The 8 Signs Your Office Needs Electrical Or Mechanical Maintenance
When the office starts to give you signs it needs some maintenance it’s in the best interest of your employees and your pockets to listen!
Electrical
Your lights are prematurely dying
Nothing makes your eye twitch more than looking up and seeing that not all of your lights are on and working like they should. Especially when you swear you just got them replaced!
Well, if your lights aren’t staying lit for as long as they should it could be a sign that your office needs electrical maintenance.
Your exit and emergency lights are not lasting as long as they should
You can’t predict when an emergency is going to happen but you need to ensure you’re ready for one. Your exit and emergency lights should stay on all the time and after a mains failure, be illuminated for the minimum emergency duration, which is 90 minutes. Regular 6 monthly testing will determine which fittings will not last this time during an emergency situation.
If your exit and emergency lights aren’t working as they should be it’s time to call MPE.
You’re having issues with appliances and computers
Coffee machines conveniently never working every time it’s Kevin's turn to make coffee? It’s probably a sign that Kev’s trying to get out of coffee duty. But if it’s happening in conjunction with computers and monitors having issues then it's more likely a sign that your office needs electrical maintenance.
If the building your business resides in is closer in age to Ned Kelly than the release of the iPhone, you can safely assume that the chances of your electrical appliances being deteriorated are extremely high and it might be time for some electrical maintenance.
Your circuit breakers and safety switches keep tripping
The role of your circuit breaker is to make sure the electrical circuits don’t overheat and start a fire. If you’re finding that your circuit breaker is continually tripping, it’s likely due to something overheating or overloading.
There’s a few things that can cause the safety switches to trip, this can include faulty or damaged electrical appliances as they can leak extra current that can trip the switch.
This is your office's way of telling you it’s time for some electrical maintenance.
Mechanical
Signs that your HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) system might need maintenance.
There’s hot and cold spots in the office
If you’re feeling constantly like you’re hot then you’re cold, you may be in a Katy Perry song or your office may need it’s HVAC system’s ductwork inspected and repaired.
Usually inconsistent heating and cooling issues can be resolved with preventative maintenance. Be warned however, that if you leave it too long the problem won’t resolve itself it’ll only result in you having to get the system replaced!
Some offices are cooler or hotter than other offices
Have you noticed when you go into different rooms in the office that some are significantly cooler or hotter than other rooms? This is likely to be because the airflow of your HVAC system is unbalanced.
Which might not seem like a huge deal but when there’s great debate over the most productive temperature in the office, you don’t want some of your employees to be unproductive because they’re office has turned into a sauna due to a faulty HVAC system.
You have little heaters under your desk
Needing little heaters under your desk may mean that your current heating system is incompetent or not the right size for your office’s needs.
Whilst they might be okay in the short term, space heaters are not a solution to the bigger heating and cooling issue at hand. Little heaters under your desk are an OHS disaster just waiting to happen especially if they’re not away from combustible materials, they also consume a lot more energy than a ducted system.
A newer HVAC system that is accurately sized may be the resolution to all your heating woes!
You’ve noticed reduced airflow
Can’t get the temperature in the office right? It’s 30 degrees outside but somehow it’s 35 degrees inside with the air-con turned on? During the summer that’s just criminal! If your airflow is reduced and the heating or cooling isn’t keeping up with the needs of the office it’s a sign that your HVAC system needs to be taken care of. Other signs to keep an eye out for include if your system is noisy, releasing unpleasant odours or if there’s too much moisture in the air.
No matter if you’re experiencing all or none of these telltale signs, it’s probably a good idea to get in touch with MPE to come and give your office some electrical or mechanical maintenance. Preventative maintenance is what will end up saving your pockets and limiting the number of complaints you’ll get from employee’s who are sick of appliances not working and experiencing four seasons in one day.