Fall Maintenance Tips for Your Facility

Written by Guest Blogger, Betty White

Fall has appeared at our doorstep, bringing cloudy weather, cold and rain into our daily lives. In light of this, good facility management has to be well-informed and thus ready to handle your facility during the fall months. The main goal of fall maintenance tips for your facility is to help you devise the right approach to maintaining your office space, gym, school, or any other commercial facility. Hence, you will find out how your facilities should be prepared for the incoming winter period.

So, the time has come to actively resolve potential problems related to sanitary and weather concerns your commercial building might experience in the fall or wintertime. In addition, this is the opportunity to clean or fix anything you might have overlooked during your annual summer maintenance.

Maintenance managers ought to do everything in their power to keep the various systems and equipment in your commercial building as winterized as possible. It needs to be clean and functioning before frost and snow come knocking at your facility’s door.

Inspection of Heating Systems

Inspection and regular maintenance of the HVAC system in the fall is indispensable for the optimal functioning of your commercial building. This means your heating system has to be function perfectly as temperatures become lower with each day. Your facility has to be warm and clean for your employees and equipment to work smoothly. Regular cleaning or changing of the air filters also works toward extending the life of the HVAC units.

In addition, fall maintenance of your heating system should prevent power outages and excessive heating costs. Note that lowering your temperature by 1 degree also reduces your energy bill by 1%. This means you need to manage the HVAC system this fall to keep energy consumption at a minimum. Another benefit to inspecting you HVAC system lies in the opportunity to locate any damages or piled-up dirt or dust that might obstruct the functioning of the unit.

Inspect the Facility’s Insultation

Professional commercial building maintenance also locates potential sources of energy waste. Leaks, cracks, holes or other such malfunctions in the building’s structure might dissipate heat in your building. As a result, your heating bill might go through the roof.

Speaking of roofs, the structural integrity of your facility could be compromised if rain enters the building. Even if your commercial facility has been inspected in the spring, insulation should be double-checked in the fall. This makes fall maintenance and inspection invaluable for ensuring your facility is safe, warm and dry.

Note that all detected cracks and gaps need to be sealed in good time. Also, make sure the caulking in doors and window frames is checked and fixes. For additional protection, inspect the weather stripping at door frames as well as the roof and exterior walls.

Check Gas Lines as Part of Your Fall Maintenance

If heating in your commercial facility runs on gas, check the gas lines and gas connections this fall. Keeping your facility warm is crucial, So, make sure you detect and fix any signs of damage or corrosion as soon as possible. Also, consider introducing corrosion-free options to prepare your facility for the winter.

Clean the Pipes, Gutters, and Downspouts

Aside from gas lines and internal facility issues, you should also make sure your pipes, gutters and downspouts are in check. Leaves or debris may obstruct the gutters, resulting in water backup and draining problems.

If left unresolved, water in the gutters may freeze in the winter due to obstruction of its flow. This might compromise the functioning of your facility since wintertime preparations are typically costly, prone to delays, and challenging to carry out.

Check Outdoor Machinery

Some of your equipment or facility systems may encounter functional problems due to continuous, unprotected exposure to the cold weather or the elements. Your facility manager should consult instruction manuals and execute protective measures to prevent possible malfunctions. For example, if you keep vehicles outside, changing and inspecting their fluids or motors after longer periods of inactivity during the summer is a must.

Facility management services to assess when calling in a professional to inspect your outdoor machinery is necessary. If urgent, you ought to move the machinery into a closed space until the problem is resolved. Commercial moving services might help come in handy in there situations since dealing with this on your own could compromise the safety of your employees. We suggest you hire the help of professionals that can help you pack, life, and move any piece of equipment of furniture, especially if they are heavy, bulky, or difficult to carry.

Inspect and Clean the Exterior of the Facility

We have already mentioned that the heating efficiency in your facility depends on regular inspection and maintenance of the buildings interior and exterior structures. However, you should also inspect and clean the outdoor spaces alongside external walls and the roof. Take a look at the areas in the back and front of your facility. Are there branches or heaps of dry leaves obstructing the power lines, safety exits, or the fire escape?

The summer rain can cause damage further exacerbated by ice and snow in the winter. Also, fall is the perfect time to power-wash your commercial building if need be.

All in all, these kinds of issues are extremely difficult to resolve once winter arrives. So, make sure to note these fall maintenance tips for your facility and apply them on time.

System4 Can Help

Are you struggling to keep up with your fall maintenance checklist? Searching for the right service provider to execute maintenance tasks? System4 is the perfect solution! System4 Facility Services Management is an industry leader in commercial cleaning, disinfection and repair and maintenance services. We offer customized solutions to fit the unique needs of any type or size business. Contact System4 to set-up time to discuss your facility’s needs.