) of that machinery. The LCC of an asset includes the cost of acquisition, maintenance, operation, and disposal. When calculated at the time of purchase, you can estimate when the cost of maintenance will reach the cost of acquisition. It is then that you should invest in new equipment instead of maintaining equipment that is costly to retain. 

 

Be mindful of maintenance program capabilities

Even the best maintenance plans can fall apart if your facility does not have the resources or manpower to follow through. MaintenX is highly regarded for our total facility repair and maintenance services, but we are not a full-time maintenance team. You do not want to create a maintenance plan that exceeds our availability or the size of your onsite janitorial staff. 

 

Create a proactive culture in your maintenance department.

Asset performance is only as good as the maintenance service provided for it. When the maintenance team feels empowered to make choices based on their experience rather than commands from the top, they can perform better and improve asset maintenance across the board. By trusting your MaintenX partners, you create a better working environment for all. 

 

MaintenX works hard to ensure that your HVAC, electrical, roofing, and plumbing systems are in peak condition and will last through the end of their service life. To learn more about how we help businesses achieve this, contact your local MaintenX team today.

The office space is a second home to many. It’s where we make friends, can find meaningful work, and where most Americans spend nearly 20% of their waking adult life. And just like home, it’s a place where bacteria and germs can easily spread if regular cleaning and maintenance don’t happen. 

 

Research shows that the average office desk hosts over 10 million bacteria on a typical day — that’s over 400 times more bacteria than found on the average toilet seat. While most offices have a janitorial staff or different staff members who take responsibility for cleaning, it’s easy to miss several key areas where germs, dust, and mold collect. 

 

If you own or operate a commercial facility, be sure to clean these seven commonly missed areas of your space: 

 

Behind desks and large appliances

Dust will easily collect behind the printer, your desk, the breakroom refrigerator, and other dark closed spaces. If a water leak occurs behind one of these spaces, you could find mold damage in a matter of weeks. By periodically moving these appliances and sweeping behind them, you can create a cleaner work environment and better indoor air quality. 

 

Curtains

Very few people ever clean their curtains, but they collect dust easily and will become an eyesore over time. Make sure you dust your curtains at least once a week to prevent particles from getting stuck to the curtains over time. 

 

Air vents

Air vents are the perfect place for dust to collect. If not regularly dusted they can also become hiding places for spiders and small bugs which will quickly make clients and employees unhappy. 

 

Kitchen appliance handles

Sink faucet levers, microwave door handles, and refrigerator handles are all used multiple times per day by everyone in the office. If not wiped down when you clean the kitchen, they will be covered with microorganisms that spread disease to your staff. Spray them with disinfectant once daily if possible to keep your kitchen cleaner. 

 

Windows and glass on doors 

Windows and glass may not be ideal living places for bacteria, but they get dirty very easily and won’t look great if you don’t wipe them down frequently. This is especially true for glass doors that are touched often, as you can likely see the fingerprints over time. Wipe with a glass cleaner to make your office look cleaner at first sight. 

 

Doorknobs and light switches

These areas get touched every single day and can host millions of bacteria if not cleaned. Wipe down all door knobs and light switches every day, especially those near the bathrooms.

 

Trash cans 

You probably take the trash out everyday, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t get dirty. When food or liquids leak from the bags, they will pool at the bottom creating a sticky residue with a foul odor. Wash out your trash cans once a month to prevent unwanted odors in your office space. 

 

Office maintenance doesn’t have to be complicated if you stick to a plan and ensure these commonly missed areas are included. TO learn more about how you can make your office space a great place to work, contact MaintenX about our cleaning and preventative maintenance services.

If you manage a retail store, dealership, or other customer-oriented business, customer satisfaction index scores are essential to measuring performance. These measurements can help you determine how well your sales, marketing, and yes, even how your maintenance department is performing. Every element of your business operations is scrutinized by the customer, so it’s important to make the right impression every single time. 

 

Maintenance is one of the often underlooked elements of the CSI score that you should rethink if you’re receiving customer complaints. Out-of-order bathrooms, dirty floors, low-performing air conditioning, and a disheveled landscape can all contribute to your business’ overall low CSI score, even if you have a stellar sales team and marketing plan. 

 

If you want to improve the look and functionality of your business, these three maintenance services can exponentially raise your overall CSI performance: 

 

Plan seasonal landscaping.

