miluxian/iStock/Thinkstock
Ecmweb 7137 Successfailure
Ecmweb 7137 Successfailure
Ecmweb 7137 Successfailure
Ecmweb 7137 Successfailure
Ecmweb 7137 Successfailure

Maintenance vs. Repair, Part 2

Feb. 24, 2015
Each incidence of unplanned equipment repair, typically the result of a surprise failure, is evidence of a maintenance failure.

You want your maintenance team to maintain more, repair less. Each incidence of unplanned equipment repair, typically the result of a surprise failure, is evidence of a maintenance failure. So the higher your ratio of maintenance to repair, the more successful you are.

Some repairs are part of the maintenance process. For example, the mechanics replace worn, but still serviceable, seals before the seals leak. They may do this on a schedule (X hours of operation) or based upon some condition metric evaluated during regular predictive maintenance.

An electrical equivalent would be repairing a bolted connection, based on the fact that during the predictive maintenance it appeared hot during an infra-red scan and an AC resistance test confirmed it needed repair.

What you don’t want is for the mechanics to have to take a production line down because a seal suddenly started gushing all over the place. In the case of that connection, there may not be time to take production down before the connection fails and you get an arc fault.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EC&M, create an account today!

Sponsored Recommendations

Fiberglass Electrical Conduit Chemical Resistance Chart

This information is provided solely as a guide since it is impossible to anticipate all individual site conditions. For specific applications which are not covered in this guide...

Champion Strut Catalog

Champion Fiberglass is the most advanced manufacturing facility of fiberglass conduit, fiberglass bridge drain and fiberglass strut systems in the world. Its well-trained and ...

Considerations for Direct Burial Conduit

Installation type plays a key role in the type of conduit selected for electrical systems in industrial construction projects. Above ground, below ground, direct buried, encased...

How to Calculate Labor Costs

Most important to accurately estimating labor costs is knowing the approximate hours required for project completion. Learn how to calculate electrical labor cost.