We can’t emphasize enough that, no matter what type of property you own, it is essential to properly inspect and maintain your HVAC system on a regular basis.  The times of the year when you need these systems the most are often the times when they will fail, if they are going to.  Why?  Because they are being taxed at the greatest rate.  And, if they haven’t been properly maintained, they can’t always keep up with that level of demand.

If you don’t believe us, take it from a bunch of Burger King customers who recently had to evacuate the restaurant because the HVAC system fritzed out.  Smoke quickly filled the space, making it inhabitable.  That would be a nuisance for the customers, of course, but a much bigger problem for the property owners.

It is cooling season.  The hot temperature that a large portion of the country has been experiencing are undoubtedly testing the HVAC equipment in many buildings.  Those that haven’t been regularly maintained are at the greatest risk.

In this case, a roof top unit caught fire, filling the restaurant with smoke. It appears that proper maintenance was not being exercised on the equipment. When equipment is left to run, without checking the motor bearings, greasing moving parts, replacing filters, and checking refrigerant charges, the likelihood of something breaking is substantially increased. Having control systems and sensors in place is also important, and can ease maintenance concerns.  They allow the system to run more efficiently, which means that it isn’t taxed to the same degree during these peak seasons.  Certain controls and sensors can even be used as alerts, throwing up figurative red flags when problems are imminent, and possibly preventing this sort of situation.

With duct mounted temperature sensors and easy plug and play software, any HVAC system can be remotely monitored, communicating underlying problems before tragedy strikes.