An Ounce of Prevention

Don't get nailed by the cost of new equipment. Establish a preventive maintenance program.

In 1758, Benjamin Franklin wrote the following words of wisdom in his Poor Richard's Almanack: "A little neglect may breed mischief...for want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost." Franklin hit the nail on the head. As he so wisely notes, "a little neglect" can have wide-ranging effects. For want of preventive maintenance, a pool pump may fail. For want of a pool pump, the pool may be closed.

You can see where this is going. A closed pool leads to angry residents, which can lead to a nasty board election and an out-of-work manager.

Preventive maintenance does more than preserve the jobs of volunteers and managers. It preserves the life of association equipment and amenities, and that, in turn, saves the association money. Think of how you maintain your car. Would you go years without changing the oil or having it serviced? Probably not. There's no reason why you should treat your car better than your community.

Here's a question-and-answer look at how to start a preventive maintenance program.

WHAT IS PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE?

Preventive maintenance involves fixing something before it breaks. The General Services Administration, the nation's property manager, lists five main objectives for a preventive maintenance program:

1. To perform maintenance at a level that keeps the property and equipment safe and operable.

2. To promote the most effective and efficient use of resources.

3. To provide a more accurate means of estimating the human resources needed for proper operation and maintenance.

4. To establish a basis for determining budgetary requirements and long-range planning projections.

5. To provide a way to evaluate the maintenance effort.

The goal of preventive maintenance is to avoid unscheduled service interruptions. With preventive maintenance, for example, worn parts are replaced before they fail. The objective is to keep equipment operating at peak efficiency and to extend its useful life.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE?

The dollars invested in a good preventive maintenance program are paid back many times over, not only in the maximized life of the component, but also in reduced downtime from equipment malfunctions. The cost of lubricating a motor before it seizes or changing a fan belt before it snaps is minimal compared to interrupted service--usually at odd hours--requiring overtime and a desperate search for replacement parts.

Preventive maintenance is proactive. Without it, one poorly maintained component that fails can trigger a chain reaction, creating much larger problems.

Although preventive maintenance programs usually cover motors, fans, boilers, HVAC, and other mechanical systems, it can apply to an association's common elements as well. Wooden patio enclosures, for example, need to be painted or stained every few years to retain their appearance and extend the life of the wood. Pool furniture can be preserved simply by cleaning it regularly. This is preventive maintenance, too.

The dollars invested in preventive maintenance result in long-term savings and ensure that the components last for their full-rated service life. Here's an example. I managed a high-rise building with a rooftop cooling tower that, according to the inspecting engineer, had "one more season" at best. The tower was near the end of its useful, 20-year life, and its efficiency levels had fallen precipitously. The association was not in a position to fund the substantial replacement costs on such short notice. So they embarked on a remediation plan for this piece of equipment--in other words, a retroactive preventive maintenance program. The project involved mostly in-house labor. The building engineer was assisted by some outside contractors to restore sheet metal and "fill material" at a fraction of the cost of a new tower. As a result of the maintenance, that "one more season" lasted more than two years.

HOW SHOULD AN ASSOCIATION START A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM?

First, an association must inventory the mechanical components, equipment, and common elements that will be included in the program. This means locating each piece of equipment, inspecting it, and cataloging it. A very basic and simple approach is to fill out index cards for each component. Your inventory should include such basic items as the: * Name of the component * Manufacturer * Date of installation or age of the component * Last service * Service intervals required (if known) * Rated useful life (if known) * Cost

This information should be entered into a computer or filed for future retrieval. Next, evaluate each item, from roof tans to sump pumps. Determine their maintenance needs and the intervals of required service. This would include oiling fans changing belts, greasing bearings, inspecting boiler tubes, and checking operating temperatures and pressures. After that, develop a master schedule. The schedule should be based on daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly. annual, and seasonal requirements. This ensures that the preventive maintenance work is performed when required for each particular component. It also helps in budgeting personnel costs, operating expenses, and capital repair requirements.

Once the preventive maintenance work is completed, enter the date into the computer or onto each of the cards along with labor and part costs, if applicable. This system is very basic, but it works if followed consistently. For large communities and more complex systems, numerous computer-based programs are available for streamlining the scheduling and reporting process. Regardless of the system, inventorying the components is always a staple of the process.

WHO SHOULD DEVELOP THE PROGRAM?

The manager, along with the engineer or maintenance person, should lead the development or expansion of a preventive maintenance program. A maintenance or operation committee should be kept abreast of progress and given the opportunity to provide input.

Although the manager leads the program, the manufacturer is the best source for determining necessary maintenance. The manufacturer knows its products best and usually has specific instructions regarding proper maintenance. This not only helps maximize the useful life of the component, but also ensures that it survives the warranty period. The manufacturer will typically recommend the highest echelon of maintenance, so this is a good starting point on a new piece of equipment.

WHAT WILL A WORKING PROGRAM LOOK LIKE?

A maintenance program will vary depending on the size of the community and the number and complexity of the components. Previously, I mentioned the card system. That system, combined with a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule, may work fine for a small association. It may not serve the needs of a large one.

The preventive maintenance program can include a computer-generated work ticket and tracking system, complete with daily reports, labor and manhour trends, service and parts costs--the list goes on. Regardless of the system, never lose sight of the preventive maintenance program's basic purpose: to fix a component before it breaks and to achieve its fullest useful life. There's one other purpose, too, and this is important: to schedule its replacement before it reaches the end of its useful life, requires too much maintenance, or operates at a reduced and unacceptable service level.

WHAT ABOUT OUTDATED EQUIPMENT?

Functional obsolescence is a legitimate concern. A piece of equipment may be at its peak operating efficiency and may have many years of useful service remaining. But what if replacement and repair parts are no longer available? What if new technology has rendered it a museum piece? What if its utility consumption is exorbitant compared to the latest equipment? If these factors are present, the component is functionally obsolete.

A few years ago, a property I managed had a chiller that was over 20 years old. It was well-maintained; all of the mechanics who worked on it said it would run for another 10 to 15 years. But there was one problem. We couldn't get spare parts for it--not even the most basic items, such as gears and bearings. The chiller was functionally obsolete and replaced with a new machine. Computers are the same way. Some machines from 10 years ago still work perfectly. But what good are they if they can't run current software?

Buying new equipment may be cheaper in some cases and should not be overlooked. It depends largely on cost. However, if excessive time and effort are required to keep an old component operating, or if its age has made it obsolete, then purchasing a new one may be the best option. (Remember to factor in the cost of removing the old component and installing the new one.) Associations should not only plan for ongoing maintenance, they should also plan for equipment obsolescence. That way, the association decides when equipment should be put out of service, rather than the other way around.

HOW BROAD SHOULD A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM BE?

This depends on the circumstances of each individual community. Consider, for example, a community with a good preventive maintenance program for all of its mechanical and HVAC systems. Although the program works well, every other weekend a couple of outdoor lights burn out, creating dark areas and security concerns.

Guess what. The preventive maintenance program is not broad enough and must be expanded to include lighting.

Do certain types of equipment lend themselves to preventive maintenance better than others? Maybe, but my feeling is this: if it moves, it can break. If it's energized, it can burn out. If it's susceptible to weather conditions, it can peel, rust, chip, and crack. In all of those cases, a little neglect may be breed mischief.