Preventive Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide [2021]

Preventive maintenance is a crucial component of any property’s life. It helps you avoid expensive repairs by identifying and fixing minor issues before they become big problems. In this article, we’ll discuss how to do preventive maintenance on your property.  Preventative maintenance can be thought of as an investment or insurance against future repair work.

Types Of Preventive Maintenance

1. i) Prescriptive Maintenance

A pre-scheduled maintenance plan that includes tasks to be performed at specified intervals.

Depending on the property type, a rigid schedule may vary between quarterly or monthly inspections and treatments, semi-annually for heating systems, yearly window replacements, etc.

1. ii) Time-Based Maintenance

The routine inspection of a property to identify wear and tear.

Time-based maintenance is an ongoing process that should be done regularly, typically every few months or years, depending on the type of property you own.  Tasks may include inspecting exterior paint for chipping away (inside and out), functionality in all lighting fixtures, condition of sealant/caulking, and functionality of all mechanical systems.

iii) Usage-Based Maintenance

Usage-based maintenance is very individualized and will depend on how you intend for your property or space to be used, as well as any anticipated wear and tear it may experience.  Some examples are inspecting carpets for excessive wear, annual furnace maintenance, preventing ice damming on roofs.

1. iv) Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance tries to predict when an issue may occur and take preemptive action before the breakdown, such as new air filters being installed in your HVAC system quarterly to avoid any future problems with dirty vents.  It can also include more complex tasks like replacing all bearings in a furnace at the same time to preemptively avoid problems with lack of lubrication.

 When Is Preventive Maintenance Recommended?

Preventive maintenance should be done at least once a year or as needed. If you’ve experienced any malfunctions in the past two years, such as appliances breaking down from lack of lubrication, it may be time for preventive maintenance to prevent future problems.  In other cases like roofs that experience ice damming and homes with leaky windows, you should schedule a preventative maintenance appointment to fix the issue before it becomes more costly.

Importance of Preventive Maintenance

1. i) Increase Asset Reliability

Preventative maintenance is a crucial component for keeping your property in good condition. A lack of regular inspections and treatments can lead to expensive repairs down the line, so it’s important to invest now rather than waiting until something breaks.

1. ii) Reduce Maintenance Costs

A lack of preventive maintenance can lead to many issues that are not only costly but also time-consuming.  Regular inspections and treatments help you avoid these problems before they happen, saving both money and your precious free time.

iii) Increase Effectiveness

Regular inspections and treatments can also keep your property operating at top effectiveness, meaning it’ll perform better than ever before.

Steps for Creating A Preventive Maintenance Plan

1. i) Setting goals

Take a moment to think about your ultimate goals for the property. What do you hope it achieves, and how can preventative maintenance help? 

Setting clear-cut goals will make creating a plan much easier, allowing you to more easily see what kinds of inspections are needed in order to achieve desired results. If most of your time is spent on a property used for community purposes, you may want to focus on the safety and security of your space. 

1. ii) Make an asset inventory

List all of the assets you want to be sure are in good condition. 

The inventory will help give an idea about how often the property needs inspections and treatments and what types of preventative maintenance it may need to stay up-to-date with current industry standards. This can also include items like a roof that needs to be inspected for ice damming or a boiler that needs to get its annual maintenance.

iii) Establish priorities

After you have made an inventory, it’s time to establish priorities for the property. Some assets may need more inspection than others, and some may be in better condition than others. 

It’s important not to overlook any asset when making your plan, as every piece of your property is integral to its success and overall function.

1. iv) Review and improve the plan

Take the time to review your plan and make any necessary changes. You may find you need more or fewer inspections for a certain asset, which will help it remain in top shape while also saving you money.

As a property owner, you want to do your best to maintain the health of your asset.   By implementing preventive maintenance into a long-term plan, you will help keep all aspects of the property in good shape while saving money and time.