Commercial buildings have a lot going on behind the scenes.

Electrical systems keep the lights on. Plumbing keeps everything flowing in the appropriate direction. Roofs keep Louisiana thunderstorms outside where they belong. And HVAC systems spend a significant portion of the year fighting a battle against Southern heat and humidity.

Around Louisiana and Mississippi, that battle can get pretty serious.

At LOUMIS Air, HVAC systems are seen working under all kinds of conditions. In a commercial environment, heating and cooling equipment can run for long stretches every day, particularly during summer.

Routine HVAC inspections are essentially a way of checking on all that equipment before something decides to retire unexpectedly at 2:17 on a Tuesday afternoon in July.

And air conditioners do seem to have a remarkable sense of timing.

Commercial HVAC Equipment Works Hard

Residential air conditioners certainly stay busy in the South, but commercial HVAC systems can face an entirely different workload.

A commercial building may contain dozens or hundreds of people. Computers produce heat. Lighting produces heat. Kitchen equipment produces heat. Machinery produces heat.

Then somebody opens the front door 73 times an hour.

Meanwhile, outside temperatures are approaching the mid-90s with enough humidity to make walking across a parking lot feel like swimming.

HVAC equipment has to manage all of it.

Routine inspections provide an opportunity to see how systems are handling those conditions.

Small Problems Have Ambition

One of the reasons routine inspections matter is that HVAC problems rarely begin by introducing themselves politely.

• A component starts wearing.
• A connection becomes loose.
• A drain begins clogging.
• Airflow slowly decreases.

Everything continues working, so nobody thinks much about it.

Then one afternoon the system stops.

Small HVAC problems occasionally have big career goals.

An inspection can uncover certain developing conditions before they turn into larger repair issues.

That does not mean maintenance can prevent every mechanical failure. Machines are machines. Parts eventually wear out.

The objective is simply to find what can be found while the equipment is still operating.

Airflow Matters More Than People Realize

Commercial buildings frequently develop temperature disagreements.

The accounting department is freezing.

The conference room feels like Baton Rouge in August.

Somebody has a space heater running underneath a desk while another employee has a fan pointed directly at their face.

Naturally, everybody blames the thermostat.

Sometimes the thermostat is involved. Sometimes the issue is airflow.

Dirty filters, blocked vents, duct problems, fan issues and other conditions can affect how conditioned air moves through a building.

Routine inspections can help identify potential airflow problems and determine whether components require attention.

Filters Need Attention Too

Air filters are easy to forget because they spend their entire working lives hidden from view.

Unfortunately, forgetting about them does not stop them from collecting material.

As filters become dirty, airflow can become restricted. Different commercial environments can also place different demands on filtration.

An office building may have one set of conditions. A restaurant, warehouse or manufacturing facility may have another.

There is no single replacement schedule appropriate for every building.

Checking filters during regular inspections helps determine whether the current maintenance schedule matches actual conditions.

Water Is Supposed to Leave the Building

Air conditioning does more than cool air.

It also removes moisture.

In Louisiana and Mississippi, there is plenty of moisture available for removal.

Condensate produced by an air conditioning system needs somewhere to go. Drain pans and condensate lines handle that job.

Until they don’t.

Clogged drains can lead to water appearing around equipment and surrounding areas. Suddenly an HVAC issue has invited flooring, ceiling tiles or drywall into the conversation.

Routine inspections can help identify drainage problems before that happens.

Electrical Components Don’t Last Forever

Commercial HVAC equipment depends on motors, capacitors, contactors, controls, wiring and other electrical components.

Those components experience wear.

Electrical connections can loosen. Parts can deteriorate. Motors can begin operating differently.

Some developing problems create warning signs that can be identified during an inspection.

Others do not.

Again, maintenance is not a crystal ball.

It simply provides an opportunity to examine equipment rather than waiting for the equipment to make the decision.

Energy Bills Can Tell a Story

A commercial building’s energy consumption naturally changes throughout the year.

August and January are not going to look the same.

But unusual changes can sometimes indicate that something deserves attention.

An HVAC system experiencing restricted airflow or mechanical problems may run longer or operate differently than expected.

Regular maintenance records can make these changes easier to recognize because there is history available for comparison.

Without records, diagnosing recurring problems can sometimes turn into HVAC archaeology.

Maintenance Records Actually Matter

Keeping records of commercial HVAC inspections may not be the most exciting administrative activity in the building, but those records can become extremely useful.

• They document repairs.
• They show which components have been replaced.
• They establish equipment age.
• They can reveal recurring problems.

Over several years, that information can help property managers make decisions about repairs, maintenance and eventual replacement.

Knowing that the same component has required attention repeatedly provides more useful information than everybody standing around the mechanical room saying, “Didn’t something happen to this thing last year?”

Timing Helps

HVAC equipment tends to receive the most attention when it stops working.

Unfortunately, that is also the least convenient time to begin thinking about maintenance.

Commercial cooling systems can be inspected before summer temperatures reach their peak. Heating systems can be examined before colder weather arrives.

The idea is straightforward: inspect equipment before asking it to perform its hardest work.

HVAC Maintenance Is Really Building Maintenance

Heating and cooling systems are part of the larger commercial property.

When HVAC equipment develops problems, the effects can extend beyond temperature.

Humidity, drainage, employee comfort, customer comfort and energy consumption can all become part of the equation.

Across Louisiana and Mississippi, HVAC systems spend much of the year working against conditions that are not particularly forgiving.

Routine inspections give those systems a little attention before they start demanding it.

Because an air conditioner going down is inconvenient.

An air conditioner going down at 3 p.m. in August in Louisiana?

That’s practically a hostage situation.