How to Create a HVAC Maintenance Plan

An effective HVAC maintenance plan will strike a balance between the following four phases:

Corrective: Corrective maintenance is what it sounds like: fixing problems when they arise. Of course, replacing your only air conditioner after you’ve let it run until it dies is a poor, costly plan. However, corrective maintenance has its place: if replacement costs and time are truly negligible, and if you’ve established redundancy and inventory, a ‘run-to-failure’ plan can work for less crucial units, such as ceiling fans.

Preventative: Preventative maintenance establishes service schedules for equipment based on fixed dates, hours of operation, or certain conditions (such as an airflow restriction that’s been detected). This type of HVAC maintenance plan could feature inspection and service for air conditioners every 1,000 operating hours and yearly cleaning of ductwork, for example.

Set up correctly, this can be a foolproof commercial HVAC maintenance regime, since it should detect all issues in time. It does mean frequent maintenance costs, though, which may make the remaining phases even more appealing.

Risk-based: Risk-based maintenance carefully weighs equipment maintenance costs against the likelihood of breakdown and replacement costs. A trained technician analyses system performance data (which you’ll need to collect a lot of) and models when breakdowns or degraded performance are expected. This approach means you carry out the maintenance your industrial HVAC equipment needs, and only when it needs it. Risk-based maintenance is challenging to set up and inherently risky (with the payoff being optimised maintenance costs).

Predictive: Predictive maintenance is similar to risk-based maintenance but makes even greater use of condition-based monitoring (CBM) and uses machine learning. Through advanced algorithms you can detect HVAC system problems at an early stage when they’re far less costly to fix. This requires high upfront costs for instrumentation, as well as the ongoing costs of software and its users, but the expense can be worth it if you avoid the cost associated with equipment breakdown.

With a careful combination of these four phases, you can establish a HVAC maintenance plan best suited to your business’s needs.

This HVAC safety checklist broadly covers commercial HVAC maintenance, but always tailor your HVAC maintenance plan to your property’s needs.

Replace

• Replace all HVAC filters.
• Replace or refill air conditioner refrigerant. (‘Recharge’ the system.)
• Replace disposable batteries on units that have battery backups.

Lubricate

• Apply lubricant to any moving parts that require it, such as fan drive mechanisms.

Inspect

• Visually inspect all equipment.
• Check fan belt tension.
• Check for fluid leaks, especially in refrigerant lines.
• Inspect carbon monoxide detectors.
• Listen for unusual noise.
• Verify vents open and close when required.
• Verify enclosures are secure (from rodents, etc.).

Clean

• Clean ducts.
• Clean air entry and exit points.
• Clean coils on evaporators and condensers.
• Clean burners.
• Clean and inspect flame sensors.
• Clean out drainage lines and traps.
• Clean fan blades.
• Clean filters (rather than replace them) if this is practical.

Test

• Test airflow rates in ducts.
• Test thermostat responsiveness.
• Calibrate instruments that require it.

Along with detailed HVAC safety checklists, there are broader practices to keep in mind as you plan your HVAC system maintenance and implement it each year.

Establish and keep a safety stock of consumable parts: not just HVAC filters, but also fan belts and even a small stock of instruments if your system relies heavily on condition-based monitoring.

Keep airflow unobstructed, wherever it comes in or goes out. Free-flowing air means an efficient HVAC system. Monitor all intake and exhaust vents, both indoors and out, and ensure nothing gets placed in their way. You also want to minimise contaminant entry, so space air conditioners and other industrial HVAC units at least 2 feet from plant and other debris sources to protect the coils.

Unexpected breakdowns may still happen, so knowing trusted technicians you can call on for HVAC repair will be vital. Ideally, they’ll be ongoing contacts for your HVAC maintenance plan. In turn, make sure your employees know how to report HVAC system issues. Human comfort is the whole goal, and we’re all our own instruments for gauging it.

Understand what your warranties do and do not cover. They provide a measure of peace of mind but may not go further than parts replacement. Be aware of what proactive HVAC maintenance you need to provide.

When it’s time to replace your HVAC units, keep maintenance front-of-mind. Learn about all the costs of ownership, including operation and maintenance, before making these extremely important purchases for your business.

And although commercial HVAC can achieve amazing things, consider supplementing it with Mother Nature: keeping the right plants in the workplace can naturally improve air quality along with brightening your spaces up! For technological solutions, though, browse our HVAC management systems.