The Course

This course is an excellent opportunity to improve your skills in Preventive Maintenance of Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP – Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) systems and equipment, including fire protection systems.

The course will focus on key factors essential to effective MEP preventive maintenance, including approaches and procedures for different types of facilities. It will explore proven techniques for ensuring that preventive maintenance of MEP systems and equipment is performed according to the highest, cost-effective standards.

The course will address the needs of different facility types and complexes including schools, college campuses, office buildings, institutional buildings, and healthcare facilities.

Programme Outline

Overview of MEP – including fire protection — systems and equipment

• PM program
• PM implementation and follow through
• Equipment and systems inspection procedures
• Personnel qualifications and training
• Energy use
• Cost issues

Rethinking the Facilities Maintenance Model Pertaining to MEP Systems

• Historical perspective on maintenance cost and areas for improvement
• Review of maintenance best practices/original equipment manufacturers (OEM) recommendations and shortfalls
• Review of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)/reliability bathtub curves
• Application of simplified Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) concept to create efficient facilities maintenance models

Approaches to Effective Maintenance of HVAC Systems and Equipment

• HVAC systems basics
• Boilers and burners
  • boiler types
  • gas-fired boilers
  • oil-fired boilers
• Chillers
  • air cooled equipment: cooling towers, purge compressors
  • load control
• Direct expansion refrigeration
• Pumps
  • water systems
  • steam systems
  • alignment, seals, flexible couplings, lubrication, noise reduction
• Air handling units
  • coil: cleaning, freeze protection
  • fan: cleaning and balancing the wheel, lubrication, drive maintenance
  • variable frequency drives: noise reduction
  • cabinet leakage prevention
• Steam traps
• Air elimination and pressure control for water systems
• Heat exchangers
  • steam to water
  • water to water
  • cleaning, checking air elimination, checking vacuum breakers
• Miscellaneous air systems
  • dual duct
  • induction units
  • grilles and registers
• Maintaining peak equipment efficiency as it applies to the above-outlined systems. How to:
  • perform daily inspections
  • schedule and perform routine maintenance
  • maintain operating logs
  • maintain spare parts inventory and tools

Preventive Maintenance of Electrical Systems

• Motors and starters diagnostics
  • inspection
  • belt drives
  • lubrication
  • vibration analysis
• Panels and switchgear
  • thermal scanning
  • power factor
  • grounding
  • transformers
  • electrical tighten-up
• Lighting
  • relamping programs
  • cleaning
  • ballast changes
  • controls
• Emergency power
  • UPS systems
  • generators
  • closed/open transition switches
  • lighting
• Security (building and perimeter)
  • alarm systems
  • cameras
  • fire and smoke detection systems

Effective Procedures for Maintaining Plumbing Systems and Equipment

• Backflow preventers
• Hot water circulating pumps
• Booster pumps
• Water heaters
  • relief valve operation
  • drain down program
• Fire protection
  • fire pumps
  • (water testing primary–inspection testing and maintenance)
• Theory of Fixture, Waste, and Vent Pipe Sizing
• Sewers and Drains
• Wastes, and Vents Practice
• Theory of Hot and Cold Water Piping Systems
• Sizing Water Piping Systems
• Interceptors
• Plastic Piping for Waste, Vents, Drains, Sewers, and Water
• Manual Valves
• Double Containment Piping
• Sump and Ejector Pumps
• Air Compressors and Vacuum Pumps
• Piping Design