5 Tips for Fall Facility Maintenance

 Taken from www.hpac.com/galleries/ 

Maintenance is key to adding longevity and value to your property. Before embracing the harsh winter in Canada, fall is a great time to complete an annual maintenance check for your building. Here are our top 5 tips this Fall:

1. Get the right entrance mats

An entrance mat is the first line of defense in keeping dirt out of a facility. Additionally, it helps to reduce potential slip hazards in wet conditions. Ideally, matting should start outside of entrance doors and continue inside, allowing visitors to step three times with each foot on the mat. Get a mat that does not crush, that can store dirt and water for future removal, and that reduces the possibility of dirt being tracked into your facility. Remember that 80 percent of all dirt in a facility enters from people’s feet, and the cost of removing a pound of dirt once it is in a facility is between $500 and $700. The best way to reduce cleaning costs is to prevent dirt from entering a facility

2. Inspect all exterior doors and windows

Check to ensure caulking is flexible and sealing any gaps between window/door frames and exterior walls. This ensures warm air stays inside the building and keeps water from entering. For added energy savings, check the weather stripping at all exterior door frames to ensure it is in place and serving its intended purpose.

3. Clean gutters and downspouts

Ensure all gutters and downspouts are free of debris and adequately drain water away. This continues to be important as the season progresses and leaves continue to fall. Consider pruning overhanging trees to keep leaves and debris off the roof. Clogged gutters cause water backup, which damages roofs, the trim around roofs and soffits, and siding. During cold winter weather, standing and backed-up water in gutters can freeze and cause ice dams that damage roofs and sheathing and lead to leaks. Downspouts should discharge into underground storm-drain leaders or empty onto splash blocks that adequately divert water away from the exterior of the building.

4. Check exterior faucets and service the irrigation system

Install frost-proof exterior hose-bib faucets or drain older non-frost-proof faucets to keep them from freezing and breaking during winter. This is a good time to have the underground irrigation system serviced and prepared for winter by a qualified irrigation contractor.

5. Check the attic

Check the insulation in your attics to confirm it is the proper thickness and is distributed evenly. Lack of proper attic insulation is a major cause of heat loss, which increases heating costs. Check to see that all vents are operating properly and there is no insulation blocking the continuous soffit vents around the attic perimeter. This is a good time to ensure fire-sprinkler lines in unheated attics are adequately insulated to prevent freezing and breaking.

At Executive Building Maintenance, our aim is to exceed our customers’ expectations as the quality leader in providing environmental-friendly cleaning services for commercial, industrial, professional and retail facilities. Our philosophy is that no two businesses have identical needs, nor do they warrant identical treatment. For that reason, we do not begin a relationship with a solution. For us, a more logical method involves an examination, a diagnosis, a plan of treatment, and only then, a cure. If you think this Fall is a great time to start thinking seriously about Building Maintenance, we're here to talk!

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