Summer is officially over, and the colder months are fast approaching. The change in season is a great opportunity for businesses to revisit the condition of their buildings before the chilly weather starts to set in.
Below, we outline several warehouse maintenance steps you can take to ensure your warehouse is fully equipped to tackle everything the autumn months might throw at it.
1. Consider your heating options
When it comes to heating your warehouse, you need to have a heating solution that is specifically tailored to suit your premises.
There are two main heating solutions for warehouses: floor standing cabinet heaters and radiant tube heating.
Floor standing cabinet heaters or warm air heaters work by taking in air from the warehouse, heating it up through a system of heat exchangers, and then releasing the warm air back into the warehouse via a fan – a fail-safe method for heating even a large environment like a warehouse. They are available in a number of possible installations: vertically, horizontally or even on the exterior of your warehouse – this is because these heaters have several heat outputs and burners, so their versatility makes them incredibly useful in the workplace.
Radiant tube heating uses gas tubing, which heats up and radiates its energy to the surrounding area. Rather than relying on air circulation, radiant tube heating directly heats objects in its path. This is what makes it such a great heating solution for large spaces that frequently have doors open – like warehouses.
2. Check your air conditioning system
Your air conditioning system is likely to have seen a lot of use after the hot summer months. As such, autumn is the perfect time to get your system scheduled for maintenance so it’s running smoothly.
Some air conditioning systems also have a heating function, so they won’t be turned off during the colder months – they’ll still be in constant use. Therefore, it’s even more important to get the unit working to maximum efficiency before the cold weather kicks in.
3. Check your building for energy efficiency issues
As energy costs are on the rise, it’s more important than ever to look at where we can improve on energy efficiency. Things such as broken windows, holes in exterior walls, or poor building insulation can severely reduce the efficiency of your heating system.
If your warehouse has a high roof, you should also ensure that warm air isn’t being trapped in the top of the building, as this is a waste of warm air that could be harnessed effectively.
To combat this, suspended destratification fans are a fantastic solution. These fans are designed to push warm air back down from the roof to the area below. This will mean your heating system isn’t wasting energy heating unoccupied space, reducing fuel consumption by as much as 15%.
It (quite literally) pays to keep on top of structural repairs to your warehouse and prevent any warm air escaping. This will in turn help your heating work at full capacity to keep you cosy during the autumn.
4. Get a professional heating engineer to assess your warehouse
Getting too many heating units for your warehouse will result in the space being too hot to work in. On the other hand, getting too few will risk leaving your warehouse uncomfortably cold for employees and visitors.
To install a heating system that will efficiently and effectively heat your business, a professional engineer should come and assess your premises to work out a heating solution that meets your business’s unique requirements. At Heritage Heating, we offer a free site survey. One of our contract engineers will visit your site and provide a quote for your ideal heating solution at absolutely no cost.We also provide maintenance for heating and air conditioning nationwide – so wherever you’re based in the UK, Heritage can help.
