Industrial ventilation systems are critical for keeping environments comfortable and successful. Ventilation helps keep workers comfortable and remove contaminants from indoor air. Therefore, you want to keep your systems running at peak efficiency. One way to do this is to perform regular preventative maintenance on your ventilation system. We’ll discuss the benefits of preventative maintenance, types of maintenance, and some basic tips for equipment you might find in your system.
Why Preventative Maintenance for Industrial Ventilation Systems?
Now, you probably don’t think about your ventilation systems very much. We often take them for granted because they work behind the scenes to keep facilities comfortable. However, if you’ve ever had a ventilation system breakdown, you know just how essential these systems are. Breakdowns can completely halt your operations. System failures can also put your workers at risk for things like safety hazards, respiratory problems, heat stroke, and more. Preventative maintenance for industrial ventilation systems can help reduce the risk of breakdowns.
Ventilation system maintenance also offers other benefits, such as:
- Longer service life for ventilation equipment
- More comfortable environments
- Better ventilation control
- Fewer repairs
- Less downtime
- Better indoor air quality
- Energy savings
In addition, regular maintenance can also help reduce the risk of mold, mildew, pollutants, and other potentially harmful contaminants from building up in your system and facility.
What Kind of Maintenance do Industrial Ventilation Systems Need?
Most building owners and facility managers understand the necessity and benefits of a preventative maintenance program for building systems. However, you might be at a loss for exactly what your systems need to keep them in good repair. Understanding what kinds of services your ventilation system needs can help you design a comprehensive maintenance program.
In general, most ventilation systems will need inspections, cleaning, service, and parts replacement as part of preventative maintenance. Each of these general maintenance activities can help prevent issues and detect potential problems before they become emergency repairs.
Inspections
Regular inspections are typically the first step in every maintenance program. Depending on the ventilation equipment, you may need professional inspections or you may even be able to do some inspections yourself.
The point of inspections is to double check that everything is working normally and to help find any potential issues. For instance, during an inspection you might look for any signs of wear or damage that might cause excessive energy use or could put your system at risk for breakdown. Frequent inspections can also help keep your ventilation system’s maintenance needs at the forefront of your mind to help prevent the “out of sight, out of mind” effect.
Cleaning
Cleaning is a severely underestimated step in maintaining industrial ventilation systems. If you think about it, it makes sense that your system needs a good thorough cleaning every so often. After all, one of the key functions of a ventilation system is to help remove contaminants from indoor air.
A clean system is essential for keeping repair and operation costs low for your ventilation equipment. Dust and other contaminants can impair the ability for mechanical systems to stay cool, which can lead to overheating and overworking. Fans can even become unbalanced due to contaminant buildup on blades and other components, which can increase wear and tear and put them at a higher risk for failure.
Also, a dirty system can negatively impact indoor air quality. Depending on your facility, the consequence for this can range from health hazards for your crew to operational shutdowns due to contaminants. Therefore, be sure you include regular cleaning as part of your ventilation system maintenance.
Service
In addition to inspections and cleaning, you’ll also need to service various components of your ventilation system. Service includes things like lubricating moving parts, tightening bolts and connections, and other things that can help prevent breakdowns and repairs. For instance, when servicing your industrial exhaust systems, you might need to lubricate the bearings in the fans to help prevent unnecessary wear and tear on bearings that require more frequent replacements.
Part Replacements
Another important part of a thorough maintenance program for ventilation systems include part replacements. If you’re only replacing parts when they break, then it’s time to consider predictive maintenance principles for part replacement.
Every part in your ventilation system has a lifespan, and in many cases, that lifespan may be shorter than the system or equipment itself. For instance, fan belts typically wear out much sooner than the fans. With expected part service life in mind, you can factor part replacement in your maintenance program before your system fails, rather than after. This can help save you on downtime and emergency repair costs.
Recommended Maintenance for Common Components of Industrial Ventilation Systems
As we’ve mentioned, your maintenance program should be customized to your ventilation system and equipment. In addition, you typically want to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations for the best results. Therefore, you may need to talk to a ventilation specialist about your specific maintenance needs. However, we do have some general tips for common ventilation equipment that may help you as you design your facility’s ventilation maintenance program.
Fans and Blowers
For fans and blowers, you typically want to schedule inspections monthly to look for signs of wear and tear, damage, excessive vibration, or other issues. Most fans also need cleaning, bearing lubrication, and belt tightening about once a quarter or so. Regular fan and blower maintenance can help make a huge difference in comfort, air quality, and energy use for your facility.
Louvers
Louvers are a fairly low-maintenance solution for many buildings, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore them. You see, louvers can become clogged with dirt and debris, which decreases airflow and can negatively impact ventilation inside your building. Therefore, in most cases you want to inspect and clean your louvers with a mild detergent at least once per quarter.
Ducts
Air ducts are another one of those things that are out of sight and out of mind. However, they can become damaged, misshapen, and dirty over time. Therefore, you likely want a professional to inspect them for damage, air leaks, and other issues once a quarter. In addition, in most facilities you should clean the air ducts at least once a year.
Dust Collectors
Many industrial facilities also include dust collectors as part of their ventilation systems. These, too, need regular maintenance. For example, a quick inspection bi-weekly is essential for making sure your dust collectors are functioning properly. In addition, you may also want to complete a more thorough inspection once a month that includes examining the air pressure, hopper, valves, hoses, gaskets, and seals. Once a year it’s important to check the ductwork for dust buildup as well to help keep the collector functioning at peak efficiency.
Cutting-Edge Industrial Ventilation Systems & Solutions
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