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mintek.com
2012 New Year’s Maintenance Resolutions
Beating Maintenance Budget Cuts “Cleaning is inspection! With over 17 years of
in 2012 TPM/TPR implementation experience, it still
amazes me how effective cleaning is at expo-
A
New Year is almost here and with it comes sing defects. I have learned that if I see dirt, I
the opportunity to get a great start by making will find defects when we clean.”
some New Year’s maintenance resolutions.
2011 has been a rough year for many industries Source: Greg Folts, President, Marshall Institute
and many saw their maintenance budgets cut re-
sulting in fewer proactive maintenance tasks being Maintenance and Cleaning for 2012
performed.
10 Maintenance Cleaning and Inspections
Resolutions for 2012
1. Make sure all electrical connections are
tight: Poor connections can cause electrical
failures, severe safety hazards and shorten
the useful lifecycle of assets. Infrared ther-
mography is a good tool to use for making
sure electrical connections are good.
2. Check and inspect the condensate drains:
Clogged drains cause water leakage dama-
http://www.mintek.com/blog/eam-cmms/2012-years-maintenance-resolutions/
ging surrounding areas plus causes unne-
cessary corrosion to surrounding metals.
3. Clean evaporator and condenser air condi-
tioning coils: Without preventive mainte-
There are a couple of ways maintenance manage- nance dirty coils cause the system to run
ment can handle reduced budgets and still get the longer in order to produce the same hea-
most from their assets in 2012. One way of course ting/cooling results, decreasing the useful
is to make sure you are getting the most out of your lifecycle and increasing energy costs. Do not
EAM CMMS system. clean them with water to avoid speeding up
corrosion problems.
The other way (with or without an EAM CMMS) is to 4. Clean and adjust blower components: Often
literally clean house as part of wintertime mainte- overlooked, if the fans are not working
nance. As part of the cleaning process, maintenance properly, airflow efficiency can decrease
staff should be trained to perform inspections in 15% or more significantly increasing energy
order to identify problems that could become major costs.
repair/replacement issues or energy money pits. 5. Inspect, clean, or change air filters (once
a month is highly preferable): The most
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2012 New Year’s Maintenance Resolutions
basic of all preventive maintenance tasks from sealing as well as other problems as
on HVAC equipment. Clogged filters reduce the result of humidity and condensation.
airflow causing HVAC equipment to work Inspecting steam traps informs mainte-
harder to achieve the same heating and coo- nance management when the traps will
ling output. Clogged filters are the number need maintenance.
one reason for shortening HVAC unit’s life 3. Clean carpets. Replacing carpets can be very
expectancy and driving up energy costs. expensive. Cleaning them on a regular basis
6. Check the ducts. HVAC units cause vibra- increases the longevity of carpets by pre-
tions and pressure changes. Over time this venting soil and oils from burrowing deep
can cause duct work to become loose at the into the carpet pile as once a carpet has
joints wasting heat or A/C in areas that do become saturated with dirt and oil it loses
not need HVAC. Make sure all duct work is all effectiveness.
sealed. It is also a great idea to check inside 4. The final cleaning and inspecting resolution
the ducts for corrosion or dust buildup. Pe- is to record the results of all inspections and
riodic preventive maintenance of cleaning store them in a CMMS program in order to
duct work should be scheduled. compare the results for next year as well as
identify the changes in energy and repairs
“To ensure that as much warm air as possible is costs as a result of cleaning.
delivered through your central system, check
the ductwork and wrap any leaks with duct Having a clean facility is not a luxury or the result of
mastic. Distribution losses (what’s lost while maintenance crews having too much time on their
air is transported from your furnace through hands. A clean facility signifies a well-run mainte-
ductwork to the vents) often amounts to 30%. nance department and an organization that does
So, sealing ductwork could increase efficiency not let operating expenses get wasted on energy or
and the warm air you receive considerably …” unnecessary repairs.
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Source: United States Environmental Protec- Tell us what you would add to the list of cleaning.
tion Agency If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading:
1. Conduct Annual Boiler Cleanings: Preven- Happy New Year from all of Mintek
tive maintenance of boilers saves energy,
reduces costly repairs from soot buildup EAM CMMS, maintenance management, preventive
inside components and helps avoid emer- maintenance
gency shutdowns.
Did you like 2012 New Year’s Maintenance
“132 of an inch of soot in a building’s boiler can Resolutions?
cause a 9.5 percent loss of energy efficiency.”
Every share you make allows us to write more great
Source: Bill Zielinski stuff for you:
2. Perform An Annual Steam Trap Inspection: • It’s how we prove that it’s worth blogging to
Without preventive maintenance, dirt and our bosses. Researching and writing takes
debris clogs the trap preventing the trap serious time.
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2012 New Year’s Maintenance Resolutions
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