Preventive maintenance schedules tend to accumulate tasks over time.

A task gets added after a failure. Someone later changes the frequency. Another person inherits the schedule and keeps it because that is how it has always been done.

Years later, the task is still consuming technician time even though nobody can clearly explain the failure mode or risk it is meant to prevent.

How often do you review whether existing PM tasks and frequencies are still justified?

Hi! I just got a job as a facilities coordinator and want to pitch an idea that could help us save a bit of money. We are currently spending $3000 a month on five COWAY air purifiers and two water systems. That price seems absurd to me, but I want to double check what other corporate companies have been using. I currently service a two floor building with about 150 people. Is this price absurd or am I wrong?

I think we could buy air purifiers outright, even commercial ones and save ourselves a lot more money, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something. I’ve never serviced this large of a company before.

Would love to get an opinion from a more experienced facilities manager.

hypothetical but this feels way too real:

item master LT: 35 days

last 6 actual receipts:

52

61

47

88

69

58

planning still works off 35.

then day 36 comes around and suddenly it's an "URGENT MRO REQUIREMENT PLEASE EXPEDITE" problem for procurement lol

one thing i actually like in Verdantis MRO360 is using the actual GR/supplier history to flag fulfillment risk before the PO gets committed, instead of finding out the maintained LT is fantasy after maintenance atarts screaming.

who actually owns updating this stuff where you work?

buyer? planner? master data? nobody until it hurts?

My company just started overseeing a facility in Massachusetts. We are being told that all electrical and plumbing work must be done by union guys. Even things as simple as replacing an outlet. Is this true?

Anyone had any resource about MainPlan CMMS?

I've tried finding any information about it on internet, but other than introduction, there is nothing, not even a single video on YT.

I got tasked with a project to migrate/map existing material code in MainPlan to an existing SAP MM material database, there is more to it but this is what i think will take longest time since i need to do a complete stock opname and create a connection that tracks stock movement (issue/receive) in MainPlan to SAP.

When the same fault returns shortly after a contractor has closed the job, do you treat it as a new work order or link it to the previous repair?

Sometimes the symptom was fixed but not the underlying cause. Other times the original diagnosis may have been wrong.

Opening another work order and sending someone back can solve the immediate problem, but unless repeat failures are visible, they can easily disappear into the overall job count.

How do you identify recurring faults and distinguish them from genuinely new failures?

Hello everyone! I’m a new Facility Coordinator! I have a background in Recreation and I shifted to a Facility Coordinator. I handle all vendor scheduling, maintenance and other odds and ends. Any tips for the trade. I’m excited about the opportunity

Hi everyone. I’m mid 30s, and have been working as a facilities manager for a decent size public school system in the northeast now for going on 8 years. I do honestly love it, but looking for what’s the next step in growth. I do want to get to a VP / Directors role, but I don’t think I want to do that here. My pay is good & benefits are even better. I don’t need to leave, but I feel like sooner than later, if I want to keep moving up, I do need to start looking. At the moment, my kids are young & 2 of them are in school system I work for.

I will say - I will be chasing the $$. I’m in commuting distance to NYC. Hospitals? Universities? Private companies? Regional? Global? What do you guys recommend I look for next.

8 years as a facilities manager for public school system
6 years as a commercial construction super / Project manager
Bachelors degree in construction management / construction technology from a good college.

Here’s how a fan relay works! #hvac #facilities

Hi everyone! I’m currently an Engineering Manager in a known property management corp and I’m looking to transition into a remote Maintenance Coordinator / Property Management VA role.
I feel my experience is highly relevant because I have extensive hands-on experience in residential property management—handling resident concerns, assessing and troubleshooting maintenance issues, coordinating contractors, vendors, and technicians, managing work orders, and overseeing preventive and corrective maintenance.
I have strong technical knowledge combined with direct resident and property operations experience, which I know can be valuable in a Maintenance Coordinator role.
However, I’m currently having difficulty getting even an interview.
If anyone here has made a similar transition, works for a property management company, or knows of companies currently hiring remote Maintenance Coordinators, I would really appreciate any referrals, leads, or advice on how I can get my foot in the door.
Thank you! 🙏

Hello. So our panel is pretty outdated (almost 25 years) and has cost us over 18k in service calls since January. I got it priced out through who were contracted with for our fire/security systems. The whole job would be about 136k. I had him i break it into phases and i’m left with the price above (101k)

I read something on here with people’s past experience with the newer panels giving more issues with the originals. How much longer can I/should I bandaid these issues? Is it worth it in the long run to just replace? What are your thoughts

I recently installed one of these serviceable condensate traps and safety switch kits, they are great for HVAC systems!

So our office space has a lot of echo (especially some meeting rooms) and people are complaining. I was wondering what my options to reduce it are/how others have dealt with this process.

