Category: Building Maintenance

Restaurant and foodservice businesses are one of our fastest-growing customer segments at MaintenX. In Florida, where MaintenX is headquartered, much of our local economic health comes from restaurant and other tourist industries that thrive due to our beautiful beaches. As part of this complex network, we strive to help our local restaurants and food services thrive with reliable, efficiency-focused maintenance services. 

 

Preventative maintenance is the best strategy for most restaurant businesses. You cannot afford a plumbing or HVAC problem in the middle of a lunch rush, which is why we ensure all of your facility systems are in tip-top shape. Below are the four areas in which you should invest your preventative care for the best long-term results:

 

Ventilation Maintenance

A commercial kitchen needs powerful ventilation to ensure temperatures stay down and the area has high air quality for staff safety. If your HVAC system is not regularly cleaned and maintained, it will soon cause problems for the staff and customers alike. To ensure your restaurant has high indoor air quality and climate control, be sure to schedule regular duct cleaning and outdoor HVAC maintenance services for your facility. 

 

Flooring Maintenance

Restaurant flooring takes quite a beating with the intense foot traffic and chaos of a commercial kitchen. We understand how difficult it can be to maintain an expensive flooring material, which is why MaintenX prioritizes preventative care and cleaning for all of our flooring installations. With a regular wax and deep clean, you can ensure safety for your staff and provide guests with an exceptional experience. 

 

Refrigeration

A refrigeration issue in a commercial kitchen is almost always disastrous. It may cause you to have to close for the day, or at best will limit your menu extensively while repairs are happening. The best way to prevent refrigeration issues is to schedule regular inspections along with your HVAC cleaning services to catch problems before they manifest. 

 

Landscaping for Outdoor Venues

If your restaurant has outdoor seating, you want to invest in outdoor maintenance including roofing care, landscape and hardscape maintenance, and regular cleaning of outdoor HVAC and visible plumbing systems. These small steps make a big difference for outdoor seated guests and will liven up the atmosphere for music, events, or simply for dining on the water. 

 

MaintenX is here for all of your restaurant maintenance services! Whether you want to schedule routine maintenance or need help with an emergency repair, we’ll be by your side to ensure your plumbing, electrical, roofing, and HVAC systems are running smoothly. Contact us today for more information!

Hospital maintenance is one of the most important services we at MaintenX provide. The work hospitals do day in and day out is incredibly important to us and our communities. We take pride in serving hospitals across the country with HVAC, roofing, electrical, and plumbing services to help them do what they do best. 

 

If you own or manage a hospital or medical facility, there are certain maintenance areas that need your special attention. If you prioritize these on an ongoing basis, your facility will be in good shape for 24-hour service:

 

Electrical Maintenance

A hospital’s power supply is one of its most vital elements. Without a reliable power supply and electrical maintenance, lives are in danger. While all hospitals have backup power supplies, it is important not to rely on them entirely. Invest in routine electrical maintenance to prevent unnecessary power interruptions and repairs.

 

Plumbing And Sanitation

Your hospital likely has a robust cleaning staff, but they can only do their jobs as well as your water and plumbing systems are in good shape. By investing in plumbing maintenance such as insulation, regular cleaning, and inspections, you can ensure that the steady supply of water needed for hospital sanitization is always available. 

 

Backup Power

Almost every medical facility that treats emergent patients will have a substantial backup generator or UPS system to ensure a steady flow of power at all times. However, these machines are not infallible. You must perform regular generator or UPS system inspections to ensure everything is in proper order in case of emergencies. This does not take much time, but will save you in the end when you know your power system is fully secure. 

 

Proper Maintenance Staffing

In a hospital setting, you never want maintenance issues to fall to the backburner, or for them to be left to staff to resolve. By having MaintenX on call, you know your maintenance needs are always covered. We also offer preventative maintenance programs to help you reduce operating costs and extend the service life of essential systems. 

