A Maintenance Program for Unique Equipment?

A Maintenance Program for Unique Equipment?

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

February 12, 2020

The development of a maintenance program for typical building systems – HVAC equipment, pumps, fans, electrical panels, etc., is a relatively straight forward process.  It may not be easy, especially if you are trying to develop and deploy it while maintaining your day to day responsibilities, but the process for doing so and the data needed to develop the maintenance tasks are readily available.  However, what do you do if you have unique, perhaps even customized equipment. Many manufacturers find themselves in this predicament. They use complex machinery that has often been made specifically for their manufacturing needs.  There may be little or no relevant information on the maintenance requirements, procedures and intervals for the equipment that is the backbone of their operation. As a result, this equipment falls into “break-fix” mode – receiving service only when components fail.  Alternatively, some attempts are made to address components that are easily understood and maintained (belts, bearings, bushings, lubricants, etc.), which is better than doing nothing at all, but how do you know that you have addressed the most critical potential failure modes and how do you know that the efforts you are making are truly improving the reliability of the equipment?

There are tools and methods to address this specific challenge.  Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is one such set of tools that focuses on the evaluation of the various components of the equipment and their impact on the overall reliability of the system.  Within RCM there are tools such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) that can help you define the various criteria for safety, reliability and up-time that you are striving for and apply a decision matrix to the machinery in question and its various components.  The result is a set of maintenance procedures that are specifically designed to address your unique equipment and circumstances to maximize reliability and thereby improve productivity and reduce costs.

Perhaps you have heard of RCM and FMEAs.   You may have attended a seminar and have a basic understanding of the principles involved.  Maybe this is all new and foreign to you. In either case, the best way to reap the benefits the fastest is to engage with a consultant that can walk you through the process.  The consultant should be able to facilitate discussions with the various Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to work through this process and develop procedures that are going to be the most effective for your application.  These SMEs could include managers, supervisors, operators and maintenance technicians. Together with the facilitator, each component would be evaluated and a plan established to ensure that maintenance procedures are developed that will lead to the best reliability outcome for that equipment.

If you are ready to improve the reliability of your equipment, maximize up-time, reduce costs, and run more efficiently, then it is time to look into RCM for your facility.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Time for a Maintenance Check-Up

Time for a Maintenance Check-Up

Published on February 7, 2020

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

Maintenance. It isn’t a very sexy or exciting concept, but let’s face it – if you aren’t doing it (and doing it well), you are wasting money. Every building owner, manager, manufacturer, and commercial business has equipment that, if not properly maintained, will deliver poor performance, increase energy usage, have a decreased life expectancy, and poor reliability. You know this, and that is why you have invested in a great CMMS package, have attended maintenance conferences, hired qualified maintenance technicians, and invested in tools and equipment to improve your maintenance performance. You HAVE done these things, haven’t you?

Even if you have done the things mentioned above and perhaps more, you may still be wondering why work order volume continues to increase, or that the reliability of some equipment or processes are not improving. Perhaps it is time for a “maintenance check-up”. Look, no one likes going to the doctor for a check-up, but we do because we know it is the best chance to get a professional look at our overall health and hopefully catch issues before they become real problems. The same can apply to your maintenance efforts. Even well running maintenance departments can benefit from the outside observations of a maintenance professional. Sometimes, being deep in the trenches of the day-to-day operations can rob us of the perspective or views that may lead to real benefits. Even professional athletes have coaches – the best are always trying to get better.

A maintenance check-up allows for an “outsider’s” view to look at the operation with a fresh set of eyes, ask questions about processes, dig into the details of why things are happening the way they are, and to offer professional opinions based on real world experience that may directly impact your application.

It is never a bad time to evaluate your current processes and make adjustments. If you have read this far, you have shown that this is an area of concern. Why not make the call now?

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

The Importance Of Document Management

The Importance Of Document Management

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

March 11, 2018

Knowledge is power and we live in the information age, so the mastery of this information translates to effectiveness in nearly all aspects of our life and work. What would you do if someone tried to take your data from you? Depending on the nature of the data, it could be very concerning. Yet, many businesses are losing data regularly simply due to the ravages of time. Do you recognize the photo above? We haven’t produced true “blue prints” in decades, but that doesn’t mean they don’t contain useful information about your buildings, assets and infrastructure. However, they are rapidly deteriorating, and at some point they may no longer be legible.