Customers like to see landscaping that looks inviting and lush, especially if you have an outdoor showroom. By investing in a landscaping service that will change plants with the season and keep grass looking bright and trim, you can impress customers as soon as they drive into the lot.

 

Invest in an energy-efficient HVAC system. 

No matter what type of commercial facility you operate, you want customers and employees to be comfortable year-round. A facility that is too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter will leave a bad impression on customers and deter them from taking their time shopping. By investing in a quality HVAC system you can improve CSI scores and save money on your power bill. 

 

Schedule regular restroom maintenance. 

Restrooms can make a strong impression on guests, either in a positive or negative way. If you have leaky faucets, clogged pipes, dim lighting, or the scent of mildew due to water damage, you can guarantee CSI scores will be lower than if you have a clean, fully functional, and aesthetically pleasing restroom. Schedule plumbing and electrical maintenance frequently and make bathroom cleaning a priority to ensure you never make a bad impression with guests. 

 

Better customer relationships lead to better business. If you want to make your facility more impressive to guests, more energy-efficient, and more functional for employees, partner with MaintenX for preventative maintenance care. We work hard to ensure your facility is in peak condition no matter what. Contact your local team today to learn more about your options with us.

At MaintenX, we always prioritize preventative maintenance for our clients. In a commercial facility, continuity is key. Any disruption in the normal function of your business can cause loss of profits and customer dissatisfaction. This includes not only your essential equipment but systems like your HVAC machines and plumbing. By investing in preventative care, you avoid common problems that lead to serious and expensive emergency services. 

 

Below are five reasons to prioritize preventative care in your maintenance plan:

 

Avoid unplanned downtime

Emergency repairs cause unplanned downtime in one way or another. EMployees may have to relocate to allow the maintenance team to reach a certain area, or in severe cases, your entire facility could be shut down due to maintenance. THis affects your customers and bottom line, so don’t let it happen!

 

Budget repairs

Planned repairs are typically less expensive than emergency ones, and can be budgeted well in advance. You don’t want to have to pay for the higher labor costs and potentially more pricey repairs during an emergency, so make a preventative maintenance schedule and stick to it. 

 

Extend the service life of systems

Systems that are maintained will inevitably last longer than those that run to fail. With a little extra TLC now, you can extend the service life of HVAC equipment, electrical systems, and pipes by five to ten years in some cases. 

 

Avoid safety hazards

Electrical maintenance is essential to prevent fires and power outages that can be detrimental to employee and customer safety. With regular preventative maintenance checks, you can replace frayed wires and identify potential issues before they become emergencies. 

 

Prevent sick building syndrome

An HVAC system that goes uncleaned for long periods of time may cause sick building syndrome — where germs and bacteria in the air ducts circulate and cause airborne illness for all employees and staff. This has become an increasing concern during COVID-19, but should always be addressed to prevent the spread of colds, flu, and bacteria-related respiratory diseases. 

 

Preventative maintenance is our specialty at MaintenX. To learn more about what preventative care can do for your business, contact us today.

Winter is just around the corner, which means you’ll be switching from air conditioning to heating pretty soon (if you haven’t already). In Tampa, Florida, where MaintenX is headquartered, we still have a month or so before our local clients need to turn the heater on every day. However, we want those in northern climates to be prepared with everything they need to know about heater maintenance this time of year. 

 

At home and at the office, you may have noticed that your heater has a strange burning smell the first time you turn it on. If so, we want to reassure you that this is completely normal. 

 

During the summer, your heater goes dormant for several months (even longer if you live in a southern climate). This means that dust can collect in the vents. When you turn on the heater for the first time in winter, the dust burns off and will cause an odor for a few hours until it is all gone. This is a normal part of your HVAC system’s cycle and is not a cause for concern. 

 

How to Prevent Winter Burning Smells

If you dislike the smell of a burning heater, or simply don’t want to make your customers uncomfortable, there are two ways you can prevent this smell: 

 

• Schedule a cleaning with your MaintenX HVAC technician – If you want to prevent the burning smell altogether, call your HVAC technician to perform a cleaning before the first cold day of winter. They can clear the dust and perform a routine checkup to ensure that your heater is in tip-top shape for the season. 

