Church Building Maintenance: Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing

The Key Reasons for Proper Professional Church Building Maintenance

While it may seem obvious to do, maintaining a church building has a few sizeable obstacles that make it hard to commit to.

First, there is a major difference between a bit of aesthetic maintenance and major mechanical repair. This difference adds a lot in both time and cost. Second, balancing the budget of a non-profit community organization of a church can be troublesome at best.

There are still key reasons for keeping your church building maintained.

1. Safety

Malfunctioning mechanical items, poor heating and cooling, exposed wires, and constant plumbing clogs can make for an unsafe environment. Any of these issues can turn a good space into a disastrous environment that can close your church’s doors.

2. Function

Not only do these above malfunctions make for dangerous areas but they can also harm the working foundation of your church. It is near impossible to hold any amount of community events in a place with no air conditioning or working bathrooms.

In some cases, there are ordinances that can prevent your building from being open if they have any major maintenance issues. Be mindful of your local regulations to judge which maintenance items are a priority.

3. Appearance

The last major reason is simple appearance. While less of a danger than the other issues, a church that is rundown and malfunctioning does have a negative effect on the community. On the other hand, a well-maintained church has a positive effect on the community. People feel better being in a clean and functioning church.

Breaking Down the Mechanical Issues

There are 3 major sections that divide church building maintenance. The sections are mechanical issues, electrical issues, and plumbing issues. For the first, we’ll break down the mechanical problems you might come across during church maintenance.

1. Broken Boilers and Heating

For colder months, a working boiler and heating system is an absolute must. Boilers need a regular schedule of maintenance. Ignoring it for long periods can leave you with massive expenses to repair or even replace them.

Many churches are older buildings and may have outdated boilers and heating systems that may need a drastic overhaul. Get a professional to look over your heating system to judge how functional your system may be.

2. Broken Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

In the same vein of boilers and heating systems, cooling systems and air conditioners are a major health benefit during the hot summer months. The importance goes up as you gather a large group of people in a sealed building with little to no ventilation.

In addition to air conditioning, some churches may use refrigeration to store food for community dinner benefits. Refrigeration units can need heavy repair if proper, regular maintenance is not available.

Understanding Your Electrical Problems

The second on the list are electrical issues. These are often the most simplistic of the three as most churches do not have a need for large computer networks or data storage.

1. Lighting Issues

Lights are a common facet for any major building. Even with a good amount of natural light, keeping your lighting functional is key. Any hallway or walkway should have high illumination. This gets even more important for elderly church members who may not have as keen eyesight as others.

2. Connecting Your Communication

Some churches are big enough to have a PA system for broadcasts. Telephones and even an internet network for a small office can also be essential to running a church that is larger than a single house of worship.

Solving Your Plumbing Situations

Last, but not least, is plumbing maintenance. Plumbing is the biggest maintenance need for cleanliness and can be the easiest to miss.

1. Restroom Problems

Providing bathrooms for your members is the biggest source of plumbing needs. Almost any event or service will be long enough to warrant at least one or two quality bathrooms.

Clogged toilets, leaky faucets, and broken pipes can all happen with simple wear and tear of frequent use.

2. Other Water Line Connections

Your plumbing can often mean a lot more beyond the bathroom as well. If you have any lawn or outside garden, a sprinkler system may require maintenance. If you operate a soup kitchen out of your church, a kitchen with a sink and dishwasher can be more water lines to maintain.

Emergency Situations

Proper, scheduled maintenance can help to keep all of these systems in solid shape. The more you keep up with them, the easier each repair can be. Even with regular maintenance, though, there will still be major events that can require an emergency repair.

Being able to have a reliable emergency repair crew on hand can be a lifesaver. If a pipe bursts or the air conditioning breaks only hours before a major service, you can be in serious trouble otherwise.

Dealing with Older Buildings

As we hinted at earlier, many churches are older buildings and may come with antiquated systems. These are hard to maintain, break often, and may not even be fit under local regulations. This can be difficult on a low budget.

Upgrading these systems is often the best way forward in the long term, but requires major investment. Talk with a professional about the state of your systems and what items may function well enough to wait while others need upgrading immediately.

Getting the Professional Touch

With all of these considerations, you can start to understand where proper church building maintenance can be hard to manage. The importance of keeping these elements up to date and functional, though, is a key aspect of a quality church program.

That is why you need a professional maintenance provider by your side. We here at Walker Mechanical can help repair and maintain any number of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing issues. Contact us today for more information.