But drawings don’t need to be old to be of concern. Many organizations lack an effective filing system to effectively manage their drawings, construction documents, specifications and other important facilities data. You probably have stacks or rolls of these drawings or documents that are squirreled away in a corner or jammed into drawer. Maybe you know exactly where each drawing is and that they are in good condition and well maintained. You would be in a very small minority, if that is the case. For the vast majority of organizations, document management is a challenge that never seems to float to the top of the priority list until a project arises where this information is really needed.

You probably also have a combination of drawings and documents in electronic format as well as paper format. Chances are also good that they are stored in different locations and there is no easy way to search for both electronic and paper documents easily, at the same time. This makes any building or construction project or renovation a particularly difficult challenge. Depending on the extent of the project, the information you need may not be found in the more recent electronic documents. Ideally, they would be stored together in a searchable, electronic format that allows you to make new copies at any time without risking damage to the originals.

Don’t wait until you really need those answers. Take the time to organize and digitize your drawings and documents. Better yet, utilize a database to capture these digitized drawings and make them easier to search and find. If you do not have the tools or time to do this yourself, consider hiring a company that specializes in this. The benefit to you and your organization will pay dividends for years to come.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Observations From the Field

Observations From the Field Robert S. Michaud, P.E. February 7, 2018 There are a lot of opportunities out there.  As business owners and managers it is our business to look for ways to improve the bottom line.  We are typically pretty good at what we do, which is why we are in our chosen field.  So why do we try to tackle things that we are not good at?  Perhaps your company manufactures widgets.  Maybe you are a service business.  In either case, your core focus is providing the best product or service that you can for your customers.  Yet, to accomplish your goals, you likely have support structures around you to help you reach your goals.  Some literal – like the building(s) in which you work, some more metaphorical, like the accountants and lawyers that help you keep your business going in the right direction.  If your business is of any real size, you wouldn’t think of trying to perform all of your accounting, and tax preparation yourself.  Nor would you engage in significant contractual agreements without the assistance of a good lawyer.  So when it comes to managing your physical assets – your buildings and associated equipment, why are you leaving that to chance? In my travels, I have seen countless facilities that are not properly maintained, operate on a ‘break-fix’ plan (I’ll fix it when it breaks), and have no capital improvement strategy.  These organizations fail to see that the revenue they are generating is being wasted, often faster than they realize.  To draw an analogy, they are doing great things and filling their buckets with water (revenue), but their buckets are leaking (inefficient operations).  Fewer and fewer organizations staff their own in-house maintenance departments.  They have come to the realization that they are not it the maintenance business and have elected to contract the work out to experts in those fields.  This is not a bad strategy, but it can still fail if the contractors are not well managed, are not working with a clear scope of work, or are not the best choice for your building needs. An effective maintenance program begins with a thorough analysis of your assets and equipment.  What condition are they in?  Will some need to be replaced soon?  How much should be budgeted for those capital needs?  These questions should be addressed first to establish the larger capital needs.  Next, drilling down into the more day to day operations, the maintenance program should be thoroughly reviewed (if it exists) or established from scratch.  This usually involves cataloging or asset tagging the equipment.  If a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is in use, determine if it is still adequate for the current needs.  Whether an existing CMMS or new one is being utilized, the first step is to get the equipment data entered.  The next step is critical:  the CMMS needs to be populated with the preventive / predictive maintenance tasks that will work for your buildings and your equipment.  If this step is not done correctly, the CMMS will not be properly utilized and the maintenance effort will not be effective.  It is highly recommended that you work with a professional that is not only experienced in setting up and populating these systems, but that takes the time to understand your specific needs.  Executing the maintenance plan is usually thought of in terms of generating PM work orders, doing the work, and closing them out.  This is only part of the equation, however.  Obviously, whether you have internal maintenance staff doing the work or you hire it out, you want to make sure the work gets done correctly.  Nearly as important is the feedback that comes from the technician that does the work.  This information can prove invaluable down the road when decisions need to be made about potential operational problems or the need for equipment replacement.  Don’t skimp on capturing their feedback information from their closed work orders.  The final piece is to use this gathered information effectively, and this is where even some of the most tech savvy business fall down.  After all the effort of tagging their equipment, creating effective PM plans, hiring skilled tradesmen to perform the work and capturing their comments when closing out the work orders, managers still fail to take advantage or the wealth of information at their fingertips.  Work with your consultant and software provider to create meaningful reports that will allow you to effectively manage your assets.  There is a lot of expertise that goes into developing and deploying an effective maintenance program, which is linked to an effective capital forecasting plan … but that is the topic for another day. If you are feeling that you are not getting the best bang for your buck or that you don’t really have a grasp of what your contractors or technicians are trying to tell you, reach out and hire an experienced building services engineer.  Just like a good lawyer or accountant, they are a priceless investment in the future of your business.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

How do you use your cell phone?

