Commercial Building Maintenance Checklist

2/1/2022 (Permalink)

Commercial Building Maintenance Checklist

Do you own or manage a commercial property? If so, maintaining a commercial building is indeed more complicated than that of homes, requiring a bigger scale, multi-faceted and ongoing maintenance plan.

Commercial building maintenance, therefore, becomes a matter of systemized and scheduled processes for managing and maintaining the defined standards of sanitation and safety.

Following an updated and commercial building-minded maintenance checklist leads to cost-effective maintenance while creating the processes required to bridge the gap between expectations and avoiding damages and injuries.

Below we have created a starter maintenance checklist for some of the most important areas of commercial buildings where facility managers cannot afford any negligence.

Roofing Maintenance

A strategically designed and timely implemented roof asset management program helps avoid recurring roof issues and sudden failures. The checklist includes the following:

• Maintain a detailed roofing file for your building, which also includes warranty information.
• Check the entire roofing at least semiannually, especially after hurricanes & storms.
• Keep the roof drains free of debris as these damages are not covered by warranties.
• Check sheet metal, copings, and any sections previously repaired.
• Inspect roof-wall connections and flashings at penetrations, curbs, etc. This helps to identify tearing and wrinkles if any.
• Single-ply roofs may need re-caulking at face-mounted termination bars.
• Be aware that metal roofs can corrode - Corrosion is often caused by condensation from copper coils of rooftop HVAC units.
• Don’t cause shocks or put heavy traffic or heavy load on the roof as it damages the membrane.
• Take extra care of your green roof through timely trimming, weeding, and watering.
• Carry out moisture inspection once a year to detect and fix leaks.
• If you have rooftop solar panels, use mount ballasted systems over a pad to shelter the roof membrane.

Plumbing Maintenance

Leaks are the biggest plumbing problems that can impact the entire building, and they can often be invisible. Follow these guidelines for timely checking and fixing:

• Inspect the entire building for leaks at least once a year, especially bathrooms.
• Lubricate the local water booster and pumping system annually.
• Check couplings for leaks.
• Conduct flue-gas analysis for fire-testing heaters and boilers on an occasional basis.
• Lubricate water chillers’ condenser fan motor bearings annually.
• Replace oil in compressor oil reservoirs - including traps, strainers, and filers.
• Replace sump and sewage pumps on a timely basis. Lubricate exposed pumps annually.
• Check public fixtures for leaks on a monthly basis.

HVAC System Maintenance

Maintaining your HVAC system keeps its efficiency intact, and by keeping the system efficient, you can also reduce the building’s annual HVAC cost significantly.

• Hire a pro to inspect and maintain the seasonal PM of boilers and chillers.
• A semi-annual inspection should include latch updates, gasket repairs, and screw replacement needs.

• Recharge P-traps or U-bend water traps for condensate drain pans.

• During an inspection of cooling towers, disassemble access panels and screens. Inspect support structure, tower fill, spray, and sump nozzles, drive coupling, gearbox, motor bearings, fan blades, and wiring.
• Lubricate pumps annually and inspect unusual noises.
• Clean and replace the air filters of all HVAV units as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Keep a periodic check on HVAC units’ energy efficiency and especially check the compressor, refrigerant charge, and thermal expansion valve.
• Check direct pressure systems for optimal temperature ranges

Lighting Maintenance

Poorly maintained lighting fixtures raise energy costs and lower quality.

• Inspect lighting quarterly.
• Check luminaires that have transformers.
• Inspect exterior lights and their hardware.
• Replace burned-out lamps.
• Make sure the color temperature is consistent with all lamps.
• Clean lamps and lens surfaces.
• Remember to recycle any waste from lighting maintenance responsibly.

Higher-Scale Maintenance Areas

• Have your electrical systems inspected by a licensed pro every 3 years.
• Clean and lubricate overcurrent devices.
• Check fusible switch units.
• Keep parking garage surfaces clear with monthly inspections and overall annual maintenance and coating replacement every 5 years.
• Pavement imperfections and cracks must be filled and seal-coated regularly.

Though this checklist is not completely customized to any specific commercial building, it is comprehensive enough to act as a starting ground for commercial property owners and facility managers to build on, to aid in taking care of the building and keeping it well-maintained.

For further information and expert consultation, call SERVPRO of East Meadow/Westbury's licensed professionals at 516-334-2927.