Imagine this: your sophisticated Building Automation System (BAS) is ticking along like a finely tuned clock… or so you thought. Suddenly, you start receiving alerts on your phone. Something’s happened and half the HVAC is down. What gives?
The first question to ask yourself is, “Did I perform the necessary preventative maintenance for the building systems?” A BAS isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. Even though the systems should be humming along without much effort, they still need you to check in on them periodically. Enter routine maintenance for building automation hardware.
If you’re not sure where to start with BAS hardware maintenance, keep reading! In this blog, we provide a general building automation maintenance checklist that facility managers and technicians can follow throughout the year.
Here at Functional Devices, we work to make both our electrical components and BAS hardware maintenance easily accessible and simple to understand. Our engineers are always available to answer any questions, too, so feel free to give us a call for help.
Why Preventative Maintenance for Building Systems Matters
Our opening illustration shows you a good example of why routine maintenance for building automation hardware is so important. A stalled or compromised BAS can result in a cascade of negative effects. Ideally, you’d catch any issues before they become so bad as to cause a system failure. Think of a BAS like your teeth—it needs regular checkups and cleanings to stay healthy!
Performing routine maintenance for building systems is preventative in nature, ultimately saving you time and money. Reactive maintenance, on the other hand, is only responding to problems once they arise.
While reactive maintenance might seem to save you time and money up front, you may end up spending more in the long run to fix a bigger problem. You also risk poor reliability, uptime, efficiency, safety, and equipment lifespan. To ensure an optimal BAS, choose preventative maintenance.
Benefits of Preventative Maintenance
A structured building automation maintenance checklist just makes sense. Benefits include:
- Consistent and predictable building operations
- Compliance with regulations
- Easier troubleshooting and fine-tuning
- Cost savings
- Better energy efficiency
- Extended hardware lifespan
- Enhanced safety
- Improved data integration
Implementing a checklist doesn’t have to be overwhelming either. It’s all about breaking it down into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks.
Building Automation Maintenance Checklist for RIB® Relays and Power Controls
In this post, we’re giving you a general building automation maintenance checklist. Don’t forget, however, to tailor the schedule to your facility’s size, complexity, and function. For example, relays managing sensitive medical equipment will need checking more often than relays in non-critical applications. If you’re unsure how to personalize this checklist for your particular situation, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Daily and Weekly Maintenance Tasks
Let’s start with the bread and butter of BAS hardware maintenance: daily and weekly tasks. Make these habits and you’ll be well on your way to comprehensive preventative maintenance for building systems.
- Monitor systems. Check BAS dashboards for alerts, unusual readings, or communication errors.
Visually inspect. Look for obvious issues (loose wires, damaged devices, tripped breakers).- Check device functionality. Verify occupancy sensors, thermostats, and relays respond properly.
- Verify backup. Confirm system backups are running correctly.
How you sort these into daily or weekly tasks will depend on the size of your facility and the critical nature of the specific system(s). If you have a large industrial operation, for example, you might break up the visual inspection over a week, checking the hardware in one area or building per day. Or, if you have critical infrastructure that requires 24/7 up-time, you may check daily. But, if you have a smaller building without sensitive equipment, it’s probably sufficient to perform these tasks weekly.
Monthly Maintenance Tasks
Your monthly tasks go a little more in-depth than daily maintenance, taking into account more layers of your BAS. Here’s what to add to your schedule:
- Clean and remove dust. Wipe down control panels, sensors, and relay enclosures.
- Check power sources. Inspect backup batteries, power supplies, and voltage consistency.
- Review calibration. Spot-check sensor accuracy (temperature, humidity, CO₂).
- Check for updates to firmware/software. Ensure controllers and hardware run the latest updates.
Get in the habit of blocking off some time at the end of every month to perform these important tasks. Once you get some experience, you’ll be able to perform these tasks (or delegate them) efficiently.
Quarterly Maintenance Tasks
Now a layer deeper into the BAS: more thorough testing and data review. Here are your quarterly tasks:
- Test critical systems. Ensure all HVAC controls, lighting automation, and emergency systems are working properly and according to automation rules.
- Check integrity of connections. Inspect wiring terminations, tighten loose connections, and check relay contacts.
- Review data trends. Analyze performance data for efficiency issues or early signs of hardware failure.
- Verify redundancy systems. Test failover systems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), or backup controllers.
Annual Maintenance Tasks
Think of annual maintenance tasks like the very important cherry on top. It wouldn’t be a sundae without a cherry, right? Well, your routine maintenance for building automation hardware isn’t complete without these tasks:
- Perform a comprehensive system audit, including a full review of automation hardware, software, and integrations.
- Professionally calibrate sensors and complete necessary compliance testing.
- Evaluate components that are getting old and plan replacements before failure.
- Assess energy savings from automation and complete a cost analysis. Identify upgrade opportunities.
These annual tasks will be much more manageable if you’ve kept up with your daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly checklist. By following this checklist, you’ll have the raw real-time data needed to make educated decisions about your facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should building automation hardware be inspected?
Depending on the type of hardware and type of inspection, building automation devices should be inspected daily or weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Daily or weekly checks will be quicker and more surface level, like visually inspecting connections and wires, while monthly and quarterly tasks will take more time and include cleaning and verifying connections. Annual tasks include audits and professional calibration. Download our full maintenance checklist to get started.
What are signs that my BAS hardware is failing?
Signs that your BAS hardware needs immediate attention include:
- System alarms and error messages
- Unresponsive equipment
- Higher energy bills than usual
- Lack of or inaccurate data/readings
- Manual overrides by staff needed
- Frequent malfunctions and breakdowns
- Inconsistent operation
- Visual damage
- Unusual smells and noises
- Excessive cycling
- Inconsistent temperatures
- Device communication errors
Depending on the type, not every device will exhibit all these signs. Use your common sense and when in doubt, perform thorough BAS hardware maintenance.
What’s the difference between preventive and reactive maintenance in BAS?
Preventive maintenance in a BAS is proactive, involving scheduled inspections, calibrations, and updates to catch issues early and keep systems running efficiently. Reactive maintenance is corrective, performed only after a failure or breakdown occurs. In short, preventive minimizes downtime and costs, while reactive often leads to unexpected disruptions and higher expenses.
How do I customize a maintenance checklist for my specific facility?
Start by assessing your facility’s unique equipment, usage patterns, and operational priorities. Then, adapt a standard BAS maintenance checklist by adding tasks for critical systems, adjusting service intervals, and noting any manufacturer requirements. Finally, review and update the checklist regularly to reflect changes in equipment, staff feedback, and performance data. Contact us if you need help!
How Functional Devices Simplifies BAS Hardware Maintenance
Routine maintenance for building automation hardware extends component lifespan and reduces overall operating costs. We highly encourage you to adopt this proactive building automation maintenance checklist to make preventive maintenance more actionable and manageable.
Here at Functional Devices, we design our products for easy maintenance. How? Through simplified wiring and installation, prepackaged construction, improved accessibility and troubleshooting, built-in features, and durability. Explore our reliable relay solutions, and contact our team for support with BAS hardware maintenance. We can help you customize the checklist for your situation.
Want a quick resource for building automation maintenance?
Download our checklist!