In business, lost time can be catastrophic, and its domino effects could cost companies thousands of dollars. These days, 80% of companies can experience unexpected power outages. Issues including equipment failure and late deliveries can create furious customers that cannot supply their customers when promised. Hometown Electrical Service’s Preventive Maintenance Services can address these issues and provide customers with peace of mind, knowing downtime can be reduced, if not avoided, as a result of electrical problems.
Thermal Imaging Used for Electrical Preventative Maintenance
Thermal imaging can identify hot spots in electrical equipment that you cannot see with the naked eye. Some examples include overloaded circuit breakers, wiring overheating, loose connections and problems with devices, switches, or contactors. HES can not only do the scans, but we can also provide detailed reports with pictures that will assist in locating problematic spots that need immediate attention and potential issues that should be addressed quickly.
Switchgear and Circuit Breaker Testing
Yearly inspections and cleaning of switchgear and electrical equipment can help prevent a host of problems, especially in an environment where there is conductive dust or damp conditions. Switchgear, breakers, and buss duct should also be torqued yearly, according to manufacturers’ specifications. Coordination studies can assure that your larger adjustable trip breakers are set properly to avoid nuisance tripping. or worse yet, not tripping when they should!
Emergency and Backup Testing
There is nothing more frustrating than when your utility power goes out and your backup generator does not operate properly. Many firms wrongly assume that because they have a generator, they are immune to the impact of power outages. Electrical preventive maintenance should consist of fluid checks per manufacturers’ recommendations and load testing to make sure your generator set can meet your demands. Emergency lighting should also be tested regularly. Building codes state that there should be an illuminated path of egress out of the building in the event of a power outage. Regular testing will assure your emergency lights are working when you need them, that your backup generator truly protects your employees’ lives, your products, and your IT systems.
Arc Flash Hazard Analysis
OSHA Regulations state that as a business owner, you are responsible to provide employees a “safe working environment”. This also applies to people who work in your facility on a limited basis, such as service people like plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians. A current Arc Flash study will calculate the exposure of your employees to dangerous thermal energy buildup during a short circuit or arcing fault. With this information, HES provides tailored recommendations to warn employees of the hazards and minimize their exposure. Mitigating the potential dangers from arc flash hazards should be a key component of any company’s safety program.
LED Lighting Retrofit
Replacing all of your existing fluorescent, metal halide, or high-pressure sodium lighting in your office, warehouse, and site areas to energy saving LED can save a lot of money on operating and maintenance costs. The energy bill savings coupled with utility company rebates can give you an ROI of 2-4 years typically. From a electrical preventative maintenance standpoint you will have fewer bad lamps or ballasts to have changed not to mention better lighting for your employees. Parking lot lights and exterior wall pack lighting can easily be converted to LED to save even more on maintenance and operating costs. Another way to reduce energy costs are motion sensor lighting control. Don’t pay for the lights to be on while employees are not in the area, and these can qualify for utility rebates as well.
Equipment Chargers
In Distribution Centers and Manufacturing Facilities that run electrically powered equipment, such as pallet jacks, order pickers and forklifts, your chargers are the life blood of the operation. Chargers should be regularly inspected for damaged cords and connectors, blown fuses or breakers along with the proper power output to assure the unit is operating at peak efficiency.
Spare Parts
Your facility may have some electrical equipment that has a long lead time on replacement parts. With shipping, manufacturing, and trucking companies under-staffed these days, some items could take weeks or even months to get on site. These can include special fuses, breakers, bussing, Bus Plugs, Bus Sections and disconnects. Having spare parts on hand when you need them can be the difference of a couple hours of downtime as opposed to a week or more of lost production.
Contact Hometown Electric Services
Stay ahead of potential problems and schedule your electrical preventative maintenance estimate today. Contact Hometown today to avoid costly repairs in the future before the Colorado summer heat takes over.
