How Many Types Of Electrical Maintenance Are There?

Much like our bodies need regular checkups and rest in order to function properly, electrical equipment too has to be repaired regularly. Moreover, if the equipment is critical for ensuring the continuity of the production process, electrical maintenance activities must be carried out even more frequently and with greater precision.

Many people think that maintenance is carried out only when there is an electrical problem. In fact, electrical maintenance is a continuous process that involves a series of activities performed by a master electrician and aimed at ensuring smooth running of the electrical equipment. There are several types of electrical maintenance that are required to be performed in order to keep the equipment functioning at its best. In this blog, we are going to explore all of them in detail. 

What is electrical maintenance?

Electrical maintenance is the process of rectifying all types of electrical issues, potential and immediate. It is all about keeping the equipment functioning with minimum interruptions. Electrical maintenance activities include tasks like inspecting, testing and repairing the equipment regularly, all with the goal of ensuring the continuous operation and extending the life of the electrical equipment. 

What types of electrical maintenance are there?

One important thing to know about electrical maintenance is that it is not just about fixing a little problem and plugging the equipment back in. It is a continuous and multi-sided process with lots of activities such as preventive, predictive, corrective, condition-based, predetermined and reactive maintenance. Let’s review each of these types of electrical maintenance in more detail below. 

Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance is largely about supervising the equipment’s condition and making sure flaws are spotted and fixed early on. Preventive maintenance falls into the category of planned maintenance. As this type of electrical maintenance activity is carried out regularly according to a set schedule, chances of possible equipment breakdowns are significantly smaller. Preventive maintenance plays a major role in extending the life of the equipment and in ensuring continuous business operations. 

Predictive maintenance

The need to carry out predictive maintenance is defined by the de facto condition of the equipment. This type of electrical maintenance is carried out to predict potential failure even before it happens. Predictive maintenance assesses the state of the equipment and analyzes its performance through periodic or continuous equipment monitoring.

Corrective maintenance

Corrective maintenance takes place when equipment breaks down and requires repair. This type of electrical maintenance activity involves identifying the problem, isolating the fault followed by the actual repair.

Condition-based maintenance 

Condition-based maintenance is the opposite of preventive maintenance, e.g. it involves looking for any performance changes and their causes in the equipment followed by corrective maintenance. 

Predetermined maintenance

This type of electrical maintenance is called “predetermined” the set of maintenance activities are predetermined by the equipment manufacturer. Manufacturers have probably done some extensive research before they built the equipment so they know how and when it has to be serviced in order to remain functional longer. The task of the master electrician is to simply ensure that the maintenance is performed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance involves responding to the problem when it has already occurred. Itis essentially not maintaining the equipment at all but rather fixing the problem when it occurs, regardless of its severity. Reactive maintenance is effective in a way that it does not require any significant resource and time expenses. However, it makes sense only when the breakdown is minimal and replacing the failed part takes moments to complete.

To sum up

Even the shortest downtime in the operation of a business can have a dramatic impact on its productivity and profitability. That is why conducting each of these types of electrical maintenance will help preserve the systems’ or equipment’s operability and minimize the risk of potential downtime. 

FAQs

1. What are the elements of preventive electrical maintenance checklist?

Preventive maintenance is all about maintaining electrical systems and equipment in its best working condition. Main steps of preventive electrical maintenance include inspecting, servicing, calibrating, adjusting, aligning the equipment or components of the electrical system. By following these electrical maintenance steps, the service life of the electrical systems and equipment will be extended and downtimes reduced significantly. 

2. What are the electrical maintenance basics?

While electrical maintenance activities may differ from one organization to another, there are electrical maintenance basics that are common for all organizations:

• Conduct system analysis. This step involves defining the components that are critical to the electrical system and those that have been showing signs of deterioration. These usually require a closer look by the maintenance team.
• Prepare a situation report. Given that most electrical maintenance checklist tasks require the team to shut down the systems, it is important to calculate the downtime and consider the cost implications. 
• Determine preventable failures. Determine which failure modes follow a pattern and prepare a plan to tackle them.
• Prepare Bill Of Materials. Having Bill OF Material (BOM) ready before the maintenance begins will help save time and resources. 
• Train staff. Because of the safety concerns involved in tasks like electrical maintenance, only licensed and well-trained electricians can perform maintenance of electrical systems. 

3. What are electrical maintenance best practices?

Electrical maintenance best practices can be all boiled down to a single idea - to prevent any major malfunctions from occurring. Here are some of the best practices when it comes to electrical maintenance:

• Look for any signs of damage in the wiring and the circuit breaker and replace the worn out parts. 
• Inspect the power plugs and cables are in good condition.
• Clean the outlets of excessive dirt regularly.
• Inspect the outlets and switches for any damage and replace them if necessary.
• Ensure all necessary repairs and replacements are completed in time.
• Document and keep track of all repairs and replacements. 
• Conduct electrical inspections regularly to ensure the safety of the electrical systems.

Regular service and maintenance is the key to ensuring the systems safety and reliability. What is more important, checking on the electrical systems regularly will ensure the safety of the staff and minimizes any potential downtime.

4. What is in the planned electrical maintenance checklist?

Planned electrical maintenance checklist involves routine checking of the electrical systems and equipment as well as resolving common commercial electrical problems in order to identify existing and potential faults with the goal to provide timely maintenance and preserve the systems/equipment’s operability and minimize the risk of downtime. These tasks range from the simple outlet checks to more complex inspections of the entire electrical systems or equipment. Conducting planned electrical maintenance is essential in preventing any major malfunctions to occur.