Project Maintenance

Maintenance is the combination of all technical and administrative actions needed to keep a building or facility in a condition in which it can perform its required function safely and economically throughout its life.

Types of maintenance (buildings)

1. Routine (day-to-day) maintenance: regular small jobs such as cleaning, painting touch-up, checking drains, lubricating doors, replacing bulbs.
2. Preventive (planned) maintenance: scheduled inspection, servicing and minor repair before failure, e.g. repainting every 3–5 years, cleaning water tanks, servicing lifts and generators.
3. Corrective (breakdown) maintenance: repair after a defect or failure, e.g. repairing a leaking roof or burst pipe.
4. Emergency maintenance: immediate work to deal with dangerous conditions, e.g. after a fire, flood or earthquake damage.
5. Predictive / condition-based maintenance: based on inspection and tests (cracks, NDT, vibration) to predict when repair is needed.
6. Special repairs and rehabilitation: major repair, retrofitting or strengthening, e.g. jacketing of columns, waterproofing a roof, renewal of services.

Why maintenance is necessary

• Buildings deteriorate due to weather, use, ageing, water, chemical and biological action, and settlement.
• Without upkeep, small defects grow into major and costly repairs.
• It keeps the building safe and healthy for the occupants.

Importance for built projects

1. Prolongs the life of the structure and finishes.
2. Safety: prevents failures and accidents (falling plaster, electrical faults, leaking gas).
3. Economy: a small cost for timely work saves large repair or replacement costs later.
4. Protects investment and property value.
5. Functionality and comfort: services, lighting, water and sanitation work properly.
6. Appearance and image of the building; better rental income.
7. Reduces downtime and disruption to users.
8. Legal and insurance compliance: fire safety, lift and electric inspections.
9. Conserves resources and the environment by avoiding early demolition and rebuilding.

Yes, I agree. Preventive maintenance means inspecting, servicing and repairing parts at planned intervals before they fail. Corrective maintenance means repairing only after failure has occurred. In most cases the first is cheaper, safer and more reliable, which is the meaning of "prevention is better than cure".

Reasons

1. Lower total cost: small, planned jobs are cheaper than major repairs; a damaged part left to fail often damages other parts too.
2. Fewer breakdowns and less downtime: the facility stays in use; there is no sudden stoppage of work or services.
3. Safety: defects such as cracks, corrosion, or faulty wiring are found before they cause accidents.
4. Longer service life of structures and equipment.
5. Planned work: labour, materials and funds can be arranged in advance, and the work can be done at convenient times, not in a rush at higher cost.
6. Better performance and appearance, and higher property value.
7. Predictable budget compared with unexpected emergency expenditure.

Comparison

Examples

• Roof: cleaning gutters and applying waterproofing every few years costs little; ignoring a small leak leads to rusted reinforcement, spalled concrete and a major rehabilitation.
• Road: crack sealing and fog sealing of a pavement cost a fraction of the cost of full-depth reconstruction when potholes and base failure appear.
• Machine: changing oil and filters of an excavator on schedule avoids engine failure and expensive downtime.

Corrective maintenance is still needed for sudden failures, but a good plan keeps these few.

The objectives of project (building and infrastructure) maintenance are:

1. To keep the structure and its services in safe and working condition throughout their life.
2. To prolong the useful life of the asset and delay replacement.
3. To keep the facility available for use with minimum breakdown and interruption.
4. To reduce the total life-cycle cost by preventing major failures.
5. To protect the value of the investment and the property.
6. To ensure safety and health of users, and to comply with laws and codes.
7. To maintain appearance, comfort and good image.
8. To restore damaged parts to their original condition, or to upgrade them when needed.
9. To make the best use of labour, materials, funds and equipment through planned work.
10. To keep records of defects and repairs for planning and future design improvement.

Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance is planned work done at regular intervals to prevent breakdown, such as inspection, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment and minor repair, carried out when the item is still working. Example: repainting the exterior walls every 4 years; servicing a lift or generator monthly; clearing road side drains before monsoon.

Corrective (breakdown) maintenance

Corrective maintenance is repair or replacement carried out after a fault or failure has happened to restore the item to working condition. When failure is sudden and the work must be done at once, it is called breakdown maintenance. Example: repairing a burst water pipe; patching potholes after they appear; replacing a failed pump.

Differences

Planned maintenance

Planned maintenance is maintenance organised and carried out with forethought, control and records, following a prepared programme. It includes preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance and planned corrective repair, in which the work is identified, estimated and scheduled before it is carried out.

Planning of maintenance

Planning decides what is to be done and how.

• Inventory of assets and survey of condition.
• Identify the jobs, their priority, methods, materials, tools, labour skills and cost.
• Prepare job specifications, safety precautions and a budget.
• Decide whether to use in-house staff or contractors.

Scheduling of maintenance

Scheduling decides when and by whom.

• Prepare a calendar (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) of inspections and works.
• Fix dates according to the weather (e.g. waterproofing before monsoon), occupancy and the availability of resources.
• Group jobs to reduce disruption; use bar charts or networks for large works.
• Issue work orders and keep history cards.
• Monitor progress and update the schedule.

Benefits: balanced workload, fewer breakdowns, better budget control and longer life of the asset.

Repair and maintenance are essential for prolonging the useful life of a construction project, because every structure is attacked by weather, moisture, load, chemical action, pests and ageing from the day it is completed.

Importance

1. Stops deterioration at an early stage: sealing a crack or repairing a leak early prevents corrosion of steel, spalling and structural damage.
2. Extends service life: regular care can add many years to the design life, which delays reconstruction.
3. Economic: the cost of maintenance is small compared with replacement; the project gives value for money.
4. Keeps the structure safe and functional; it protects users from accidents.
5. Maintains the capacity and performance: for example, a regularly resurfaced road keeps its riding quality and load-carrying capacity.
6. Protects the investment and value of the asset.
7. Avoids service interruption, loss of income, and high emergency costs.
8. Saves natural resources and energy used in the new construction.

Example: a RCC bridge with regular cleaning of drains, repainting of bearings and sealing cracks may continue to give service well beyond 50 years; the same bridge neglected may need replacement in 25 years.

Difference

Formulating a good maintenance plan

1. Inventory and survey: list all components, with their age, condition and importance (roof, walls, services, drainage).
2. Set objectives and standards for performance, safety and appearance.
3. Identify tasks and frequencies: daily, monthly, annual and periodic, from manufacturers' manuals and experience.
4. Prioritise by safety, risk and cost; critical items first.
5. Estimate resources: materials, labour, tools, spare parts, contractors and budget.
6. Prepare a schedule (calendar or bar chart) and assign responsibility.
7. Implement by work orders; supervise quality and safety.
8. Keep records: history cards, inspection reports, costs.
9. Review and update the plan regularly using feedback and performance data.

Preventive maintenance is planned inspection and treatment carried out while an asset is still in good condition, to prevent faults and slow deterioration. It is important because it reduces cost and keeps the asset safe and serviceable.

Importance in roads

• Sealing cracks and fog or surface treatment keep water out of the pavement and avoid potholes and base failure.
• Cleaning and repairing side drains, culverts and cross drainage before monsoon prevents washouts and slope failures.
• Timely resurfacing costs much less than reconstruction.
• It gives a smooth, safe ride, which lowers vehicle operating cost and accident risk.
• Roadside slope care, bioengineering, and shoulder repair protect the road in hill areas of Nepal.

Importance in buildings

• Repainting and waterproofing protect walls and roofs from moisture and corrosion.
• Servicing electrical, plumbing and drainage systems prevents fire, leakage and service failure.
• Early repair of cracks and spalling protects the reinforcement and structure.
• It keeps the building safe, and keeps its value and appearance.
• It reduces emergency repair cost and interruptions in use.

