Source: Questline
Video:
Without your lighting system, your staff wouldn't be able to work. Better lighting can improve productivity, increase safety and lower operating costs. To be sure your lighting system shines its brightest, you'll have to follow a masterful maintenance plan.
Monthly maintenance
- Inspect control devices, such as switches, dimmers, occupancy sensors and timers for damage.
- Check wiring and hardware. Check for cuts or abrasions on wire leads, corrosion or loose connections in lamp sockets and ensure all fixture mounting hardware is secure.
- Create a cleaning calendar. Establish a luminaire cleaning interval to reduce dirt depreciation effects. The interval depends on the cleanliness of the environment. Clean metal reflectors and glass using a soft cloth and water or very diluted glass cleaner. Don't touch any glass with bare hands, and never clean lights while they're on.
- Verify visual performance. Check the visual stability of light fixtures. There should be no noticeable light flicker or blinking in any type of lamp.
If there is a failure, determine the cause and replace burned-out lamps. Replace position-specific lamps with the same type, not universal position types. Also, consider group relamping — replacing all the lamps at once instead of spot relamping — to keep the lighting as uniform as possible and reduce maintenance labor. Proper lamp disposal requires hazardous materials communication when applicable.
Annual maintenance
- Recommission lighting systems following the most recent IES and ASHRAE guidelines. Be sure to follow the National Electric Code guidelines as well.
- Confirm all controls. Evaluate occupancy, dimming, scene presets and daylighting performance to be sure they are optimized.
- Observe the output. Compare the correlated color temperature output of a group of lights. Be sure they all match, as there can be color shifts, especially when lamps have been replaced. Measure the light output over time using a meter. It should still meet illumination standards for the application.
- Dial in on dimmer drama. Check for LED dimming issues, especially if LEDs are used with legacy dimmers. Symptoms include early dropout, late pop-on, dead travel, ghosting, flickering, strobing or flashing.
- Hunt for excess heat. Look for signs of heat or arcing damage. Measure the temperature of the light fixture in warm environments. Excessive heat reduces light output and rated life of lamps, ballasts and drivers.
Shedding lighting on any issues in your lighting system during routine maintenance could save you money and headaches down the road. Remember, it always pays to have a masterful maintenance plan.