rahul@walawalkar.com PhD, CEM, CDSM 
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Basic Tips for Preventive Maintenance

  • Preventive maintenance is much more cost effective than corrective maintenance. It considerably reduces the building life-cycle costs, energy bills, repairs, and corrective maintenance & equipment replacement.
  • Basic principle of preventive maintenance is to Fix minor problems before they result in major repairs. For this regular inspection of all equipment by trained staff is necessary. Maintain regular operation & maintenance log for major equipment.
  • During a maintenance shutdown wiring, contacts & other components should be thoroughly inspected for voltage imbalance, loose connections or self heating.
  • Adjust schedules to keep all equipment on only when necessary. Adjust temperature & humidity set points for AC within comfort zones seasonally.
  • If major repairs are required, evaluate the economic benefit of replacing the old equipment with more efficient and compact equipment before doing the repairs. Such study should be done well in advance, so that in case of breakdown a decision can be taken quickly.
  • Thermostats for air-conditioning control should be calibrated after regular interval & replace inaccurate gauges & thermometers. Use night setback temperature during unoccupied hours.
  • To implement an effective preventive maintenance program, the operational staff must be given comprehensive training on each type of equipment, regarding system fundamentals, use of reference material & manuals, maintenance procedures, service guidelines & warranty information. 3. Proper maintenance schedules could be supplied to them for different equipment.