Preventive Maintenance

When most self-storage owners erect their new buildings and open for business, the furthest thing from their minds is maintenanceparticularly the preventive variety. Theyre concerned about more immediate issues such as increasing occupancy, lease rates, staffing and marketing.

Sooner Than You Think

Even if an owner initially chooses high-quality buildings designed to make maintenance easier, it will take only a few months for regular maintenance to become a priority. For instance, inclement weather may be the culprit when high winds scatter tree limbs and debris on the roofs. Sloppy tenants who move out may leave behind damage. Or simple normal wear and tear on perfectly good moving parts may require a closer look. The point is, any good maintenance is preventive maintenance.

Maintenance Is a Way of Life

Preventive maintenance should be a priority in the mind of every facility owner. Performing routine preventive maintenance on your buildings is not only a smart habit to develop, it saves you money. Systematic upkeep of your buildings lengthens their life-spans, which means less future maintenance costs. In addition, customers appreciate a well-maintained property that is clean and attractive. Its a fact that 60 percent of those making the storage decisions are women, who are generally concerned with eye appeal and cleanliness.

Here are a few tips to help keep your buildings clean, well looked after and attractive.

Roofs:

You should walk your roofs regularly. You may be surprised at the debris youll find. Of course, you can expect the residue from natural causes such as wind or rainstorms, but you may also find items such as scrap metal, cans and bottles, discarded by careless tenants or workers. In fact, if some materials are not removed quickly, your warranty may be in jeopardy. Its also necessary to clean gutters and downspouts, particularly in the spring and fall.

Exterior Walls:

At least once a year (or more often), exterior walls should be washed to remove dust, dirt and grime. A regular carwash cleaner will work just fine to keep paint surfaces clean and help prevent them from dulling.

When Tenants Move Out

A good time to take care of any required maintenance is when tenants move out. Wipe the walls and clean the concrete floors of grease, paint or other foreign matter that will look unsightly to a new tenant. Usually a good pressure washing will do the trick. Also spray the units for insects and have an exterminator set traps for rodents.

Doors:

Empty rentals are also an ideal opportunity to perform maintenance on the unit rollup doors. When doors are originally installed, door axles, springs and tracks are lubricated to ensure smooth movement. Even with high-quality doors, the oils dry over time and problems arise where rubber and plastic surfaces come in contact with metal doors and tracks. Doors should be rolled down and springs and axles lubricated with spray-on lithium grease.

At the same time, door tracks should be sprayed with clear silicone. Cans of lithium grease and silicone are available at any auto supply or home-improvement store. These simple preventive measures will keep doors working better with little time and effort. Performing maintenance on your facility buildings on a regular basis is smart business.

It will help retain or even increase the value of a facility. Regular upkeep is neither expensive nor time consuming, but if neglected, it can be costly.

Terry Campbell is marketing director of BETCO, a single-source manufacturer of self-storage buildings that has been in business since 1984. For more information, call 800.654.7813; visit www.betcoinc.com.

Preventive Maintenance

Article-Preventive Maintenance