As your employees start to prep for the holiday season, your building should start to prep for the holiday season, as well. This prep work includes a variety of winter building maintenance checks and to-dos. To help you get all your ducks in a row for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond, we’ve created a simple winter facility preparation checklist for you to comb through. Take a look at our list below, and as always, reach out to us if you need any help during your journey to prepare your building for winter.
Survey The Exterior
Check for any debris on the roof, remove if possible
*Debris will likely include leaves, dirt buildup, and other natural elements that could get stuck on your roof. This might seem innocent enough, but debris goes above and beyond simple aesthetics. When debris is left on your roof for extended periods of time, it can block drains and enable mold and algae to grow. This can also lead to pooling of water, which can eventually lead to leaks.
Check for any damaged or missing insulation strips on windows, replace or fix where necessary
Check for any open windows or doors (prior to leaving the building unattended)
Schedule Seasonal Service
A professional HVAC contractor should test and provide a thorough inspection of all heating components
A professional HVAC contractor should calibrate and reprogram thermostats for heating
A professional HVAC contractor should winterize cooling-only systems (evap coolers, chillers, etc.) that won’t be running when the building is empty during the holidays
Make Adjustments To Automated Building Controls
Notate schedules for vacation, winder hours, and holiday closures and revise the scheduling for any automated building controls
*If you have NPBI installed, keep your blower fan operating at all times.
Uphold Energy Efficiency Measures
Check to see if any individuals are utilizing space heaters
*If employees feel like space heaters are a necessity, this could indicate an issue with the heating in your HVAC system. Contact your HVAC contractor if this is the case.
Work with your HVAC installer to determine and implement best-practices for energy efficiency during the colder months
Need help getting your building winter-ready?
While our winter facility preparation checklist is simple, there are facets of this list that can require professional assistance (such as activities involving seasonal inspections, calibrations, and reprogramming). If you need any assistance with these winter HVAC tasks, please give us a call or contact us online today. At BMI Mechanical, we have decades of experience helping large and small facilities prepare for the winter months, and we’d love to help you, too.
Download the PDF version of this checklist, print it out, and manually cross off items as you go through our winter facility checklist.
