The winter season brings unique challenges for those managing facilities. The harsh weather conditions can cause disruptions in operations and compromise safety for those who use the facilities. However, with proper planning and preventative maintenance, these risks can be reduced, emergency repairs avoided, and visitors can be assured of a safe and comfortable environment. In this article, we present a checklist of helpful reminders to help facilities prepare for winter, including maintaining HVAC systems, inspecting plumbing, preparing for power outages, and examining the exterior of buildings.

Maintaining HVAC Systems

To ensure your heating systems are functioning optimally when they are needed most, it's important to have preventative HVAC maintenance in place. Some of the steps that can help improve efficiency and prepare HVAC systems for winter include checking and replacing air filters, cleaning ductwork, checking for leaks, calibrating thermostats, inspecting heat pumps, checking electrical connections, cleaning drain lines and pans to prevent freezing, testing humidity and temperature controls and monitors.

Inspecting Plumbing

Freezing temperatures can cause leaks and flooding in facility water systems. To avoid such issues, it's crucial to prepare plumbing and irrigation before winter. This can involve checking for leaks at fixtures and pipes, insulating and sealing pipes to prevent freezing, bursting, or flooding, checking the operation of valves and shutoffs.

Preparing for Power Outages

Power outages can be a result of winter weather-related problems, such as strong storms, ice build-up on power lines, etc. To ensure the functionality of a secondary power source like a backup generator, it's important to take necessary precautions. This can include performing regular maintenance on power generators, testing generators for operation, ensuring proper fuel supply, checking for exposed wiring, ensuring emergency lighting systems are functioning properly, etc.

Examining the Exterior of Buildings

Emergency repairs in the middle of winter can be avoided by conducting a thorough inspection of buildings and surrounding areas before winter sets in. This includes checking the roof for damage or holes, inspecting shingles and repairing existing seals and flashing, clearing debris from roofs and gutters, ensuring proper insulation of windows and doors, checking parking lots and sidewalks for cracks and potholes, inspecting siding, keeping an eye on potential landscaping threats, having a snow removal plan in place, keeping entryways safe and clear with a deicer solution, and ensuring adequate lighting is installed in these areas.

Facilities management is a year-round responsibility that requires careful planning and preparation. Winter poses a new set of challenges that can be stressful, with harsh winds, cold temperatures, heavy snowfall, ice, and limited daylight adding extra workload. Partnering with a facilities management provider like National Facilities Direct can ease some of this stress. At NFD, we are customer-focused and will work with you to provide a solution that meets your needs. Contact us today to experience the benefits of working with a facilities management partner you can trust.