Preventive Maintenance - A Savings Tool

In today's economy, saving money, making calculated investment decisions, cutting back, and other financial measures have become focal points in society. There are many other measures that can be considered to save money. One simple and inexpensive method is Preventive Maintenance. Preventive Maintenance is maintaining equipment to ensure longevity and to reduce major equipment failure. In layman's terms, "take care of your stuff."

Most mechanical and electronic equipment (appliances, televisions, computers, home heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, vehicles, and more) are carefully engineered and designed creations that come with a comprehensive instructional manual.These manuals contain valuable information on maintaining and cleaning the costly investments.Most consumers do not read the manuals in detail; however, it is would be wise to pay attention to the preventive maintenance section.This section may be called “Care and Maintenance”, “Use and Care”, “Preventive Maintenance”, and other terminology.If the original manual is missing or misplaced, there are many great online resource that provide free manuals.

Preventive Maintenance is designed to be simple and easy to complete.Some simple measures to maintain equipment may involve rinsing out filters, wiping open ducts, routine cleaning, changing used oil, and more.These procedures are easily completed and the costs are relatively low.Not performing routine preventive maintenance on equipment may lead to a costly repair and replacement.For example, not changing car motor oil (ranges from $25 - $75 per change) may result in thousands of dollars in engine damage.

Adding preventive maintenance to the list of money saving ideas is a wise decision.Several simple steps can be made to ensure large savings.

• Take an inventory of large and costly equipment purchases around the home or office.
• List the make, model, and serial numbers on a spreadsheet or notebook
• Retrieve user’s manuals.
• Contact original manufacturer for missing manuals.
• If the manufacturer is no longer available, obtain a generic preventive maintenance procedure from online resources.For example, a washing machine’s make and model cannot be identified, find a similar washing machine from a known manufacturer and follow their preventive maintenance procedures.
• Make a list of materials needed to perform the maintenance.Many times the materials (grease, motor oil, cleaning solution, etc…) can be used for several equipment.
• Schedule preventive maintenance procedures in advance.Use an electronic calendar or a planner to plan out each procedure.
• Contact preventive maintenance service providers to perform the services for large and complicated procedures.
• Keep a log of all work that is completed.Include date, materials used, procedure completed, and a signature to indicate “complete.”Add any other information that may be pertinent to the equipment as needed.

These small steps are crucial to ensure equipment longevity and reduced repairs.

Start saving today.  Maintain your investments now and save later.