How Do You Use Your Cell Phone?

Robert S. Michaud

2/10/20

Today's cell phones are powerful computers that most of us carry around in our pockets.  We have all heard stories about how much more powerful modern cell phones are than the space capsules and lunar modules that got us to the moon and back, but how much of that power are *YOU* actually taking advantage of?  What sorts of applications or utilities do you make use of in the course of your regular work that is outside the typical phone calls, e-mails and text messages?

In performing building inspections and assessments, there are a number of apps that have proven useful to me, and perhaps you can benefit as well.  Below are some that I have found to be particularly useful and in particular, have allowed me to use my phone for a task that I would have had to carry a separate tool for in the past.  I am interested to hear of others that you use and why.  Note that the apps listed below are for the Android operating system and there may or may not be similar ones for iOS.  Also, I make no warranties or guarantees as to the accuracy or functionality of these apps and I am not affiliated with them in any way nor do I receive any benefit from their use or purchase.  I offer this information simply as my own personal experience (your mileage may vary, so to speak).

On to my list:

Army Knife for Android  - This is a small group of apps bundled together that includes a unit converter, timer, stopwatch, compass, bubble level, magnifying glass, mirror and more.  I particularly like the bubble level and magnifying glass.   While the bubble level will never replace a good 4' level, it is accurate enough to quickly check the slope of ramps (for ADA compliance, etc.) and the magnifying glass can be helpful when reading small print.






GPS Essentials - This is another group of apps bundled together, with maps, GPS satellite monitors, waypoint tracking and more.  I particularly like the compass feature which displays both a traditional compass face, but also customizable fields for latitude, longitude, elevation, and even accuracy.







Lux Light Meter Free - This is a pretty basic but very function light meter that can help you measure the illumination using the camera's sensors.  It has the ability to display the output in foot-candles or lux, and you store, recall and calibrate it.  I compared the accuracy of this to the old standby GE model 217 light meter that I have used for years and found it to be very accurate - so there is one less device I need to carry around with me.

Free42 - Many of my fellow classmates in college were using HP calculators with its venerable "Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)".  I didn't really understand the attraction back then and didn't take time to learn it.  Later, however, I did and I realized what they had been so fond of.  Once you get comfortable with RPN, you really don't want to go back.  There are lots of HP emulator calculators and RPN calculators to choose from but this one has served me well for years and it saves me from having to carry a separate calculator in the field.

GEO Tracker - For those of us who sometime have to perform site work and would like the ability to look back after walking that site to see exactly what we had covered, this is a very handy application.  Start it when you begin your work.  Stop it when you are finished. When you are done it plots your path on a map with lots of helpful statistics.  This is a useful app for lots of other activities too, such as biking or hiking but I have found it a useful work tool and so it makes this list.

Google Photos - This is a no-brainer.  We take photos with our phones all the time.  Although for much of the work I do, I use a dedicated point-and-shoot Canon HS100.  The Canon has been extremely reliable and it is easier to hang that from a lanyard around my neck and to take photos with it than pulling my phone from my pocket, launching the app, and taking the photo with my phone, I use both and then use Google Photos to back them up and organize them.  This is one app that doesn't necessarily prevent me from bringing a dedicated camera into the field, but it is great to know that it is there in case the primary camera fails, and the app itself is very useful beyond just the picture taking.

These are some of my favorite go-to apps to help me to my work.  Comment below on yours!

