What You Should Know Before Signing Up For A Commercial HVAC Maintenance Contract

Managing a property takes a lot of work. Every day presents its own

unique challenges, and you never know what may transpire when you show

up for work in the morning. One day it could be working with tenants,

solving their problems. The next you could completely switch gears,

getting your hands dirty with repair work in the building.

While you’ll never lack the opportunity of a challenge, you will have

some things that will be easier to solve than others. As a property

manager, you probably have a wide array of help at your fingertips,

ready to be called upon for any type of problem that comes your way.

That may include a general commercial contractor that can do a variety

of different tasks, ready to work on any small problem that presents

itself throughout the day.

The great thing about having a general contractor on staff is their

ability to do just about anything. They can repair a hole in the wall

one day, and make a plumbing correction the next. They’re generalists,

which is important to have when you have so many needs.

However, allowing a generalist to work on more complex issues – today’s

HVAC systems – can be putting the overall health of your building at

risk. Think of it in a similar manner to the world of medicine. Your

generalist can speak with you on most issues, even inform you when a

problem needs further investigation. But he would never give you advice

on your heart in the same way a cardiologist would because he doesn’t

have the tools or the knowledge to do the job correctly.

When you sign a maintenance contract with a commercial HVAC contractor,

they can provide many things:

Complex service for a complex system

Increasingly HVAC systems are becoming more complex. Not only does the

technology change at a rapid pace, but it also requires the knowledge of

what laws, policies and best practices are in place to ensure your HVAC

is up to code. With an increased demand for greener systems, the

requirement for more routine preventative maintenance is also

increasing. Because a general contractor doesn’t stay up to date on the

latest happenings in the industry, they may miss out on some of the

latest advancements that not only can make your building a better place

to work, it can also help you run as efficiently as possible.

More advanced licensing and training

Like many different service industries, the HVAC field requires proper

certification for certain repairs and installations. And for some

equipment, if someone doesn’t have proper certification and training and

works on the equipment anyway, it may make the warranty null and void.

General contractors do have their own set of licensing requirements, but

usually they don’t go into great detail in any one industry. Which means

they may not be qualified to undertake certain procedures required to

keep your equipment in good working condition.

Early diagnosis means less repair

If you catch a problem early enough, it won’t grow into a monumental

problem. That rule can hold true in a variety of areas, especially your

HVAC system. A heating and air conditioning professional understands

where small problems begin. They know the key to regular maintenance,

what to stay on top of, and what to service and repair long before it

shows itself as a problem. In short, they can repair things long before

you would even realize they are becoming a potential problem. They can

also diagnose and identify issues early, which will help you avoid

costly repairs down the road as they grow into bigger problems.

Anticipation can help you save

One of the best parts of having a regular maintenance contract with a

HVAC professional is it allows a contractor to know your system, inside

and out. They visit regularly and understand when things need

adjustment. They have access to parts that may be difficult to find, and

can have things on hand when they know what your system requires on a

regular basis. They can avoid potential devastating system failures by

anticipating issues, and repairing them before they grow. While you

could be waiting days for a general contractor to diagnose a problem,

order the parts, and learn how to install them correctly, a professional

HVAC contractor can have the problem diagnosed and solved in hours.

Clearly as a building owner or manager, you have two choices in keeping

your building as efficiently run as possible. If you don’t have a

maintenance contract in place, you could be at a disadvantage. If you’re

ready to learn more, give us a call today.