Preventive maintenance
A program that fits the building, not a one-size contract
Commercial equipment fails in predictable ways: clogged filters starve airflow and freeze coils, dirty condensers push head pressure up until a compressor gives out, condensate drains back up over a tenant’s ceiling, and economizer dampers stick and quietly waste energy for years. A maintenance program catches those before the hot week when every contractor in the county is booked.
We build the program around the building (how many units, how hard they run, what the tenants do) and put the scope in writing, so a property manager knows exactly what each visit includes and can show an owner what was done.
Program options
| Program | Best fit | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | Restaurants, medical, retail with heavy run hours, buildings with many units | Four visits: filters every visit, full inspection and coil cleaning spring and fall, heating check before winter |
| Semi-annual | Offices, small multi-tenant buildings, warehouses with moderate use | Spring cooling check and fall heating check, filters both visits, full electrical and refrigerant inspection |
| Per-unit / on-call | Owners with one or two units who want repair coverage without a schedule | Diagnostics and repair as needed; no scheduled visits |
Need equipment replaced rather than maintained? See commercial installation and replacement.
What a PM visit includes
Six things checked on every scheduled visit
Scope is adjusted per unit type, but a preventive-maintenance visit always covers these.
01
Filters
Replace or clean filters on every unit on the schedule you set (monthly, quarterly or by pressure drop), and log sizes so the next visit is faster.
02
Coils and condensate
Inspect and clean evaporator and condenser coils, clear condensate drains and pans, and check drain-line traps before the season they matter.
03
Refrigerant and electrical
Verify charge by superheat/subcooling, check for leaks, and test capacitors, contactors, motor amp draw and belts before they fail on a hot day.
04
Controls and economizers
Confirm thermostats, schedules, dampers and economizer operation; a stuck economizer wastes energy year-round.
05
Gas heat
Inspect heat exchangers, burners, ignition and flue on gas/electric rooftop units ahead of the heating season.
06
Report
A per-unit report with condition, work done, photos where useful, and recommendations ranked by urgency, written for a property manager, not a technician.
Diagnostics & repair
When a unit fails between visits
A technician diagnoses the fault, explains it plainly, and gives a written price before repairing. Common rooftop-unit parts ride on the truck. If the failure is a compressor, heat exchanger or a unit on phased-out refrigerant, you get a repair-versus-replace comparison the same day rather than a repair you’ll regret.
What affects price
What drives the cost of a maintenance program
- Number and type of units
- Rooftop units, splits, VRF and mini-splits each take different time; the count and mix set the base.
- Visit frequency
- Quarterly programs cost more per year than semi-annual, and usually cost less per visit and per repair avoided.
- Filter scope
- Filter quantity, size and type (pleated, MERV 13, custom) and whether we supply them.
- Roof and equipment access
- Hatch and ladder access, interior ceiling units and tenant scheduling all affect labor time.
- Age and condition
- Older equipment that hasn't been maintained often needs a first-visit catch-up: deep coil cleaning, repairs and refrigerant.
- Repairs
- Repairs found during a PM visit are quoted separately in writing; program members are scheduled first when a unit fails.
FAQ