Taking Care of Your Building
Sunny California leads to a hot California during the summer. When you’re the one responsible for the comfort inside a commercial building, routine maintenance is important. This is true whether you’re doing your own maintenance or having professional preventive maintenance performed on a regular basis by a commercial AC contractor.
What is commercial HVAC preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is a strategy for being proactive in keeping the HVAC system in good working order. PM (preventive maintenance) by a professional commercial AC contractor will include routine inspections with selective service and needed repairs to the HVAC equipment at scheduled intervals.
The objective of having a commercial AC contractor perform this preventive maintenance routine is to extend the life expectancy of the HVAC system and prevent disruptions, and unscheduled downtime and reduce maintenance costs overall by correcting defects and issues at the onset. Some specific types of commercial HVAC preventive maintenance strategies are:
- Routine Maintenance: Cleaning, inspecting, and servicing is important, and should include changing air filters and other small tasks. This can be done by the building maintenance crew or a professional commercial AC contractor.
- Proactive Replacements: During professional maintenance by a commercial AC contractor, this will include replacing broken, non-working, and worn building components.
- Scheduled Refurbishment: This service is typically done by schools and other learning institutes during scheduled closings. A commercial AC contractor will inspect all components that have defective and deteriorated components, then repair or replace them as needed.
Preventive maintenance by a commercial AC contractor on a commercial building is akin to that of oil changes on a vehicle. These measures listed above prevent costly repairs over time while extending the life of the system. This saves money for the company and keeps the HVAC system in a healthy and safe operating mode.
How often should commercial air conditioning units be serviced?
Regular inspections should be performed on commercial, industrial, and other large facilities by the staff maintenance crew on a monthly routine. Professional commercial AC contractors should be inspected and serviced is dependent on the property and any unique considerations. Those considerations can vary based on the occupancy and purpose of the building type, which can include:
- Apartment Buildings and Condominiums
- Educational Facilities
- Healthcare Facilities
- Historic Buildings
- Hospitality Real Estate
- Manufacturing Facilities
- Office Buildings
- Retail Facilities
What does AC servicing include?
Preventative maintenance on a commercial or other unique building setups should be serviced by professional commercial AC contractors that include such tasks as:
Twice a year system checkups (fall and spring) should consist of:
- Cleaning and inspecting the outdoor components
- Check and regard the refrigerant levels
- Inspection and cleaning of blower, belts, evaporator coil, and all indoor cooling system components, replace any as needed
- Inspection and cleaning of burner assemblies, ignition systems, and all indoor heating system components
- Test control systems
- Inspect and change if needed all air filters in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations
- Check thermostat functioning and reset programming as needed for the season
How often should you inspect your AC unit?
And how do you maintain a commercial air conditioner? There are a few things to keep in mind. The staff maintenance crew should perform the following on a monthly schedule:
- Air Filter Change
- Visually Inspect all areas of the system
- Clean Drain Lines and Drain Pans
- Clean AC Evaporator
- Clean Condenser Coils
What happens if AC is not serviced?
Neglecting the recommended monthly staff maintenance and annual or bi-annual professional HVAC maintenance by a professional commercial AC contractor can lead to the system becoming inefficient. This causes the energy bills to increase as the system works harder. An HVAC system that must work harder has frequent failures and will need to be replaced sooner than it should.
How long does a commercial AC last?
If you’re purchasing a new HVAC system for your commercial structure, after the initial sticker shock, you’ll likely want to know, “How long should a commercial air conditioner last?”. In general, the typical lifespan of a properly maintained commercial HVAC system is between ten and fifteen years. With proper monthly maintenance and annual or bi-annual maintenance and inspection by commercial AC contractors, the lifespan can be extended to another 30% or longer.
Keeping Things Cool
A commercial HVAC system isn’t going to be cheap, so, as a commercial structure owner, you’ll want to hold out as long as possible, right? If you’re wondering, “Should I replace my 20-year-old commercial air conditioner?”. A few factors to help you make the decision “now or later” are:
- The Age: A 20-year-old commercial HVAC system probably looks like a rusty chunk of metal. If it does, there’s your sign!
- Wear and Tear: Quality of the equipment and original installation will have a lot to do with this, and so will your diligence in monthly, bi-annual, and annual maintenance. At the 15-year mark, if you’ve had it serviced frequently over the last 5 years by a professional commercial AC contractor, it is time t replace it.
- Malfunctioning: When an HVAC unit has minor malfunctions, like dirty filters, squeaking motor, or blown fuses, that isn’t much concern. If it has consistent refrigerant leaking or the fan quits, get the opinion of a professional commercial AC contractor if replacement is the better option.
- Outdated: If your commercial system requires R-22 refrigerant still, it is outdated, time to replace the system.
Keeping all this in mind can help you make the right decision, and if you still aren’t sure, a commercial AC contractor can help determine when it’s time to go ahead and update your system.