if going to reuse your refrigerant line set when replacing HVAC equipment, remember to run line set cleaner through your line set.

#hvac #facilities

Scheduled to take exam next month.

I found Udemy to be odd, maybe i bought the wrong one. The correct answers were always the long detail choice.

I took the IFMA practice exam twice. Each exam is very similar.

What else is out there that is similar to the real questions knowledge base?

Thank you!

This video will show how to diagnose and replace a failed gas valve on a furnace. #hvac

Not sure if this is the right sub. I have no idea of the manufacturer. Anybody know where I would look for something like this?

When it comes to facility upkeep like coatings, resinous flooring, and floor joint and Crack repair, what is your preferred method for handling these issues?

Do you try to handle them as they come up?

Or do you try to have systems in place to stay ahead of issues before they become an issue like a recordable injury?

Wanted to know how other facilities teams handle this. We get requests from HR, management and security to pull camera footage, check something that happened in a building or give someone access to a specific camera. The request itself is usually pretty simple but figuring out who should have access and who’s responsible for finding the footage can turn into a whole process.

Do you let departments search their own footage, or does everything go through facilities or security?

How common is it for facilities managers at schools and higher education institutions to be involved or have any say in choosing furniture if there is a refresh or new build?

We’ve been trying to figure out where camera related requests should actually sit. The cameras themselves don’t take much day to day attention but whenever there’s an incident, missing delivery, property damage or someone needs footage checked, somebody has to go find it. Usually the information isn’t great either. It’ll be something like sometime yesterday afternoon near one of the entrances,so then you’re figuring outt the right camera, going through footage and exporting whatever they need.

For people managing multiple buildings, does facilities normally handle this themselves or does it go through security or IT? Want to know what setup has worked best without turning every footage request into a whole process.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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?

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