Making Maintenance Work
By Donna May
President, Cross Metal Buildings
It’s spring time…birds are singing, wasps are buzzing, and both are building nests wherever they can find an appealing nook or cranny. It’s summer… scorpions and snakes have awakened, ants and bugs are prolific, and grass is fighting it’s way through the asphalt. It’s fall… leaves descend gracefully into gutters and trash dances on the wind into fence lines. Winter is frozen walkways, shards of ice clinging dangerously to dripping eaves, tree limbs snapping under wind and snow. Each season brings its’ diversity to the maintenance table in an endless rotation of little things. Things that left unattended can lead to serious problems, or, if taken care of, can promote an economically profitable facility.
The best tool for effective maintenance is scheduling. Every facility is different and every geographic location has unique needs. Putting the pieces together to create a viable maintenance program is a step by step process building what needs to be addressed, routinely, seasonally, and functionally into a system that protects your investment. Weed killer costs a few dollars; asphalt patching can be hundreds or thousands. The difference in when, and if, serious repairs need to be made is maintenance.
Assembling a program that is right for your location takes a little time, but once it’s put together, it is a blueprint that can be followed through employee changes and adjusted to new circumstances with little effort.
First, start with a List – What are the parts and pieces of your facility that could need attention? Start with items suggested below and add or subtract whatever is necessary to reflect the unique characteristics of your facility e.g. special accommodations for wine storage or boat and RV wash stations:
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Amenities
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Fencing
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Lighting - Exterior
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Asphalt
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Fire Protection
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Locks
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Bollards
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Gate Mechanisms
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Office
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Carts and Dollies
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Golf Cart
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Restrooms
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Computers
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Gutters and Downspouts
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Roofs
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Concrete Drives and Walks
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HVAC and Exhaust Fans
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Security Systems
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Doors – Entry
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Hallways
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Signage
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Doors – Unit
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Insects, Vermin and Birds
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Striping
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Elevators and Lifts
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Landscaping
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Units
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Exterior Coatings and Paint
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Lighting – Interior
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Windows and Screens
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Second - Evaluate your list – What are the maintenance issues for each item?
Some examples would be:
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Amenities
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Scent dispenser refills, intercom operation, convex mirror cleaning
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Asphalt
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Entry points for moisture, surface cracks from vegetation, ponding
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Bollards
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Bent, marked, faded.
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Carts and Dollies
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Wheels, handles, structural integrity.
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Computers
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Virus protection, updates, back up, delete unnecessary data, defragging.
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Concrete
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Cracking, buckling, staining, expansion joint sealants.
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Doors – Entry
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Mechanisms clean, lubricated and aligned, surface cleanliness.
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Doors - Unit
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Stops, latches, ease of operation, scratches, dents, weather stripping.
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Elevators and Lifts
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Safety tests and inspections, wall and floor damage and cleanliness.
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Exterior and Paint
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Fading, stains, efflorescence.
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Fencing
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Grass and weeds, trash, cuts and bent areas, broken boards or block, paint.
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Fire Protection
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Fire extinguisher inspections, smoke detector batteries.
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Gate Mechanisms
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Tracks, wheels, chains, lift mechanisms, rust, paint.
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Golf Cart
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Batteries, tires, lubricants, wear and tear, cleanliness.
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Gutters and Spouts
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Blockages, drainage to ground surface erosion.
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HVAC and Exhaust
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Drip pans draining, condensation lines clear, algae, filters, dirty coils.
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Hallways
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Floor sealant, carpet or coatings wear, stains and marks, wall dust and dirt.
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Insects, Vermin, Etc.
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Infestation, access points, nests, droppings.
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Lighting – Exterior
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Bulbs, photo sensors, motion detectors, clean fixtures.
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Lighting – Interior
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Bulbs, ballasts, exit lighting, photo sensors, timers.
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Landscaping
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Mulch levels, weeds, bugs, patchy grass, dead trees, overgrown, sprinklers.
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Locks
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Alignment, lubrication, wear.
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Office
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Mop, wax or vacuum floors, carpet cleaning, orderliness.
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Restrooms
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Leaks, flooring cleanliness, alkaline build up, consumables stocked.
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Painting
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Faded, chipped, stained.
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Roofs
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Debris, leaks, stains, washer deterioration, loose shingles.
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Security
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Keypads, cameras, office alarms.
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Signage
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Adequately lit, bent chipped or torn, worn or faded.
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Striping and Curbs
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Chipped, marked or faded.
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Units
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Swept, wiped down, leak check, insect remediation, integrity.
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Windows/Screens
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Clean, holes or tears, operable, locks.
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Third – Determine how often each item has to be checked or serviced in order to address the maintenance issues you have identified.
Using “Amenities” as an example, the scent dispenser probably has an established life for each canister of scent. If the can lasts approximately 30 days then it would be scheduled for once a month replacement. Intercoms could easily be checked daily with the daily lock check, providing there is a second person in the office to answer. If not, then they should be scheduled for when a second person is available. Convex mirrors seldom need to be cleaned but should not be forgotten. Scheduling them for cleaning at the same time hallway wall cleaning is done may be best as grouping related items increases efficiency.
