What is Routine Maintenance?

Routine maintenance refers to any maintenance tasks that are done on a regular basis regardless of the condition of the asset. Most routine maintenance tasks are fairly simple and require minimal training. Although, there are some that do require more intensive oversight.

Technically, basic janitorial tasks such as trash removal and washing windows count as routine maintenance. No matter the nature of the task, routine maintenance always involves a proactive strategy that prevents equipment failure and ensures proper operation across your facility.

Understanding Routine Maintenance 

The main reason why most businesses perform regular maintenance is simply to prevent bigger issues from surfacing. For example, regularly testing your alarm systems ensure that they won’t fail in a true emergency.

While every facility needs to routinely perform simple maintenance tasks, maintenance strategies differ. The typical time-based maintenance strategy may not be sufficient in situations where maintaining equipment safety is paramount. In these cases, deterioration checking via IoT predictive maintenance software is more frequently used.

Types of Routine Maintenance 

As you might expect, there are many kinds of routine tasks. Not every facility must perform every one of these routine maintenance activities. Consider your business needs and how each maintenance task can support them.

Regular Inspections

Regular onsite inspections are crucial to maintaining equipment safety. Some industries require regular safety inspections, such as the construction industry. Faulty equipment can put employees at risk and routine inspections prevent faults from going unnoticed.

Machine Servicing

Machine servicing ensures that the parts of a machine are in working order. The difference between it and other forms of routine maintenance is that it narrows in on the specific parts of a specific asset. This process ensures that worn or nonfunctional parts are promptly replaced.

Cleaning

Cleaning floors, equipment, and anywhere else in your facility is a form of routine maintenance. Some assets cannot function properly without proper cleaning, which makes this task more crucial than one might assume.

Lubrication

A well-oiled machine is a well-functioning machine. Regular lubrication is an important way to ensure proper operation.

Calibration

Calibration involves comparing one asset’s reading meter to another asset that is known to provide accurate readings. This test is a way to verify that an asset is providing accurate information. An example would be to test a thermometer against another to ensure it accurately captures temperature.

Testing

Routine equipment testing is a vital part of any maintenance schedule. Without regular tests, it’s far too easy to miss a flaw that could escalate to unplanned downtime.

Frequency of Routine Maintenance 

Performing routine maintenance tasks usually happens on a calendar basis. Depending on the task, it may be performed:

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Quarterly
• Annually

The entire routine maintenance process encompasses planning, scheduling, performing, and documenting each task. A facility manager will typically assign tasks to their maintenance team and maintenance technicians are responsible for the rest of the process.

When to Perform Routine Maintenance 

The right time to perform routine maintenance depends on your facility’s routine maintenance plan. If you operate on a time-based maintenance system, then the right time is whenever the designated date is. This may be at your discretion or by a manufacturer’s or safety operator’s recommendations.

However, this is not the only maintenance strategy used. You may instead opt for predictive maintenance and send a maintenance technician to an asset as it nears deterioration.

Facilities & Buildings 

Routine maintenance can be performed on facilities and buildings to keep them in good condition. This can include regular inspections, cleaning, and parts replacement. Examples where these tasks may be required include:

• HVAC Systems
• Elevator & Escalator Maintenance
• Fire Safety

Equipment & Machines 

Routine maintenance can be performed on equipment such as trucks, CNC machines, forklifts, and other assets to keep them in good operating condition and reduce unexpected breakdowns. Assets that should be checked regularly include:

• Machinery & Equipment
• Building Infrastructure
• Safety Systems

Residential & Commercial 

Regular maintenance of heating, cooling, and ventilation systems provides a comfortable environment and helps reduce energy costs. Performing regular maintenance tasks on appliances will also help extend their lifespan and reduce replacement costs.

Your maintenance teams should regularly inspect any:

• Appliances
• HVAC Systems
• Plumbing Systems
• Electrical Systems

Healthcare Facilities 

Routine maintenance of medical devices, imaging equipment, and life-support systems is crucial to patient safety and compliance with healthcare regulations. It’s also simply more convenient to work in a healthcare facility with fewer failures.

Just a few examples of where you should schedule routine maintenance include:

• Medical Equipment
• Facility Systems, such as HVAC filters and cold storage

Benefits of Routine Maintenance 

The main purpose of facilities’ planned maintenance is simply to keep asset malfunction at bay. However, that’s just one of many advantages of routine maintenance.

Extends Assets Life

Equipment breakdowns cause additional wear and tear to any asset. Routine maintenance tasks reduce the frequency of such breakdowns, extending equipment lifespan. This benefit reduces replacement costs, is more environmentally friendly, and increases the salvage value of the asset through depreciation.

Reduces Emergency Maintenance

By proactively addressing potential issues through routine maintenance, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns and emergencies. As a result, your team spends more work hours on productive tasks instead of waiting for reactive maintenance.

Cost Savings

Routine maintenance involves a lot of simple tasks that go a long way for your cost savings. You can save on labor, replacements, repairs, energy bills, lost productivity during equipment downtime, and more. For optimal savings, consider a CMMS that streamlines taks and minimizes maintenance disruptions.

Higher Performance of Resources

Routine maintenance keeps equipment, machines, and facilities performing at their best. Furthermore, your maintenance department can allocate their tasks more easily. Better task allocate leads to saved labor costs and more time spent on maintaining a higher number of assets.

Invest in Routine Maintenance With ServiceChannel 

 Routine maintenance may be a simple system that goes a long way, but tracking everything involved can be time consuming. You can invest in this process without taking too much time out of your already busy schedule. All you need is the right preventative maintenance management system.

ServiceChannel offers that system. Maintaining safety equipment, appliance inspections, and even regular cleaning are all simplified with our software tool. You can also use our software to track asset health and get your maintenance schedule ahead of any possible breakdowns.

Contact ServiceChannel for your free demo today to see what we can do for your facility.