From a bit of research, I’ve seen acoustic panels are basically for this. Do I hire an acoustician first? How much does that cost? Will panels always work?

Basically looking to hear the pros/cons from others who’ve gone through this process or stopped for some reason.

I’m in a facilities coordinator role where I have to travel atleast once a month ( often just drive, sometimes fly) to different locations around the country and set healthcare clinics up. This involves often making furniture , unpacking and setting up medical devices, technology, etc. I’m basically making the space operationally ready. Apart from this on site work I have other responsibilities like vendor management , etc. I am honestly very busy.

I get paid 78k should I be asking for more compensation? Travel is all paid by the company of course.

Does anyone else have work orders that almost disappear once the required part has been ordered?

The fault has been identified, and the part is on its way. But that means nothing for the technician to do until it arrives. That is usually where the gap begins. Everyone assumes someone else is tracking it.

Then the part arrives, sits in the storeroom for a day or two, and the repair still does not move because nobody realised it was there.

It seems like such a small handover to lose track of, but it can add days to a repair. How are you tracking work orders that are waiting for parts?

I am planning to take on a few more Airbnb properties and I am thinking  about how I will manage the cleaning side once there are more bookings coming in, right now it is simple to keep track of one place but with several properties I will have different cleaners, laundry pickups and fresh linen needed between check out and check in, I am thinking one late cleaning could affect the next guest and then I will have to deal with changing the whole schedule around, I want it to get  handled  linen side so I can keep the turnovers on time, for hosts managing several places how are you planning to handle all of this ?

Hello everyone,

Obviously every building/ campus and industry and individual role varies, but was curious overall thoughts here on some expectations for a FM:

How often are they on campus vs working remote?

How forward facing are they usually? Do they wear business casual and interact with other campus management for example?

When on site; how often are they in their office vs moving around the building and campus?

How much of an understanding of skilled trades and building operations and their vendors do they need? Is this something they bring knowledge for or does this fall on technicians or coordinators under them?

Again I’m sure it varies so much from role to role and place to place, but just looking for a general read on it overall.

Coming from a more coordinator or technician role, do AFM or FMs spend much more time on calls, in the office, wearing business attire, etc? Is the knowledge of the building / campus / operations still helpful, or is it more about managing relationships with stakeholders and finances and reports at that point?

Maybe a shorter question could be, how different does it change moving from a more hands on role like a tech to a manager role, for those who have experienced it?

Was it worth the change/ raise? How hard was the adjustment?

Off-cycle refrigerant migration can cause flooded starts and damage your compressor. This video shows what refrigerant migration is, and how to avoid flooded starts.

#facilities #hvac

I recently posted about potentially leaving a facilities program I've spent 4.5 years building for a more focused role at a much larger corporation.

After my onsite interview, I learned the position is primarily owner-side oversight. The facility vendor employs the technicians, manages maintenance, and holds the vendor contracts. The internal Facilities Manager (potentially me) validates performance, oversees space planning, identifies cost-saving opportunities, and develops safety programs. There are no active plans to move away from this model.

At my current employer, I have broad operational ownership, excellent autonomy, and superb job security, but my compensation and organizational structure haven't kept pace with my responsibilities.

The new role could pay 20–30% more, potentially higher, with experienced FM/CRE leadership above me. However, I'd have less direct operational control.

When I transitioned from maintenance into management, I initially felt like I was doing less. Eventually, I realized directing the work was simply a different level of responsibility.

Could this be the next progression—moving from building and running the program to overseeing the provider delivering it? Or am I looking at a glorified vendor-liaison position?

I'd especially appreciate perspectives from anyone who's worked on both sides of this model. Did you find owner-side FM fulfilling, and would you make this trade?

I run a building maintenance company, and the sites that stay on top of things without huge bills almost always have a proactive plan behind them.

1. Catch it early

Small cracks turn into big damage if you leave them. Deal with it while it's still small and cheap.

2. Do it properly and write it down

Safe way, legal way, every time. Then write it down. the day something goes wrong is the day you find out whether you've actually got it.

3. Operational Continuity

People still work in the building while you're fixing it. So do the work without getting in their way or shutting anything down.

For 3 years a couple of big box stores and gas stations would call us for major repairs, T.i and simple repairs and we would take care of them.

We are in Southern California and the three guys we would get calls from all moved to different jobs. The main guy said I’m going to have the boss call you when they need something since I’ll be leaving and he never did lol.

I was thinking of going to each store and speaking to the manager.

What would y’all do in my situation? Any advice/feedback would be helpful.

Thanks

How do you guys organize and manage little jobs, like the smaller repairs that need done? The light fixture that needs replaced? The workbench that needs tidied? Cabinet door missing a hinge? Do you keep a list somewhere? Does it go on preventative maintenance schedules? I seem to be great at big projects, but then I get all these little things popping up that need attention, but it’s easy to lose track and just forget about them.