Some maintenance is contracted out. If you have a landscaper, most or all of the issues related to landscaping should be included in their contract. The same is true for elevator and fire systems, and pest control. The individual in charge of maintenance should have responsibility for seeing that the terms of the contract are being met in accordance with your maintenance standards. If anything is required outside the contract (the landscape contract may exclude tree trimming for instance) it should be scheduled. If tree trimming needs to be done annually, but should not be done by anyone on staff, add it to the schedule as an item to be hired out to a professional
Bird nests are more of a problem if there is open unit parking. Facilities with deciduous trees have more debris on roofs and in gutters. Warmer climates have more algae in HVAC systems than northern climates, but northern facilities deal with more ice and snow. Logic and manufacturers instructions are the best guidelines to follow in establishing inspection or service frequency. Manufacturers and service providers are generally very helpful in answering questions regarding maintenance. Many good articles have been written on proper maintenance procedures and how often individual items should be inspected. (Articles can be found on the ISS web site under Publications, select Articles On Demand and type “Maintenance” in the search box).
Once you have made your determination as to how often each item needs to be checked and what services should be performed, it’s time to establish a schedule to incorporate the complete maintenance program into the work flow of the facility. What format the schedule takes depends on your facility, your staff, and your maintenance budget.
Fourth – Scheduling, how to keep track of what needs to be done?
Just like one size never actually fits all, one scheduling mechanism doesn’t fit all either, but a combination of calendars, checklists, and maintenance procedures can be used to cover just about everything.
Calendars, particularly computer calendars, are great for long term scheduling, but become too cluttered and less effective for daily and weekly routines. Anything that has a frequency of occurrence greater than monthly, or that has an irregular schedule, is most easily handled on a computerized calendar.
· Maintenance contract renewal or termination dates can be entered. Also enter a forewarning notice of a pending contract event to leave time for comparison shopping before negotiating a new contract.
· Seasonal items (such as tree trimming and winter weather preparations) or scheduling that fluctuates with the season (such as increased frequency for checking roofs and cleaning gutters in the fall or adding algaecide to AC systems in the summer) can be scheduled for dates that are likely to achieve the goal, and rescheduled as necessary to accommodate actual events.
· Large projects (like re-sealing floors in climate control buildings) that only need to be done at long intervals, can be scheduled on a rotating basis by floor or by building. This helps to spread the work load if it is being done in-house and doesn’t impact the entire site all at once. Also, when client access is involved (as in floor and asphalt re-sealing) pre-event notification dates can be entered to the schedule to forewarn customers of pending activities.
· Periodic items (e.g. changing AC filters, golf cart lubrication, camera lens cleaning) can be entered at intervals that are appropriate for your location.
Check Lists are best for items that re-occur monthly or weekly. Weekly and monthly check lists may include:
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WEEKLY
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MONTHLY
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Mop office and restroom
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Mop hallways
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Sanitize restrooms
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Replace air fresheners
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Golf cart battery water level check
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Add HVAC algaecide
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Dollies and carts inspection
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Clean golf cart
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CC entry doors cleaning
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Clean and check drives
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Gate inspection and track cleaning
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Lubricate gate chain
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Pest traps check
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Empty computer recycle bin
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Spray weed Killer, fence line and drives
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Defrag computer
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Maintenance Procedures for daily or repetitive items are most efficient. Just as you have forms and procedures for renting units, also have written procedures for daily tasks such as office maintenance, and repetitive tasks like unit clean up after tenant move out.
OFFICE
The office should be clean and well organized.
(1) Carpets/flooring should be swept or vacuumed daily.
(2) Countertops should be clean and clutter free.
(3) All brochures and merchandise should be restocked.
(4) Windows and doors should be clean and fingerprint free.
(5) Wastebaskets should be emptied daily.
(6) The office bathroom should be clean and well stocked.
UNIT CLEANING
Unit cleaning after tenant move out.
(1) Sweep.
(2) Wipe down walls.
(3) Remove cobwebs
(4) Check insulation and repair if necessary.
(5) Check door stop and door ease of operation.
(6) Adjust door tension and lubricate per mfg. instructions
(7) Check and clean weather stripping, guides and tracks.
(8) Check latches for alignment and operation.
(9) Spray for insects.
The key to successful maintenance is diligence; diligence is achieved through accountability. Without a schedule there is no mechanism for accountability. Schedules, in the form of calendars, check lists and procedures, encompass seasonal requirements, functional necessities, and routine tasks. By defining what needs to be done and when it needs to be done they incorporate maintenance into the normal work flow. They are the nuts and bolts that hold together an effective maintenance program.
Donna May is president of Cross Metal Buildings. May has been in self storage for eleven years with the Parham Group. She is the past President of Joshua Management, a Real Estate Broker, has a BA in Business and has been a partner in 11 startup self storage projects. For information, call 210.477.1260; email ask@crossmb.com; visit. www.crossmetalbuildings.com.