 

MaintenX is your go-to place for hospital and medical facility maintenance. Call us today to learn more about our programs!

Maintenance for retail businesses are some of the most complex programs we run at MaintenX. With many retail outlets, the stores are open late or 24/7, which makes routine maintenance a necessity. If anything goes wrong during operating hours, thousands of dollars can be lost in an afternoon. That is why we strive to perform exceptional preventative maintenance to keep your retail business open for business.

 

If you own or manage a retail facility, you know how tricky it can be to create the ideal customer experience. We suggest prioritizing these four areas of your preventative maintenance plan to ensure you maximize facility performance:

 

Lighting

Most retail businesses have powerful fluorescent lighting that is on most, if not all of the day. This requires an incredible amount of energy which not only increases your power bill, but can increase the likelihood of electrical problems if not well maintained. By investing in regular electrical inspections and upgrading to energy-efficient lighting, among other preventative measures, you can keep the lights on for a lower price.

 

Climate Control

Your HVAC system may be the most important system within a retail facility. Customers will not enjoy the experience if it is even slightly too hot or too cold inside the building, and they will certainly not stay if there is no climate control at all. Your HVAC system is also responsible for the indoor air quality of your facility which affects facility staff health and the overall retail experience. Invest in preventative care so you never have to worry about closing early due to issues with climate control. 

 

Flooring 

A retail center with a dirty or damaged floor shows a lack of quality in the overall business and will keep customers away if the problem persists. We recommend regular deep cleaning in the after-hours, as well as preventative care such as waxing to reduce issues with scratching and other exterior damage.

 

Exterior Maintenance

Landscaping, hardscape maintenance, and roof maintenance go a long way toward presenting the right image to new customers. When you invest in the maintenance of your exterior building, you are investing in customers’ first impression of your company. Routine services including roof cleaning, landscaping, outdoor HVAC cleaning, and others will make your facility run more efficiently and present a beautiful image to the world. 

 

If you own or manage a retail facility, contact MaintenX to learn more about our preventative maintenance strategies! We are happy to create a preventative maintenance plan that will increase maintenance efficiency and keep you in business for years to come. 

At MaintenX, we specialize in preventative care for commercial facilities. This is in contrast to what many commercial maintenance companies do, which is to rely on emergency maintenance calls for the bulk of their business. While this strategy (called reactive maintenance) is effective in certain cases, there is real benefit in planning for your maintenance in advance. 

 

What is Preventative Maintenance?

Preventative maintenance is the simple process of scheduling maintenance services in advance, as opposed to scheduling them when there is a problem with the equipment. For example, instead of waiting for your plumbing to spring a leak to call your plumber, you could schedule preventative checks and insulation services to ensure your plumbing doesn’t leak in the first place. This is just one of many examples of preventative services that MaintenX offers. 

 

Just like you want to change the tires on your car before you get a flat, you want to take care of your facility equipment before it begins to break down. Recommended preventative care is typically laid out in a system’s manufacturer’s manual, and should be followed as closely as possible. However, your MaintenX technicians may also have specific recommendations for preventative care that will meet your goals and care for your facility as a whole. 

 

The Benefits of Preventative Care

You may think, “Why would I call the MaintenX team before something is wrong?” For some services, you won’t need to. If the maintenance issue is not emergent, there is no reason to prevent it. However, a serious problem with your HVAC, electrical, plumbing, or roofing systems can cause unwanted downtime and be more costly to fix than it would be to prevent. That is why we recommend preventative care for all of your major facility systems. Other benefits of preventative maintenance include: 

 

• Extending the service life of facility equipment
• Reduces cost and frequency of emergency repairs
• Increases efficiency and performance nf facility equipment
• Helps save money on energy consumption
• Improves facility health and safety for employees

 

When To Plan Maintenance vs. When to Run-to-Fail

Reactive or “run-to-fail” maintenance is the appropriate approach in some cases. For example, you don’t need to replace working parts until they become problematic. You also don’t want to perform unnecessary preventative maintenance tasks on a brand new system, in which case run-to-fail maintenance may be the right approach for the first few months or years. However, preventative care is an important part of every facility system’s maintenance schedule. 

