Benefits of Maintaining Heaters
It’s cold. But, your construction project is humming along nicely. Before temperatures dropped into the single-digits, the slab was poured. The walls are going up and the windows are scheduled soon. Then, one of your temporary heating units takes a hiatus! Construction on the site’s south side is now in jeopardy. You call for repairs. Depending on how long it takes to get the heater back online, that new slab may freeze, drywall tape and joint compound may not dry, materials may become damaged, or the ground may frost—all causing construction delays and increasing costs. Fortunately, situations like this are easily avoidable. Regular preventative maintenance can minimize the risk of costly problems and ensure your construction project stays on schedule and budget.
Proactively inspecting and maintaining
temporary heating equipment helps to detect potential problems before they can cause unwanted interruption. Always-changing site conditions are an overlooked cause of heater problems. So, an inspection of the operating environment is important, too. Over the years, BABFAR has seen it all: Poorly placed bricks that fell on a gas line, electricians that changed panels and caused heaters to run in reverse, trash and debris that blocked a heater’s air intake, windows cut in a tarp that reduced the pressurization of the building envelope, blocked ductwork that restricted airflow and turned heaters off, thermostats turned off without anyone noticing, and more!While some of these examples are a good laugh, heater downtime is a real headache. Construction is delayed, while repairs are scheduled. Of course, repairs introduce unexpected costs for parts and labor. Repairs can also be an on-site inconvenience affecting construction, as technicians need to access heating equipment to make repairs and, maybe, to replace a unit.After decades of spot-checking units for customers,
BABFAR technicians have perfected the preventative maintenance process. Below is their 10-point checklist for maintaining heaters and inspecting the operating environment to make sure heaters operate properly and construction projects run smoothly:
- Lubricate bearings in the blower
- Inspect blower belts for wear
- Inspect ductwork to ensure proper air distribution
- Periodic test of all heater safeties
- Perform a Carbon Monoxide (CO) test to ensure a safe working environment
- Check fuel supply line to protect against potential damage or restrictions
- Check ignition and gas supply pressures to ensure the heater will light when needed
- Check the temperature throughout the building; differences may be a symptom of a problem with the heater or air distribution
- Check the area around heating equipment to ensure nothing has the potential to interfere with its operation
- Check fuel supply lines for proper sizing and pressure
Preventative maintenance is critical—so much so that we perform it on all
our heater rentals, at no additional cost. When you consider the risks associated with heater downtime on a construction project, it’s truly a case of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
