While HVAC equipment is a key component for maintaining operations without interruption, it’s also one of the biggest investments for any facility. Goodway Technologies is offering tips to help facility managers keep equipment running longer and minimize breakdowns or outages. These recommendations can also improve efficiencies and reduce operating costs.

“Management may not have HVAC maintenance top of mind, so facility managers need to stress the importance of implementing a proper maintenance plan,” said Tim Kane, President of Goodway Technologies. “Taking the right precautionary steps can have a big impact on the bottom line.”

What steps should you take?

1. Make sure you have the right products for each maintenance need. When the proper tools aren’t used to complete maintenance tasks, it ends up doing more harm than good. For example, you wouldn’t use a saw to hammer in a nail, so why use a pressure washer to clean coils? Pressure washers risk damaging delicate coil fins, potentially causing the need for repairs and spending more time and money than if you were to use a coil cleaning machine, which is specifically designed to clean coils. Some tools even allow clean-in-place maintenance to enable less downtime. Facility managers want to make sure their time spent maintaining equipment is effective and productive. It’s important to invest in the right products to save time and money and reduce the risk of damage and waste.

2. Ensure employees receive proper training on the maintenance equipment. Training on how to properly conduct maintenance and clean HVAC equipment should be included in any new employee’s onboarding process. Understanding how to use maintenance equipment correctly will save a company time since the job can be done correctly the first time. Just as importantly, it can reduce the risk of injuries due to operator error, thereby saving the company money as well. When purchasing new equipment, many vendors will provide on-site training as part of the purchase if it is requested.

3. Have a maintenance plan for each HVAC system. Spending a little on regular HVAC maintenance will save you a lot on repairs and life of the equipment in the long run. First, make sure your facility has a plan that includes and builds in time for HVAC maintenance at least annually, if not twice a year, between heavy-use seasons. Having a maintenance plan in place helps prevent unexpected and costly breakdowns and repairs. It also results in better energy efficiency.

4. Maintain an operating log. An under-utilized tool in the maintenance toolkit is an operating log. These logs help track information related to the system’s operation. Most commonly used for chillers, operating logs should help you monitor temperature, pressure and fluid level. Facility managers can see when maintenance or repairs may be needed when readings are outside the norm. Operating logs are also a helpful way to track trends, measure improvements and compare data year-over-year.

 Once you’ve implemented these steps, make sure to have a plan to measure efficiency gains. It will show that not only does routine maintenance benefit the equipment, but it provides cost savings. That is something that you can share with upper management to reinforce the importance and value of ongoing maintenance.

 For more information on Goodway’s industrial maintenance and cleaning solutions, please visit www.goodway.com.