When in-house HVAC maintenance jobs are lost, the workload doesn’t usually change, it just falls on fewer shoulders – and despite creative measures to manage the work load, all too often maintenance is reduced or deferred because recommend maintenance intervals simply cannot be properly met.    This situation usually means that HVAC maintenance engineers must find creative ways to manage the workload and/ or invest in preventative maintenance technologies that enable a smaller workforce to manage what a larger work force once managed.  Use of cottonwood filter screens is a good example of an effective way of reducing the maintenance time and effort to a fraction of that required using traditional power washers and cleaning chemicals because they stop debris on the outside of the equipment where it is easy to clean vs. having to manage the debris after it has entered and fouled the system.

Please comment on the following questions:

1. When faced with lean staffing, what creative steps do you (or if a distributor, your customer) take to keep up with the demands of HVAC maintenance?
2. How do you (or your customer) prioritize what equipment gets worked on?
3. What impact has reducing or deferring maintenance had on mechanical equipment efficiency, repair costs and energy usage?
4. If the equipment across the operation supports production processes, what impact has reduced or deferred maintenance had on production quality and efficiency?
5. If you (or your customer) already use cottonwood filter screens, how has it changed the dynamics of the maintenance process?