The Importance of Facilities Management Cleaning

This article will explain why Mintek’s Transcendent makes a good Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) choice for facility management.

Cleaning and Inspections for Facilities Management

Each facility is different from the next, however, most industrial facilities have several major assets in common that if properly maintained can lower energy costs, reduce downtime and lower repair/replacement costs.

Keeping assets such as HVAC units, boilers and chillers in optimal working order is easier if these assets are scheduled with CMMS for regular periodic cleaning. Cleaning asset components will uncover potential problems such as corrosion, dirt buildup and water damage etc.

The trick is to perform inspections during or after the cleaning. The short list below is just 5 reasons why cleaning can make a significant impact on asset efficiency and reliability.

6 Assets that Should be Cleaned and Inspected

1. Condensate drains. Clogged drains will result in water leaking into surrounding areas. Water damage ranges from accelerated corrosion to wall/floor discoloration to providing a moist habitat for insects and other pests. Maintenance should be scheduled if damage is occurring and the asset targeted for more frequent inspections.
2. HVAC units – filters. Cleaning or changing air filters is a well known maintenance tasks. Dirty filters reduce airflow causing the HVAC unit to work harder, use more energy and shortening it useful lifecycle.
3. Evaporators, A/C coils and blowers. Dirty coils inhibit heat exchange and just like filters if not maintained they cause unnecessary wear and tear and extra energy usage. Do not clean with water as this will encourage corrosion.
4. Boilers. Boilers like household hot water heaters regularly have sediment build up. The more sediment or soot that is built up the greater the energy loss. Studies have indicated that just a fraction of an inch of sediment drastically affects energy efficiency.

“1⁄32 of an inch of soot in a building’s boiler can cause a 9.5 percent loss of energy efficiency.”

Source: Bill Zielinski

1. Steam Traps. Boilers and other assets produce steam that is circulated or used in a facility. Dirt and debris can cause pressure and moisture issues. Inspections will determine if a steam trap needs to be cleaned of any dirt or debris that is preventing traps from sealing correctly
2. Carpets/Mats. Virtually every facility has carpets or mats that are used to prevent dirt, water and oils from being deposited through the facility. Regular scheduled cleaning of mats and carpets prevents them from being saturated and ineffective. It also prevents dirt and oil from setting into deep carpet pile and thus will extend the their useful lifecycle.

How a CMMS Helps

One of the core functions of any quality CMMS is it’s ability to automate the scheduling process for inspections, preventive maintenance and work orders such as cleaning. More importantly, CMMS programs track all work management history ensuring that:

• Facility management can assign accountability to maintenance staff.
• All assets can be scheduled for preventive maintenance at any location.
• Assets requiring predictive maintenance can be scheduled (vibration analysis, infrared scans, ultrasound analysis and so on) for work.
• Facility management will always know the condition of assets enabling them to have a proactive maintenance operation.

In short a CMMS system provides facility management with the tools they need to control labor costs, reduce downtime and repairs and keep energy costs to a minimum during the winter and summer months. Would you like to learn more about how a CMMS solution can help your facility? Contact us today to schedule a demo.