Before summer begins, facility managers will be preparing for the intense Florida heat. High temperatures can put a strain on water resources, landscaping, HVAC efficiency, and many other aspects of your commercial facility. To make sure your operations team is prepared, we put together some summer facility maintenance tips to get you started.
Don’t Skip Your Annual HVAC Inspection and Service
Facilities in Florida should be doing HVAC inspections at least twice a year- preferably before and after the summer seasons. HVAC systems can be strained if they aren’t maintained properly. With the Florida heat adding to that strain, it could cause a lot of problems including major repairs, system replacements, and, more importantly, causing discomfort to your employees and customers.
Here is a typical shortlist for HVAC inspections:
- Check for dirty air filters
- Visually inspect the entire HVAC system for leaks, rusting equipment, and other abnormalities
- Clean the drainage lines
- Clean evaporator and condenser coils
- Inspect ducts for dust, mold, and other debris
- Refill refrigerant as needed
- Make sure the electrical system is working properly
- And more
Have Your Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Checked
If your facility has commercial refrigeration equipment, it’s a good idea to get it checked before the start of summer. Commercial refrigeration units will soon be working harder than ever to combat the rising temperature, and if they aren’t in top condition, they might not work at their peak, or worse – they could suffer a breakdown.
Getting your commercial refrigeration equipment fixed when it has stopped working in the height of summer is a lot harder than getting it inspected, serviced, and repaired before you have a serious problem.
Here is a typical checklist for commercial refrigeration inspections:
- Clean and degrease condenser coils
- Clear drain lines
- Check the condition of door gaskets
- Review electrical system
- Check refrigerant levels and replace as needed
- Clean components of refrigerators, freezers, and ice machines to remove mold and other unwanted contaminants
- and more
Consider Remote Monitoring Systems
Facilities are large, complex structures. It takes a lot of people and time to manage the multitude of variables needed to keep those complex structures running efficiently and effectively. Consider automating some or most of those responsibilities with remote monitoring solutions.
Using simple sensors and an analytics dashboard available to you on any device, remote monitoring can keep tabs on commercial refrigeration temperatures, HVAC levels, facility access points, water pressure, and several other important systems. It’s a fairly simple setup process and can save your facility operations team time, money and allow them to focus on more important tasks.
Inspect the Facility and Fix Visible Problems
Use this time to do a proper walk-through of your whole facility and look for all the small things that are damaged, broken, or missing. Then schedule these repairs in a timely fashion.
These repairs could be anything from door locks that don’t have keys anymore to areas of your building that need a coat of paint. Divide your facility into areas or a grid, list everything that needs to be done, and then either give your in-house team a “to-do list” or hire a commercial facility maintenance team to do it on your behalf.
Check Your Landscaping
You may have cut back on landscaping during the cooler winter months, but it’s time to ensure that your irrigation systems, trees, and plants are in good condition. Once the intense Florida summer heat takes over, you will be working hard to keep your commercial landscaping looking pristine. It’s best to start the season in a great place.
Here is a shortlist for commercial landscaping maintenance:
- Review irrigation system for any needed adjustments or repairs
- Cleanup and trim back shrubs, trees, and other foliage that looks unkempt and blocks any security cameras
- Aerate and fertilize lawns
- Remove weeds and other unwanted plants
- Clean and start water features (if your facility has them)
- Look over your plants to check for any damage. Treat or replace as needed
- And more
Are You Ready for Summer?
Most maintenance, inspection, and repair tasks should be done annually to maintain optimal performance and for preventative maintenance. So, if you don’t already have a system documenting when you have completed any inspections, repairs, maintenance, servicing, or replacing parts or whole systems, it’s time to create one.
Detailed records of your facility’s maintenance operations not only help you to keep track of work that has already been done but can also be a reminder of when you need to look at a particular system again.
However, if you are understaffed or want to work with an experienced facilities management company, choose Central Florida Store Services. We cover everything you need in our commercial facility maintenance package.
Get an Estimate of a Facility Maintenance Package
For nearly 20 years, Central Florida Store Services has been providing facility maintenance, HVAC, refrigeration, and general contracting services for the Florida market. We take care of the legwork, so you do not have to.
