Building a maintenance schedule

A maintenance schedule turns good intentions into specific tasks with dates and owners. Start with an inventory of your building's systems, add the tasks the manufacturers, codes and your own experience call for, set a frequency for each, and assign responsibility. Then track what gets done and adjust the schedule as you learn.

Step 1: Inventory your systems

List the equipment and components that need attention. For each, note the make, model, location, age and who services it. A typical list covers:

• Roof, drains, flashings and the building envelope.
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning: boilers, furnaces, rooftop units, air handlers, fans, controls.
• Plumbing: domestic water, hot water heaters, backflow preventers, sump pumps, drains.
• Electrical: switchgear, panels, standby generators, transfer switches, lighting.
• Life safety: fire alarm, sprinklers, extinguishers, emergency lighting, exit signs, AEDs.
• Conveying systems: elevators and escalators.
• Site: paving, parkades, sidewalks, landscaping, retaining walls.
• Interiors: doors and hardware, finishes, washrooms.

If you do not have a reliable inventory, a building condition assessment is a good place to start. See what a commercial building inspection covers.

Step 2: Gather the requirements

For each item, pull together what should be done and how often from:

1. Manufacturer instructions in operation and maintenance manuals.
2. Codes and regulations. Fire codes require inspection and testing of life safety systems. Elevators, boilers and pressure vessels have provincially mandated inspections carried out by the authorized body, and some systems such as backflow preventers have municipal testing requirements. Requirements differ by province, so check what applies.
3. Warranty conditions, which often require documented maintenance.
4. Insurer requirements.
5. Your building's history, such as areas that leak or equipment that fails often.

Step 3: Set frequencies

Group tasks by how often they need doing. The examples below are typical starting points only; actual frequencies should follow the manufacturer, codes and your building's conditions.

Monthly

• Walk-through of mechanical rooms, roofs (where safe) and common areas for leaks, noises and alarms.
• Check HVAC filters and replace as needed. See HVAC filters and MERV ratings.
• Visual checks of fire extinguishers, exits and emergency lights as fire codes require.
• Run standby generators as the manufacturer and applicable standards require.

Quarterly or seasonal

• Clear roof drains and eavestroughs, especially in spring and fall.
• Seasonal changeover of heating and cooling equipment.
• Test sump pumps before spring thaw.
• Inspect parkade drains and wash down salt in spring.

Annually

• Fire alarm, sprinkler and other life safety inspections by qualified contractors, as the fire code requires.
• Roof and envelope inspection, including sealants and flashings.
• Backflow preventer testing, where required.
• Electrical infrared scanning of major equipment.
• Review of the maintenance schedule itself.

Multi-year

• Building condition assessments and reserve fund study updates.
• Major equipment overhauls and replacements on a capital plan.

Step 4: Assign, track and review

• Assign each task to a person or contractor, with a clear scope.
• Use a system, whether a spreadsheet or maintenance management software, that issues reminders and records completion.
• Record findings, not just completion. Notes such as "belt worn, replace next visit" are what make the schedule useful.
• Keep service reports and certificates from contractors and mandated inspections in one place.
• Review annually. Shorten intervals for items that keep failing and lengthen them where experience supports it.

Keeping the schedule realistic

A schedule that lists more work than staff and budget can handle will be ignored within months. Start with the tasks that protect life safety and the most critical equipment, then add the rest as capacity allows. Spread annual and seasonal work across the year so that the same few weeks are not overloaded, and time outdoor work such as roof and parkade tasks for the seasons when it can actually be done. When contractors handle part of the work, make sure their service visits appear on the same calendar so nothing is missed or duplicated. Finally, budget for the findings: inspections and maintenance visits will turn up repairs, and the schedule only pays off if there is money set aside to act on them.

A good schedule is the foundation of preventive maintenance and helps avoid the cost of deferred maintenance.

How ehZee can help

Through our commercial building inspections, ehZee can document your building's systems and their condition, giving you the starting inventory and priorities for a maintenance schedule. We can also help you prepare for and follow up on mandated inspections.

Common questions