Our ventilation systems are under stress. Facility managers are also under stress, as well as the budgets available to manage reliability and safety in their buildings. Due to recommendations to increase both ventilation and filtration in response to COVID-19, many buildings have HVAC systems that are working harder.

This raises two important concerns.

• First, where systems have survived deferred maintenance up until now, this new stress plus existing strain could push systems to fail
  much faster.
• Second, maintenance strategies need to compensate for new operating parameters to ensure assets remain reliable and efficient.

What to Watch For: Common Deferred Maintenance Issues

Holding off on maintenance until a breakdown is a huge risk. Before complete failure, a system probably fails in multiple other ways first. For instance, without maintenance, wearing or failing parts can restrict airflow and increase coil static pressure, which in turn reduce efficiency and stress other parts throughout the system, increasing operating costs and wearing out capital assets faster.

Any damage or gaps that allow fouled air to build up contaminants on internal components or evaporator coils can seriously impact efficiency and stop the system from keeping humidity or temperature within comfortable – and healthy – parameters.

Moisture and buildup on internal components are important to watch out for. Bacteria and mold can thrive inside neglected equipment, spreading microbes or spores into the air. That risks increased allergens and pollutant counts indoors, and the health impacts that can follow. Increased headaches or congestion can chip away at productivity, and increased asthma issues and colds can add more sick days.

As fans, motors, and moving parts wear, it can cost more and more energy to move the same amount of air through the building, increasing costs and hampering sustainability efforts.