 

If you are interested in learning more about your preventative maintenance options, contact MaintenX today! We work coast to coast to provide exceptional commercial facility repair and maintenance services. When you want the best, call MaintenX!

At MaintenX, we encourage all of our clients to make preventative maintenance a priority. This type of maintenance schedule helps to extend the service life of certain equipment and reduce your maintenance costs over time. However, reactive maintenance also plays an important role in the maintenance and cost-reduction of services at your facility. 

 

Preventative vs Reactive Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is loosely defined as any maintenance task that you perform to reduce the chance of a future failure. This includes equipment adjustments, cleaning, lubrication, and scheduled repairs to maintain optimal performance and efficiency for each system within your facility. 

 

Reactive maintenance, on the other hand, is the maintenance that must be performed once the piece of equipment has failed. Also called run-to-fail maintenance, this strategy reduces the short-term costs of certain maintenance procedures and eliminates unnecessary maintenance services from your backlog. 

 

Examples of The Different Maintenance Types

Preventative maintenance is important for pieces of equipment that must run at all times, like your electrical system of HVAC equipment. Some examples include cleaning out the air ducts and filters for optimal airflow and replacing worn parts as per the manufacturer’s recommendations to prevent issues with performance. 

 

Reactive maintenance is used for non-essential parts and equipment that can be replaced as they fail. Lightbulbs, roof shingles, and minor parts can all be replaced or repaired as they are damaged instead of replacing them early. When done correctly, this can help cust maintenance costs and help your maintenance team run more effectively. 

 

Which Is Best for My Facility? 

Reactive and preventative maintenance should, ideally, be used in tandem to address different issues at your facility. You may not always need to implement a preventative maintenance plan for each system within your facility, especially if that system is brand new and functioning seamlessly. Your maintenance plan should take into account all maintenance strategies and the unique operations of your facility. This is the approach MaintenX uses in order to maximize your assets and create efficiency throughout your building. 

 

Call MaintenX for Help!

MaintenX can help you build a comprehensive maintenance plan that uses both reactive and preventative maintenance for your unique needs and concerns. To learn more about our preventative and emergency maintenance services, contact your local team today!

On-the-job equipment failures are no joke. If your facility relies on a specific piece of equipment for daily operations, any emergency maintenance needed puts a stop to your productivity. At best, this leads to lost revenue and expensive repairs. Even worse, it could lead to a hit to your reputation and tainted customer relations that may take months to repair. While you may not be able to prevent all of these disasters, there are certain steps you can take to always be prepared for them. 

 

Below are MaintenX’s four tips for managing equipment failures on the job:

 

Prioritize staff and customer safety. 

Some equipment failures can put your tenants and staff in danger. If you are working on hazardous equipment, you should first and foremost turn off the equipment and warn staff about potential hazards when entering the workspace. This is especially important for electrical work, which can cause hazards for both staff and other pieces of facility equipment. 

 

Store repair equipment onsite. 

When a piece of equipment fails on the job, the goal is to repair it as quickly and safely as possible. Your staff may be able to handle some repairs, so keep a reserve of repair equipment to reduce downtime. You may even be able to call your MaintenX team and have them walk you through smaller repairs that can get you back up and running in no time. 

 

Set aside an ample emergency maintenance budget. 

Nothing is worse for the facility maintenance department than having to pay for services you weren’t prepared for. This typically comes out of your preventative maintenance budget, which inevitably leads to further emergency repairs down the road. Set aside a budget each year for emergency repairs so you don’t have to weigh the costs of calling your MaintenX team for help. 

 

Call your MaintenX team right away. 

