As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact businesses and clients everywhere, property owners are juggling financial figures and commitments to their own customers and employees, but one decision that should not be tough is whether to continue to maintain a building’s critical infrastructure systems. They may not be fully aware of why now is not the time to pause their maintenance programs.
With the extreme measures in place across the country, service contractors need to make building owners aware that the maintenance and repair of their critical systems, including HVAC units, refrigeration equipment and plumbing systems, are more important now than ever.
Through the pandemic many businesses are deemed essential under the new COVID-19 policies and will remain open. This means the equipment requires maintenance as usual, and possibly increasing the filters’ efficiency and frequency of change-out.
Holding off on repairs and maintenance does not make any sense when safety should be everyone’s main concern at a time like this.
Many property managers and owners look to their mechanical service and maintenance provider to offer them advice about the equipment they have, and the service that equipment needs. It only makes sense for a mechanical firm to aid navigate their building needs during this unprecedented time.
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We advise all of our clients with a logical approach that reflects the need for the safety of the occupants in the building and the products inside. If a good HVAC/R maintenance program is not already in place, this would be a good time to get one that has scheduled filter changes and priority service, when needed.
Where maintenance programs do exist and are being followed, it may still be beneficial to review with your HVAC/R contractor, as changes to a building’s level of occupancy may impact the schedule of its maintenance needs, and simply abandoning a maintenance program may increase the need for additional repairs or replacements down the road.
A look at if the building is open for business as usual, has reduced hours, or is it closed altogether. Once we know this, we can make the needed changes that better suit the site. This is really no different from any time a building’s operation changes.
Read More: 5 Important HVAC Checks For Your Maintenance Team
Supply chains and distributors are in regular communication with the manufacturers, keeping regular checks on inventory, lead times and technical support capabilities while we navigate through one of the most challenging times our industry has ever seen. While maintaining social distancing, picking up parts from a wholesaler takes a little longer. The mechanical industry, like many others, has a way of uniting together to make sure their clients are well taken care of in these stressful times.
Gregg Little, Paul De Thomasis, and Hugo Lopes are co-owners of Springbank Mechanical Systems. They can be reached at 905-569-8990, or via email at gregg@springbank.com or paul@springbank.com or Hugo@springbank.com.