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Frequency > Frequency Nov 2003
 Clean
Up Your Act, Then Go And Give Thanks
The best way to enjoy the festive
season is to check troubled areas before heading out
of town.
I hope
you're planning some rest and relaxation over the holidays.
But before you start working on adding a pant size from
excess turkey and apple pie consumption, you might want
to consider whether you've done all you can to defuse
those little time bombs that could be ticking away in
your festively decorated facilities. The following list
is offered to help you make sure your "second homes"
are in good shape.
1. Air Filters. Have
you looked at them lately? Do they look like brown shag
carpeting from a 1970s movie theater? Do you get "double
efficiency" by spinning them around and putting the
clean side toward the air source? (Seriously, don't
try this in your buildings. ASHRAE would ban me from
its meetings if anyone knew I joked about this!)
2. Sinks And Toilets.
When the little drip, drip, drip that's been happening
behind the fixture inside your wall reveals itself on
the ceiling tiles of the floor below, or when the bathroom
walls start shedding wallpaper to display black mold
underneath, well, then it's already too late. Look for
the warning signs like damp grout ahead of time.
3. Smoke Detectors. Like
your hairy air filters, you'll find that around smoke
detectors, dust defies gravity and becomes a detector
magnet. Troubled detectors usually announce their filthy
condition at the exact moment your CEO is announcing
company performance results.
4. Water Treatment.
This may be the most misunderstood and neglected component
of preventive maintenance in commercial facilities.
It's amazing how a few bucks each month (spent with
a reputable contractor) can keep chillers, boilers,
and cooling towers clean, safe, and efficient. Can you
say Legionella?
5. Roof Flashing. This
material provides extra protection from water seepage
where surfaces on roofs intersect. When you walk your
roof, tug on your flashing components and make sure
they're nice and tight. Loose or missing flashing can
turn your valuable roof into a sieve. You know who loves
moisture and a warm roof membrane? Our good friend Mr.
Mold!
6. Irrigation Breaks.
This is a seemingly minor inconvenience-until either
you get a $230,000 water bill and a "thank you" card
from your municipality, or your COO's Lexus SUV disappears
in a sinkhole under your parking lot. Beware. Contrary
to popular opinion, mysterious geysers in your flowerbeds
and parking lot medians are not "cool freaks of nature."
7. Condensate Drains.
Imagine someone working on a roof, and a condensate
line gets in the way. Rather than gently moving it,
the person flips the annoying PVC "stick" upside down
so the P-trap now works in reverse, sending 20 gallons
of condensate down the supply air duct!
8. Water Heaters. Water
has minerals in it that detest heat. In fact, these
minerals are so bold, they literally attack heating
elements and sacrifice themselves to save their friends.
Eventually, the heating element surrenders and stops
producing hot water; or even better, the water heater
tank corrodes and ruptures, sending gallons of water
petitioning you for independence.
9. Windows And Doors. These
features allow us to see the sun during the day and
actually go home in the evening (most of the time).
But they aren't always functional. With the right air
balance and static pressure in our buildings, doors
and windows can refuse to open or decide to whistle
loudly, protesting efforts to close them. These are
also common areas for moisture intrusion, rotting building
materials, and security breaches.
10. Staff. Have you
cross trained team members to help out when someone
leaves? Are there any functions for which you are totally
dependent on a single person? If the answer is yes,
you might want to reconsider this "deferred maintenance"
strategy. It could cost a little now or a lot later.
After you've reviewed the items
on this checklist, go ahead and enjoy the holidays.
Spend time with family and friends, and give thanks
for our profession as a proud facility manager. As long
as there are facility managers solving problems in office
buildings around the world, the potential for a prosperous
global economy and world peace might be closer than
we think.
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