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

The Hairy Roof

The Hairy Roof Robert S. Michaud, P.E. Feb. 12, 2018 No, this is not a new LEED certified “green roof”.  Most of you will have spotted the obvious – that the plant material growing on this roof is not supposed to be there.  Most of you will have also surmised that a roof drain is clogged allowing water to pool on the roof, providing an ample water source for the grass plant material to grow.  Thinking about it further, you probably realized that the ‘soil’ in which the plants are growing is coming primarily from the tree growing behind it and depositing its needles on the roof, which then decay and combine with blowing dust, dirt and water to create a suitable environment for plant growth. This is all pretty obvious, but what does it really mean?  The immediate concern, of course, is that there is a clogged roof drain, which has allowed water to pool and promote plant growth and that this has probably led to some roof damage and leaks, and if it hasn’t yet, it will soon.  But more important than that, it is a symptom of a much bigger problem:  Why was it allowed to get this way?  Is there a maintenance program in place that calls for regular inspections and preventive maintenance of rooftop equipment that is not being followed properly?  Did the roof or rooftop equipment get omitted from the inspection route for some reason?  Does a maintenance plan exist at all?  There is insufficient evidence from this one photo to determine that, but this should trigger further investigation at the very least. And until then, best get someone up to that roof to clean it up, clear the drain and consider pruning the tree back a bit. Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture” © Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

The Ill-Fated Pump

The Ill-Fated Pump

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

Feb. 19, 2018

Where to start...  There are a few issues that come to mind when looking at this photo.  The first is the wet spot on the floor beside it.  It may be a pump leak, or it could be a leak from the piping or roof above it.  Hard to tell from just this photo, but certainly worth a closer look.  If it is a process leak, what exactly is leaking?  It could be something as easy to fix as a leaking gasket, or it could be a crack or pitted pipe, or a mechanical seal that is about to fail.  If it was a larger pump with a stuffing box with packing, it could be that the packing was leaking too much (it needs to drip a little to properly lubricate the packing, but too much is a waste).  The bottom line is, leaks don’t typically get better by themselves.  This warrants a closer look and a scheduled repair.

Another issue:  The electrical connection.  It appears that the connection to the motor is failing as well.  The exposed conductors, if allowed to rub against the connected could eventually short out.  This appears to be a relatively easy fix, but one with significant consequences if not addressed.

Looking at the orientation of the pump and motor to the concrete pad upon which it appears to rest seems to indicate another problem.  Typically, equipment is pretty squarely aligned with its base, but that isn’t the case here.  Looking closer at the motor mounts, it doesn’t appear that there are even any bolts holding the motor down!  It appears that the motor is being completely supported by the pump that it is driving.  Needless to say, this is not ideal. 

The over-arching theme here is that it appears that this pump does not seem to be getting the maintenance attention that it needs.  This is a classic “run to failure” scenario, and at some point, it will fail. What happens next?  It depends.  Based on the pipe insulation, it appears that this is a chilled water pump, so at the very least, the air conditioning for this building would be effected.  Perhaps worse.  Don’t let your mechanical systems get to this point.  An effective maintenance management program will keep this equipment running reliably longer and will decrease the chance of an unwelcome surprise failure.

There are likely even more issues here.  Can you spot them?  Post them in the comments on LinkedIn or Facebook.  

Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture”

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

The Forgotten Water Heater

The Forgotten Water Heater

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

Feb. 26, 2018

The electric domestic water heater:  one of the most ubiquitous building components that you will find, and probably one of the most ignored.  Let’s face it – they either work or they don’t, right?  This is often the case.  Domestic water heaters, whether they are gas fired, electric, or heated by other means, seldom get the attention they deserve.  Unfortunately, one of the common failure modes for water heaters is a leaking tank.  Depending on where the water heater is located, this could result in anything from a minor mess, to a major problem effecting multiple other building systems.  Why wait for an imminent failure to do something?

The photo shows an aged electric water heater and tank with some evidence that it may have already started leaking in some places.  Certainly the pressure relief valve looks newer, so that was probably replaced in the not to distant past, and it appears that the rust round the top rim might be a result of water weeping around the top fitting.  A closer examination would be useful.

A trained eye can also tell that this is not a new water heater.  In fact, though not pictured above, the nameplate indicates that it was manufactured in 1986!  It is remarkable that it is still in operation.  The BOMA guideline for electric water heaters is only 10 years, so this one has certainly lived its expected lifespan. 

What do you do with this information?  Maybe there isn’t money in the current budget to replace it right now, but it should definitely be part of the next budget discussion.  This is one of those classic decision making challenges:  weighing the risk of failure (especially when there is evidence of the start of a problem) vs. “if it ain’t broke...”. 