 

• Replace the air filter before you turn on the heater – While this won’t eliminate the smell completely, it will help your system to filter out the dust as the air starts to circulate and ensure that the burning smell is dissipated more quickly. 

 

Burning Smells That Are Cause for Concern

 

In most cases, it is normal for the heater to smell a little strange the first time you turn it on. However, if you notice the smell of burning plastic, rubber, or an electrical burning smell, turn off the heater and contact MaintenX immediately. 

 

These burning smells mean that something inside the HVAC system — a wire, electrical component, or piece of machinery within the heater — is burning. This can be dangerous in some circumstances and will guarantee a costly repair bill if you don’t fix the problem immediately. Don’t take any chances and call us if the burning smell is suspicious or doesn’t go away after a few hours. 

 

If you’d like to learn more about winter maintenance for your facility, contact us today!

Like with any occupation, the maintenance industry is full of jargon that can be difficult for the outsider to understand. The average person may in fact have even less familiarity with maintenance terms than they do other industry-specific languages, with the exception of the rare handyman homeowner. This can cause communication issues between the maintenance team and facility staff, leading to lost opportunities for preventative care. If you want to bridge the divide, you may want to consider educating your staff on these common terms. 

 

Below are some common maintenance terminologies you should be familiar with, or should be sure to clarify before working with other departments of your facility:

 

Uptime/downtime – Uptime refers to the amount of time a piece of equipment is scheduled to run continually; downtime is the amount of time either scheduled or unplanned where a piece of equipment is shut off. 

 

Root cause analysis – Root cause analysis is the process by which maintenance technicians determine the underlying causes of maintenance issues. This is conducted before repair services are scheduled to prevent recurring issues. 

 

Component renewal – Component renewal is scheduled maintenance activities that are spaced out greater than 10 years. This requires careful planning and adherence to the manufacturer’s recommendations. 

 

Deferred maintenance 

Unlike preventative or reactive maintenance, deferred maintenance is maintenance that was not performed on schedule or was delayed due to reactive maintenance issues. This maintenance is typically first priority as it can cause long-term disruptions in your facility’s production. 

 

Current replacement value – The replacement value of a piece of equipment includes the parts, supplies, and labor cost weighed against potential resale value of parts on the replaced equipment. This also can include the long-term costs of maintenance in order to extend the equipment’s service life. 

 

This is not a comprehensive list but includes terms most important for upper management and facility managers to understand in order to make decisions with their maintenance departments. To learn more about preventative maintenance performance, visit our resource center. 

How many times, as the maintenance manager or a technician, have you felt unheard by upper management? You desperately need a bigger budget for preventative care, new equipment, or greater staffing and yet your budget continually shrinks instead of expands each year. If you feel this way, you’re not alone. Most maintenance departments are considered the last priority by upper management and business owners. While you may think that there’s no solution, you could have more agency than you think. 

 

Oftentimes the problem is in the communication between maintenance and management, not simply the refusal to invest in preventative care. As for maintenance managers and technicians we thoroughly understand the problem of not keeping up with preventative maintenance. We see the issues that surface later, and know almost immediately why and how they could have been prevented. But, your management does not. 

 

It is easy to assume that management will understand what you’re talking about in your reports and proposals for increased budgeting. However, you may be using unnecessary technician jargon and numbers that don’t mean anything to your management team. While they all have extensive experience within the operational sectors of the business, most won’t have any maintenance management experience. What they’re looking for is impact, not facts and figures. It is up to us as maintenance experts to communicate the real results that occur when investments are made in better maintenance. 

 

When communicating with upper management, it is essential to illustrate the true impact of your preventative maintenance programs. It is what they will understand best, and what will motivate them to treat your maintenance department like an integral part of the operations team — not simply an afterthought. If you want to make the most of your maintenance programs, communication is key. 

 

Tips for Better Communication Between Maintenance and Upper Management: 

 

• Increase interactions between departments. It is difficult to effectively communicate when you have no rapport between departments. By increasing your presence outside of the maintenance department, you can become a more integral part of the decision-making process. 

 

• Bring up the big picture. No management leader is going to want to increase your budget based on theory or statistics. However, if you show them the real-world potential for catastrophe if preventative maintenance programs are not sustained (such as equipment shutdowns and long-term expense increases), then you’ve incorporated your numbers into the bigger picture.

