maintaining, but rather make sure that the
equipment is maintained when needed.
After all, it is the owner’s property and
investments that are being used everyday.
Some owners like to maintain their own
equipment, in some cases this may be an
inefficient use of time. In these cases it is
still the owner’s responsibility to delegate
how and where the necessary maintenance is
accomplished.
If an owner decides to hire someone or
have a trusted crew chief perform the
routine maintenance, time must be set
aside each day and or week to ensure all
the equipment is in working order. This
may be the most popular method used
by carpet cleaning companies, but can
also be a risky approach when dealing
with larger, more sensitive equipment like
a truckmount or vehicles. If the person
performing the routine maintenance on
larger equipment is not qualified to do so,
the business owner may jeopardize the asset.
For instance, unqualified people may not
know that overfilling an engine with motor
oil can actually do much more harm than
an engine that is a little low on oil. This
can lead to costly repairs and downtime.
Always be certain the person performing the
maintenance procedures is qualified to do so.
One way to prevent this type of problem is
to have the employee(s) check the oil levels
via dipstick or sight glass and report back to
the owner if any fluids are low. This way, the
owner has more control of the situation and
can decide if only one pint or one quart of
fluid is needed.
Most of the equipment we purchase today
comes with either an owner’s manual or
documentation that states what needs to
be done. Most wands and stair tools for
example, do not come with a check list of
parts or part numbers to maintain. If the
cleaning tools or equipment do not come
with a maintenance list ask your supplier
and they should be happy to assist you.
Make sure to write down what they tell
you so you have it for future reference. One
recommendation may be to make photo
copies of this documentation or write down
the specific tasks and keep them all in a
binder. This keeps them all together in one
place for easy reference. There are computer
programs available to the consumer for
maintenance purposes. One program I know
of is called DataStream. This program is
generally used for larger companies with a
fleet of trucks and machinery. The program
allows the user to enter the maintenance
intervals by hours, miles or days and keeps
record of what has been done and informs
the user what needs to be done for the
specific piece of equipment.
Lets be honest, nothing lasts forever. But
keeping equipment properly maintained is
the best way to prevent premature failure.
When something does breakdown, this is
no longer considered a maintenance issue
but rather a repair issue. In this case it
may be beneficial to let an expert handle
the repair work. Often, certain parts that
need to be replaced may require special
tools and technical knowledge the average
carpet cleaning business owner does not
have. Many things that break down may
also require proper diagnosis. If an expert
is not handling the repair it may cost the
business owner even more money. Using a
reputable repair facility may prevent money
being spent on unneeded parts. When
someone doing the repairs is not 100% sure
of a problem, this can cause even longer
downtimes and greatly increase the cost of
repairs.
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