There are several strategies that can be employed to help with this decision process and it is important that your organization choose one that best fits your company values, and then use it – consistently.  While this particular example is about a relatively simple domestic water heater, the process of deciding what to do and when to do it with respect to maintenance and capital replacement activities is of real importance to the effectiveness of your facilities operations.  Maybe for something like a water heater, your organization decides that it is a suitable strategy to let it run to failure, but it is critical to have a strategy and apply it consistently across all of your building systems.

If you are unsure how to do this, where to start, or how to perform the risk analysis in your facilities, team up with a professional that can help you get this done.  It is an investment that will pay itself back many times over lower operations and maintenance costs.

There are likely even more issues here.  Can you spot them?  Post them in the comments on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.  

Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture”

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

We Have An Electric Panel Where?

We Have An Electric Panel Where? Robert S. Michaud, P.E. March 5, 2018 Electrical panels – most buildings have them, and all too often they are completely forgotten until there is a problem or a need to access them for a renovation or expansion.  Many times they are found in out of the way places and sometimes they are hiding in plain sight like in a corridor – and they still get ignored.  This is too bad, because electric panels need attention too.  Don’t ignore them! Looking at the picture above, it is clear that this panel wasn’t installed yesterday.  BOMA rates the life of electric panels and breakers at 30 years, and this panel is very certainly older than that.  Think about this:  the function of a circuit breaker is to trip in case of a problem and thereby protect the safety of the occupants of the building and the integrity of the building in general from things like fires from overheated electrical circuits.  Do you really want to trust your safety and assets with breakers older than 30 years, especially ones that don’t get inspected or tested on a regular basis?  Another look at the panel above shows that it appears to be operating in a relatively dirty environment, which further increases the need for regular attention.  The labels on the side don’t appear legible and per NEC 408.4 A: 408.4 Field Identification Required.(A) Circuit Directory or Circuit Identification. Everycircuit and circuit modification shall be legibly identified asto its clear, evident, and specific purpose or use. The identificationshall include an approved degree of detail thatallows each circuit to be distinguished from all others.Spare positions that contain unused overcurrent devices orswitches shall be described accordingly. The identificationshall be included in a circuit directory that is located on theface or inside of the panel door in the case of a panelboardand at each switch or circuit breaker in a switchboard orswitchgear. No circuit shall be described in a manner thatdepends on transient conditions of occupancy. The labels on this panel don’t comply.  Does labeling seem like an insignificant thing?  It depends on whether or not you need to shut off a circuit in an emergency.  Seriously, though, building codes such as this exist for this very reason and they ultimately have safety in mind.  What can and should be done with electric panels in our facilities?  First and foremost, they need to be part of our overall maintenance program.  That means, at a minimum, they need to be located, identified, and added to a periodic maintenance list.  Every facility is different, so you need to decide what frequency to inspect and test them makes the most sense for your organization, but the right answer is not “never”.  What sorts of inspections should be considered for electric panels?  Again, that depends on the building, the usage, the environment and other factors.  At the very least, they should be visually inspected periodically its overall condition and to determine if there has been any changes over time.  Other inspections and maintenance procedures should include infrared thermography to identify hot spots, which may indicate anything from overcurrent in a particular circuit to loose connections in the panel.  Connections inside the panel should be tightened periodically by a qualified electrician.  Lastly, check with your electrician or electrical engineer for further preventive maintenance tasks that may apply to your situation. There are likely even more issues here.  Can you spot them?  Post them in the comments on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.   Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture” © Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

Mystery RTU

Mystery RTU

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

March 11, 2018

If you have buildings that are older with equipment that original to the building or aged, you have challenges that are different from building owners and managers of newer buildings.  This can be even more problematic if you ‘inherited’ this building and don’t have the original construction documents, drawings, equipment data, etc.  Like any good building manager, you take the time to try to inventory the equipment and catalog it. 

Then you run into the problem above:  An aged RTU with a nameplate that you can’t read, rusted components like the gas line, some questionable maintenance techniques used in the past (like the zip-tied conduit) and no idea what sort of service it has received over the years.  What do you do with this?  Most would prefer to simply change it out for a new rooftop unit, but sometimes that isn’t an option and you need to make the best of what you have. 

