Feature
Continued from page 37
Now, show me an air-conditioning plant of equivalent age
and condition and I’ll show you a pig with wings. Clearly, the
reason an aircraft achieves such incredible service life can be
attributed to the safety aspect. Safety on the ground and in the
air are of paramount importance; hence the almost paranoid
need to service the equipment properly, without compromise
or shortcuts.
Ok, now you are starting to catch my drift. Let us compare
a normal, well-designed office building with an aircraft in
service on any local or international route, be it ferrying
passengers or freight. The aircraft is comfortable, clean, well
ventilated, and above all, safe. It is managed by a well-trained
on-board crew, from the captain to the most junior cabin
assistant. Everything works like clockwork. All services are
fully functional, communication systems are in place, and all
mechanical and electrical components are working like a Swiss
watch.
Take a moment to contemplate all that can go wrong
during the flight. Think of all the hundreds of thousands of
components that can fail at any time, placing the safety of the
passengers and the crew at risk.
They simply do not fail because they are fastidiously
checked and serviced in accordance with strict schedules and
maintenance logs. When people’s lives are at stake, no effort is
spared in ensuring safety at all costs.
Now, the typical corporate office building is equally
comfortable, it is cleaned daily, and filled with people eight to
nine hours every day. It is managed by a well-trained facilities
management team headed by the portfolio manager.
But here’s where the comparison parts ways. The HVAC
is mediocre at best, the lifts are problematic, the electrical
systems are suspect, and fire protection non-compliant.
Nevertheless, let us concentrate on our own discipline
for the moment. The fact is, HVAC systems are notoriously
neglected by the landlord and their managing agent (with
notable exceptions, I must add). They are just too costly to
maintain properly as required. This unfortunate situation has
largely resulted in the demise of the HVAC maintenance and
service sector, to the extent that the required level of expertise
is generally no longer available.
HVAC is considered by some to be a grudge purchase — a
necessary evil if you will. Call it what you may, HVAC is not
afforded the attention it deserves, despite being the most
important building service.
Again, I indulge your imagination: Imagine the office
building to be an airliner en route to Cape Town, the office
workers now passengers, the facilities manager and his team
the flight crew. At the risk of falling out of the sky, the building
maintenance would be ruthlessly and vigorously applied — you
can bet your bottom dollar on that. Cost would not be an issue,
with happy and satisfied passengers (tenants) throughout the
commercial world.
Alas, buildings are not aircraft and we, the tenants, are just
people on the ground.
Building maintenance is therefore not a priority and as
such, it is not readily forthcoming. Only if the tenant’s safety
is compromised, would maintenance receive the attention it
deserves.
In saying that, I leave the landlord and their managing
agent to ponder the situation.
In any event (with some noticeable exceptions as I said
earlier), acceptable HVAC maintenance standards are now
generally non-existent. Whilst they need not be to aviation
standards, HVAC maintenance standards certainly need to be
uplifted and improved upon.
It would seem to me that only when lives are at stake, are
we prepared to do what it takes. HVAC on the other hand
poses no ‘obvious’ life-threatening risk.
Enough said. RACA
Patrick Burke
RPM Engineering
QUOTE
OF THE MONTH
Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be
able to see further.
— Thomas Carlyle
www.hvacronline.co.za
RACA Journal I January 2019
39