A HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system is a big investment that helps improve the overall efficiency of your workplace and the health of your workforce. As a result, it’s imperative that you take good care of it by ensuring regular maintenance is carried out to keep it optimised and running smoothly without the risk of any deterioration of your ‘invisible environment’.
HVAC systems need to be maintained in the same way a car would; regular servicing ensures any potential issues with your car are spotted and taken care of before they become a more severe issue. The same applies for your HVAC system - just because you can’t see or hear any problems, doesn’t mean that a potential issue isn’t developing. Regular servicing and maintenance checks will help to prevent large and costly repairs, not to mention, keep you in the clear from a health and safety regulatory point of view.
DIY HVAC Maintenance
There are some aspects of maintenance you can complete yourself. For example, regularly checking that the system is working, there are no warning lights or messages and there are no unusual noises.
Mostly it is best to leave the maintenance to professional engineers as they are trained to spot potential issues and rectify them before they become big problems.
What To Expect During an HVAC Maintenance Appointment
The maintenance your HVAC engineer will perform will go far beyond what you can do yourself. They’ll have a list of things to check, test and clean while also adjusting your equipment so that its performance is optimised.
The engineer will primarily be checking that everything is working at an optimum level while seeking out any potential failures or defects. Their main aim is to prevent future breakdowns and to save your business money in the long run by identifying and making recommendations to repair any potential damage before it becomes a larger issue.
For a heating system, the engineer will inspect your boiler and clean the internal components. He will be looking and listening for signs of wear and will advise if components are likely to fail in the near future as we understand that you don’t want a failure on a cold winter's morning. On completion of the inspection the engineer will run the boiler and carry out combustion analysis checks and make the necessary changes to the settings so that the boiler is running at optimum efficiency and thereby saving you energy costs. If everything is satisfactory a Gas Safety certificate will be issued and you have met your legal responsibility.
When it comes to cooling systems, both internal and external units will be checked and cleaned, including all of the motors and fans. The refrigerant circuit will be checked for leaks so that you meet you legal responsibility.
In ventilation systems the important point is to ensure that filters are fitted and changed at the correct time. Blocked filters reduce the air flow into the building and also cause a strain on the motors and fans which gives rise to premature failure. Our engineers will check the filters that are removed and if necessary may suggest a different frequency of change depending on their condition.
When to Schedule Maintenance
When a system is serviced is not critical, the more important thing is that it’s done regularly and at the correct interval.
As a minimum, any system should be checked by a professional at least once a year. But for more complex and specialist systems and ones that are in constant use, a six-monthly check is recommended to prevent failures causing disruption to your business. Some even more specialist equipment such as swimming pool ventilation equipment will need even more frequent care.
Our staff have the experience to help you set up the correct service schedules most suited to your site and your equipment.
Why You Need to Keep Up Regular Servicing
The primary reason you should keep regular servicing is for your, and the other building occupiers, comfort. With your HVAC system controlling the environment in which you spend most of your day, it’s important to keep it in prime condition so that it can maintain a healthy environment. Defects and dirt could see it perform less effectively and reduce the quality of your ‘invisible environment’, which in turn will have a negative effect on employee productivity and well being.
On top of this, regular checks keep you and your team safe. Anything with a defective combustion process can lead to carbon monoxide exposure and can even pose a fire hazard. Regular maintenance can ensure that potentially dangerous issues are spotted early, and repairs can be carried out immediately.
Ultimately, the purpose of regular maintenance is to ensure that you and your colleagues experience the best environment to work in.
Do you want to find out more about getting your system serviced, or need to schedule in a maintenance visit? Get in touch with a member of our experienced team today.