Types of maintenance

1. Routine maintenance (regular small jobs).
2. Preventive / periodic maintenance (planned at intervals).
3. Corrective or breakdown maintenance (after failure).
4. Emergency maintenance (immediate repair after disaster).
5. Predictive / condition-based maintenance.
6. Rehabilitation / major repair.

Highway maintenance means keeping the road, its pavement, shoulders, drains, structures and furniture in good condition so that traffic can run safely and comfortably throughout the road's life.

Importance

1. Protects the investment: a highway costs a very large sum; timely maintenance protects it from early failure. Cost of reconstruction is several times more than the cost of upkeep.
2. Safety: good surface, markings, signs, guard rails and clear sight distance reduce accidents.
3. Reduces vehicle operating cost: a smooth road saves fuel, tyre wear, repair and travel time.
4. Keeps the road open all year: drainage, culvert and slope work prevent landslides and washouts in monsoon, which is very important in the hill roads of Nepal.
5. Prolongs pavement life: early repair of cracks and potholes stops water entering the base and sub-grade.
6. Economic and social benefits: reliable access to markets, health care and schools, tourism and trade.
7. Comfort and image: a clean and well-kept road improves public satisfaction.
8. Environmental benefit: reduces dust, erosion and sedimentation.

Works include pothole patching, crack sealing, resurfacing, shoulder and drain cleaning, culvert and bridge repair, vegetation control, sign and marking upkeep, and emergency clearing of landslides.

Diagnostic maintenance (also called condition-based or predictive maintenance) is a maintenance approach where the actual condition of a structure or equipment is examined by inspection, testing and monitoring to find out the defects, their causes and extent, and to decide what repair is needed and when.

Steps

1. Visual inspection and record of defects (cracks, leakage, corrosion, spalling).
2. Collect the history: design, age, use, earlier repairs.
3. Testing: rebound hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity, core test, half-cell potential, carbonation depth, chloride tests, load test.
4. Analyse the causes and severity.
5. Select the repair or strengthening method and time.

Features and advantages

• Repair is done only when needed, so cost is lower than fixed-interval work.
• Finds hidden faults before failure, so safety improves.
• Helps to select the correct repair, not just the symptoms.
• Gives a data base for the remaining life of a structure.

Limitations

Needs skilled staff and testing equipment, and the initial cost of inspection may be high.

Example: testing a 30-year-old RCC building for carbonation and corrosion before deciding whether to coat, patch or jacket the columns.

Diagnosing the problem of a structure before rehabilitation follows a systematic sequence:

1. Collect background information: age, drawings, design and construction records, use and loading history, earlier repairs, exposure conditions, and any damaging events (earthquake, fire, flood).
2. Preliminary (visual) inspection: record cracks (width, pattern, location), deflection, tilting, leakage, spalling, rust stains, efflorescence, settlement and signs of distress with sketches and photographs.
3. Plan the detailed investigation: select the points and the tests required.
4. Non-destructive testing (NDT): rebound hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity, cover meter, half-cell potential for corrosion.
5. Partial destructive tests and sampling: concrete cores, steel samples, mortar and soil samples; carbonation depth, chloride and sulphate tests, compression tests.
6. Structural analysis: reassess the load capacity of the damaged structure with actual material strengths and the geometry.
7. Find the causes of distress: design or construction errors, overloading, poor material, corrosion, chemical attack, settlement, thermal movement, seismic damage.
8. Evaluate extent and severity; classify the damage (minor, moderate, severe), and check safety and need for temporary support.
9. Decide the remedial measures: repair, strengthening, protection or demolition, and prepare a rehabilitation plan with materials, methods, cost and schedule.
10. Report and monitoring: prepare a report and install monitoring (crack gauges, tell-tales) to check the effect of the repair.