With summer winding down, maintenance facility managers that live in cold areas know how important it is to prepare the area for the winter. Whether it's a hotel, motel, apartment complex, or any other hospitality business, there are certain things that have to be done to ensure that the cold doesn't cause expensive repairs throughout the winter months.
Irrigation Systems
One thing that needs to be done is to make sure that your irrigation systems are ready. By winterizing your irrigation system, you can help keep potential problems from occurring such as busted water pipes. One way to do this is to make sure the pipes are drained properly and blown out. Blowing out pipes with compressed air can keep them safe because this removes any residual water that can freeze. Also be sure to keep motors warm when not in use in order to keep the seals from cracking. Keeping pipes dripping water during hard freeze events is another way to ensure that you don't have burst pipes and of course flowing water such as waterfalls, can be left on throughout the winter. As long as the water is flowing, this will help keep pipes safe.
Swimming Pools
For those businesses with swimming pools that close during the winter, winterizing and preparing the pool for not being used is imperative. Whether you hire an outside company or have this done by your maintenance crew, make sure it is done properly to keep your pool performing well when it is reopened in the spring or summer, depending on the area it is located in.
Also Read: Winterizing with Work Order System
Landscaping
Your landscaping at the property needs winter care as well. Be sure that plants and bulbs that cannot take the cold, frost, or snow are protected or removed and kept in a more tolerant place. After any freeze, make sure the area around cold-tolerant plants is cleared of debris so that in the spring, new growth be free of being hindered. This also helps keep away insects and pests that may use this area for warmth, especially in plant beds that have straw or mulch.
Planning ahead is easy with an asset tracking software. You can add these tasks to your preventative maintenance workload so that everything is done automatically and you can even schedule up to months in advance.
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