What is preventative maintenance?
Preventative maintenance is the systematic maintenance of your elevator to ensure that everything is working properly. It’s having your elevator checked, even if there aren’t any immediate or apparent issues. This is the opposite of reactive maintenance, which is just fixing the problems with your elevator as they arise, and includes lubrication, parts replacement, repairs, and other adjustments.
Benefits of preventative maintenance
Some business owners are reluctant to pay for preventative maintenance and opt to just fix problems with their elevators as they arise. This is a mistake. Preventative maintenance is more cost-efficient in the long run and reduces the risk of machine failure.
It’s no secret that elevators undergo much wear and tear. Having routine preventative maintenance done reduces the risk of parts failing and the machine breaking down completely, rendering the elevator out of service until a technician can get there. If one part breaks, it can often put a strain on other surrounding parts which will then cause them to malfunction quicker. So, having all parts checked regularly prolongs the life of your equipment.
Cost
Starting a preventative maintenance program can seem costly, but it’s less expensive than reactive maintenance long-term. When something breaks unexpectedly, you have to pay for the technicians to come short notice (which sometimes includes having to pay for after-hours or rush service), ordering new parts that sometimes have to be expedited, and the amount of time for your technicians to diagnose the problem and fix it. All of this could have been avoided if your elevator was being checked regularly.
Safety
Preventative maintenance is also in the best interest of your passengers. If you are having your elevator constantly checked, you can say with certainty that the elevator is safe. Also, people are accustomed to having a working elevator, especially if the elevator is used to move heavy items, so when an elevator is out of service, it causes irritation and lowers productivity.
Preventative maintenance is essential to the life of your elevator and the satisfaction of your passengers. If you have any questions about preventive maintenance contact us today!