 

• Meet face-to-face. Audio or written material carries very little emotional weight or impact, which makes them ineffective tools for relationship building. Not only is it easier to reject a written proposal than it is an in-person one, but by making that extra effort, your upper management can see why the issue at hand is important to you. 

 

MaintenX works hard to build relationships with our clients so that we can both effectively communicate and compromise to create a truly effective preventative maintenance program. To learn more about what makes MaintenX stand out from other maintenance contractors, contact us today. 

At MaintenX, we strongly encourage our clients to invest in preventative maintenance. These services — from regular tune-ups to cleaning and manufacturer’s recommended parts replacements — help to keep your facility’s plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems intact. However, we rarely discuss the potential benefits and costs of the no-maintenance strategy. 

 

What is a No Maintenance Strategy?

Some companies implement a no-maintenance or reactive maintenance strategy, which simply means that repairs are not scheduled until a breakdown occurs. There are some unique advantages to this maintenance strategy. While the cost of breakdowns is typically more expensive, these companies do not pay for unnecessary preventative repairs or services. They also typically have a lower monthly budget for maintenance that is easier to sell to upper management than a more costly preventative care schedule. 

 

The Hidden Cost of a No-Maintenance Strategy

While a reactive maintenance strategy is cheaper today, it is exponentially more costly once a breakdown actually occurs. Think about it this way: is it more expensive to perform routine maintenance checks on your HVAC system every quarter, or to have to replace your entire system at the drop of a hat when something major goes wrong? 

 

Oftentimes the cost-savings of preventative care are not apparent because they work in preventing these sorts of breakdowns. You may not even realize the potential hazards you are escaping from investing in preventative care. But, we as maintenance technicians have seen them happen, which is why we push preventative maintenance service for all of our clients. 

 

Combining the Best of Preventative and Reactive Maintenance

The best solution for a maintenance team is not to choose one over the other, but rather to choose which systems need more preventative care, versus which ones can operate on a run-to-fail system. Older appliances and pieces of equipment naturally need more maintenance in order to perform. However, a brand new system may not need any preventative care until it reaches a certain stage in its life cycle. 

 

Maintenance strategies are nuanced, which is why we work collaboratively with clients to ensure they get the best value for their dollar. To learn more about our preventative care strategies and services, contact MaintenX today.

At MaintenX, we talk a lot about reducing maintenance costs for facility managers. In most preventative maintenance plans, there is an underlying goal of reducing expenses as maintenance efficiency improves. But this does not mean that your maintenance budget should continue to decrease indefinitely. In fact, as your systems and equipment age and as different outside contributors change, you can and should expect your maintenance budget to increase. Here’s why:

 

Preventative maintenance reduces cost by preventing emergency repairs and extending the service life of certain parts and pieces of equipment. It does not, however, decrease the overall need for maintenance as a system ages. The older a piece of machinery, the more maintenance it will need to continue performing at an optimum level. This means that maintenance budgets should increase as the system gets older — the difference is that it won’t do so as rapidly as it would if no preventative maintenance was performed. 

 

Think about the maintenance of your car. You expect repair costs to go up as the car gets older, even if you are diligent about oil changes and tune-ups each year. This doesn’t mean that your preventative maintenance schedule isn’t effective — it just means that your car needs more TLC as it reaches the end of its service life. 

 

The same logic applies to your facility equipment, but unfortunately, upper management has the tendency to cut maintenance budgets regardless of the age or shape of facility equipment. This actually leads to increases in emergency costs and the need to replace aging systems earlier. With another piece of equipment, this logic would never be followed through (as you would never budget less on car repairs for an older model than you would your brand new ride), and yet this is often par for the course for facility maintenance departments. 

 

As the facility manager, it is essential to advocate for maintenance budget increases when you need them. Whether it is because of an aging system, increased labor costs, or supply shortages, you need to adequately provide the resources for your facility to thrive. This ensures that over the course of several years, even decades, your maintenance department is meeting their goals and can help prevent the truly costly maintenance services like early replacement of assets and emergency services for total shutdowns. 

 

MaintenX can help you prioritize your maintenance and prevent these costly repairs with our comprehensive preventative maintenance services. Contact us to learn more about what our maintenance team can do for you!