The sooner you contact MaintenX, the sooner we can dispatch a team to your job site. Reducing downtime should be a top priority once you’ve ensured the safety of your staff. Even if you think you can fix the issue yourself, you should call the experts for guidance and ensure you don’t cause more problems by waiting. We are here 24/7 for your emergency maintenance issues. 

 

Equipment breakdowns are serious, but they can be managed effectively with the help of the MaintenX team. Contact us to learn more about our emergency repair services. 

Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) parts are ideal for most facility repairs. If you are following a preventative maintenance plan with MaintenX, your technicians will be interested in creating a detailed list of each manufacturer for your various facility systems parts. This includes HVAC, roofing, electrical, plumbing, and other facility equipment that you regularly service. By having the original manufacturer’s replacement parts on hand you are making your technician’s job easier and your repair more successful long-term. 

 

There are several reasons why OEM parts are preferable to generic or after-market parts for repair: 

 

OEM parts generally have a higher ROI than aftermarket parts. 

An original manufacturer’s replacement parts are typically higher in value, and will therefore have a higher ROI than aftermarket general parts. This is because they are less likely to need future repair or replacement and will cause fewer issues with other installed parts in the equipment. Some aftermarket parts are not fully compatible with specific manufacturers and can cause underlying issues if not installed correctly. 

 

OEM parts are more reliable. 

Aftermarket parts are often chosen because they are cheap and readily available. However, they are made more cheaply and are therefore less reliable for long-term use. By using generic parts as a long-term solution, you’re putting your facility at risk for future equipment failures. 

 

OEM parts are often warrantied. 

Generic parts are typically made more cheaply which can cause issues with the entire system. This can void your equipment warranty if the generic part causes other issues within the machinery. By purchasing OEM parts you’ll likely receive a warranty for the piece itself and will preserve your warranty with the original manufacturer. 

 

In order to use the preferred OEM parts, you’ll need to have them on hand for facility repairs. By keeping parts on hand for your HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and roofing repairs, you can improve the quality of your preventative and reactive maintenance repairs. 

 

Talk to MaintenX about keeping OEM parts onsite for general repairs. Your technicians will help you to determine what should be onsite, and what pieces of equipment are easy to replace in emergencies. 

 

To learn more about our emergency and preventative repair services, contact your local MaintenX today!

 

The food service industry is one of the most intensely competitive and difficult to break into. With a slim profit margin and competition on every corner, restaurant and commercial kitchen managers need to make wise decisions every step of the way in order to succeed. This is true even with the maintenance of their commercial kitchen. You need to save costs as much as possible without compromising the efficiency of your kitchen. 

 

The choice to repair or replace your commercial kitchen equipment is a difficult one. 30 years ago most commercial kitchen equipment was repairable by employees because it was simple to operate. However, more and more high-tech options are being introduced into the foodservice industry that makes a professional repair service necessary for even minor issues. 

 

It’s more and more difficult to understand your equipment and when it’s reached the end of its service life. You’ll want to ask your repair professionals the following questions before determining whether to repair or replace your kitchen equipment: 

 

• Will my warranty cover the needed repairs? Cost-savings are a top priority for commercial kitchen managers. If your warranty will cover certain repairs, you should always take advantage of this before replacing the equipment. 
• Is this piece of equipment close to the end of its service life? One of the signs of a declining piece of commercial equipment is an increase in the frequency of repairs. This could mean your equipment is on its way out, and that repairing its current issues will only lead to more repairs. Ask your MaintenX professional about the expected service life for your equipment if it is having recurring issues. 
• Are you looking for an upgrade? There is probably at least one piece of equipment that you’ve considered upgrading over the next few years. If this piece of equipment is experiencing repeated repairs, you may want to consider replacing it now. You’ll save more money in the long run with an energy-efficient and modern equipment design than repairing something that is outdated. 

Maintaining a commercial kitchen is a balancing act. To learn more about your options for commercial kitchen repairs and installations, contact your local MaintenX team today!