Start by gathering all the information you can on the unit.  If you can find out who has been servicing the unit over the years and can gather information there, that would be a great start.  If not, the next best thing would be a thorough service of the unit.  By disassembling it to access the internal components, more can be learned about its overall condition.  Corrections can be made as well, such as re-securing the conduit properly.  If you need to get more years of service from this equipment, consider overhauling key components such as the compressor if it is in rough shape.  Lastly, replacing or repainting the rusted components such as the gas line would be a good idea as well.

This only addresses this one rooftop unit.  There is a good chance that there is more aged equipment in this building that also needs attention.  This means that this same exercise will need to be performed on all of them.  If this is the case, the better approach may be to make an initial evaluation of all of the equipment for the purpose of prioritizing them.  Some may need to get changed out sooner than others.  Some equipment may have years of life left in it.  There are times when this sort of analysis and review is best performed by an outside party that can provide an objective analysis with financial projections that can be reviewed by management.  If so, look for an engineering service provider that has experience in this field and can help produce an independent study that provides the level of detail and analysis that can help you justify the repairs or replacement needed.

There are likely even more issues here.  Can you spot them?  Post them in the comments on

There are likely even more issues here.  Can you spot them?  Post them in the comments on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.  

Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture”

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018

Total Cost of Ownership

Total Cost of Ownership

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

June 19, 2019

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. We have all heard that saying before, and there is a lot of truth to it. Sometimes messing around with equipment or systems that are working satisfactorily can have adverse effects and cause them to run worse, rather than better. On the other hand, sometimes we overlook problems or costs that could be improved with the right attention. How do we know the difference?

Pictured above is a roof fan. It isn’t new, obviously, but it may not be that old either. Sure, it has a dent in the housing, but that probably doesn’t impact it’s performance significantly. In fact, visually, this fan doesn’t really indicate any current or impending problems. We can make some educated guesses as to it’s performance and reliability: the aged roof surrounding it may help us determine an approximate age for the fan, the rusted screw heads may indicated that it doesn’t get serviced regularly, and if we were standing next to it we could listen to it and observe its operation to see if it is vibrating excessively or sounds like a belt may be worn.

However, it could, in fact, be well maintained despite the visual cues from the photo. It could be that the motor and belts were recently replaced and the fan itself was properly balanced and it is running smoothly. It could have years of more reliable operation ahead. We simply cannot tell just from this photo.

So how do we determine the current condition of this equipment (or any equipment, for that matter), and more importantly, how do we determine when the right time to replace it will be? For that, we need to dig into the equipment history.

What “equipment history” you ask? Where do we find this information? Hopefully the owner of this fan has a maintenance department that uses some sort of maintenance system – preferably a computerized maintenance management system, but even manual ones (as rare as they are now) can be effective if properly updated. You don’t necessarily need a huge maintenance budget to properly track your preventive, predictive, and reactive service calls, but you DO need to be diligent and consistent about it. The information gathered there is a gold mine and should be treated as such.

Too often companies focus all of their efforts on making sure PM’s get done, or that service calls are managed in a timely fashion – and they are certainly important, but don’t forget to log the results of those activities. Properly logged data about the age of the equipment, the number of times a particular piece of equipment has been serviced, what was serviced, and how much it cost can be very important in deciding whether it is time to replace the motor in that fan or to get a new fan altogether.  If you did the research on this particular fan and found that the motor had been replaced several times already, maybe there are other problems with the fan that make it a poor choice to keep investing money into it. Perhaps the motor mounts are cracked from years of vibration and it will continue to chew up motors. Perhaps the fan is not constructed with the right materials for the service it is doing. Alternatively, maybe this fan has been super reliable so far and has only needed routing lubrication and belt replacements. The equipment history is vital in determining what to do next.

If you are a maintenance or facilities manager, can you pick out a piece of equipment at random from your building’s equipment list and tell from its equipment history whether it is coming up for replacement or is still serviceable? If not, why not? If your maintenance and equipment history records aren’t what they should be it would be a great idea to get them in order or hire a company to help you do so. The investment will pay itself back several fold in both reduced operations and maintenance costs as well as improved reliability and up-time.

Do you have ideas on other topics for this feature? Post them in the comments on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.   .

Check back next week for another “What’s Wrong With This Picture”

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2018