Restaurants and commercial foodservice facilities have some of the strictest maintenance and sanitary guidelines among businesses in the U.S. the standards to which your commercial facility is measured are high, which means there is no room for error when it comes to preventative care. Luckily, MaintenX specializes in commercial kitchen maintenance and has worked with restaurants of all sizes across the country. 

 

Below are some of our top tips to help you have stress-free inspections and keep your kitchen running at peak performance. If you have any questions or would like to create a preventative maintenance schedule with our technicians, call your local MaintenX team today!

 

Clean, degrease and replace as needed. 

Deep cleaning should be an essential element of your commercial kitchen maintenance scheduling. Moving and cleaning behind equipment as well as daily cleaning performed by staff will help reduce other maintenance issues down the line. You should also talk to your MaintenX team about replacing air filters, cleaning pipes, and scheduling other specialized cleaning services.

 

Maintain your ventilation system.

The ventilation system is one of the most important yet overlooked systems in commercial kitchens. It is responsible for the safety and comfort of your staff, and therefore should be regularly cleaned and checked. Commercial kitchens require much more frequent HVAC checks than typical facilities or residential buildings. Talk to your MaintenX technicians about setting up a proper maintenance schedule based on the demand and age of your facility. 

 

Schedule refrigeration inspections.

If a refrigerant leak or power outage occurs, your refrigeration system will suffer tremendously. You don’t want to lose money because perishable goods spoil in the refrigerator, so be sure to keep up with preventative care on your refrigerator. Clean, inspect, and check all essential refrigerant parts to ensure a breakdown never occurs. 

 

Create a preventative maintenance plan. 

All of these issues can be resolved if you work on a preventative maintenance schedule for your facility. We can help you create a manageable and effective schedule that will keep your kitchen from facing disaster. Many of our clients say that this was one of the best decisions they’ve made for the health, safety, and efficiency of their business. 

 

MaintenX specializes in commercial kitchen repairs and understands your needs in this demanding industry. To learn more about our repair and preventative maintenance services, contact our offices today!

In commercial kitchens, the refrigeration system is essential to daily operations. If a maintenance issue occurs, it is very likely that you’ll have to schedule overnight repairs or risk losing business the next day. Therefore, optimizing your maintenance schedule should be a top priority for facility managers to operate a restaurant, cafeteria, or other foodservice business. 

 

MaintenX specializes in refrigeration repair, and we’ve seen it all. From minor repairs to complete power loss, we’ve helped our customers overcome all sorts of disasters in the kitchen. Below are our top four tips for preventing refrigeration issues and optimizing efficiency:

 

Invest in a backup generator.

In the event of a power outage, your commercial refrigerator is out of luck. If you are storing days’ or weeks’ worth of perishable items, you cannot afford an outage to spoil it. Invest in a backup generator or UPS system to ensure you never lose money on spoiled food. 

 

Respect your refrigerator’s capacity limits.

It can be tempting to fit as much in one refrigeration system as possible, especially if you’re a struggling small business looking to save cash. However, by overloading your refrigerator, you’ll cause it to work harder to keep cool. This can lead to increased maintenance issues over time. You may even have to replace your refrigeration system early if you don’t take care of it and respect its limits. 

 

Clean it regularly.

Cleaning your refrigeration system is likely the most important maintenance task in a commercial kitchen. Removing spills, leftover food, and water will help prevent mold and mildew growth in the storage compartments and throughout the unit. 

 

Check air filters often. 

Grease and dust can accumulate in the air filters and cause ventilation problems in your kitchen. This reduces efficiency and can even be dangerous if not properly addressed. Ask your refrigeration technician to regularly clean air filters and ensure proper operation of other major components of your system. 

 

MaintenX offers refrigeration, HVAC, and other preventative maintenance services for commercial kitchens of all sizes. We specialize in the restaurant and foodservice industries and understand your unique demands. To learn more about our preventative care services, contact your local MaintenX team today!