What Is Condition-Based Maintenance?

Keeping on top of a building’s assets, resources and infrastructure requires knowledge and organisational skills.  

This is why so many maintenance professionals look to certain strategies, such as condition-based maintenance, to create a more efficient system.  

This not only results in assets with a longer lifespan but also ensures greater health and safety levels to protect workers. 

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) plays a pivotal role in achieving this. CBM helps to identify issues with equipment and other assets before they become a bigger problem. 

At SFG20, the industry standard for building maintenance, we are used by a wide range of sectors, from healthcare to retail, so we know how essential these strategies are for all businesses. 

If you’re unsure about how condition-based maintenance works, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll discuss everything you need to know – why you need it, the different types and the all-important pros and cons.  

What Is Condition-Based Maintenance?

 Condition-based maintenance is a proactive strategy. CBM requires monitoring equipment in real time to identify assets that need fixing or replacing. Sensors help to detect declining performance levels and potential failures before they occur. 

This strategy uses real-time information to signal that action is required now, as opposed to creating fixed schedules.  

It is typically used on assets that have an essential operational function and are likely to result in higher costs should they break down. 

Assets that would particularly benefit from condition-based maintenance include: 

• Timing belts 

• Motors 

• Pumps 

• Generators  

• Pipe systems 

• HVAC systems 

If you have a timing belt, for example, you’d look at things such as vibration levels and temperature. By monitoring its current condition, readings can be compared to collected data to determine whether or not maintenance is required. 

Why Do I Need Condition-Based Maintenance? 

Condition-based maintenance helps to prevent unexpected breakdowns and schedule repairs before equipment fails but ensures that you do not over maintain assets that do not require it. This helps to reduce overall costs and create a more reliable system.  

Other benefits include: 

Improves safety for workers 

Monitoring assets in real time helps to ensure that they are running as efficiently as possible and that any potential catastrophic failures can be identified quickly.  

This helps to reduce health and safety risks to workers, keeping them safe from potential hazards that could cause accidents and injuries. 

Minimises unplanned downtime 

Acting sooner rather than later puts you in the driving seat when it comes to scheduling maintenance.  

If you wait for failures to happen, this can leave you with having to carry out unplanned repairs or replacements, which could result in massive disruptions.    

Condition-based maintenance allows you to plan repairs or replacements at a time that doesn’t impact the working day. 

Expanding asset lifespan  

Equipment that is monitored regularly and well-maintained will not only run more efficiently, but is likely to have an increased lifespan too. 

Budgeting 

It’s safe to say that most people are eager to avoid unexpected or unnecessary costs – this is why condition-based maintenance is such a vital tactic for any business. 

By identifying issues before they occur, repairs can be made before a failure turns into a more expensive problem – this not only helps to reduce overall costs but also makes it easier to budget ahead and get more of a general idea of outgoings. 

What Are The Different Types of Condition-Based Maintenance?

There are several condition-based maintenance techniques. The type you use will depend on the equipment and information you need to gather.  

Here are a few examples: 

Acoustic analysis 

Sensors are used to monitor sound patterns and pitch to determine if a machine is running efficiently. 

This method looks at changes to sound patterns to detect issues such as bearing failure or loose connections.   

It is commonly used for machinery that uses motors, pumps and compressors. 

Vibration analysis  

Vibration patterns are monitored to detect if a machine is out of sync and therefore not running as efficiently as it should. 

This can point to possible failures in equipment that use conveyors, pumps, fans and motors. These rotating compartments will create a certain level of vibration, which will increase as they degrade or misalign. 

Infrared monitoring 

Infrared thermography can help to identify issues in machinery, electrical systems and even building structures.   

A safe and efficient non-contact method, thermal imaging creates a visual image of temperature distribution to detect abnormal heat signatures, such as hotspots or fluctuations.  

Ultrasonic analysis 

Ultrasonic analysis uses high-frequency sound waves to detect deep flaws in materials that could lead to leaks or faults in electrical systems or catastrophic failure of rotating components that use bearings. 

Oil analysis 

Oil analysis assesses the wear and tear of a machine, looking at the health of the oil and whether or not it’s contaminated with debris. 

This can help to diagnose specific issues, such as excessive wear for example, before they lead to failure.  

What Are the Pros And Cons Of Condition-Based Maintenance? 

Here is a summary of the positives and negatives of condition-based maintenance: 

Pros 

• Reduces costs by acting on potential failures before they become a bigger and more expensive issue. 

• Only targets assets that need maintaining. 

• Ensures assets run smoothly and reliably. 

• Helps to avoid losing valuable time on unexpected breakdowns. 

• Can minimise disruption due to maintenance being carried out to minimise the impact on operation.  

• Creates a safer environment for workers by ensuring equipment is running properly. 

Cons

• Condition-based maintenance can be expensive. You have to consider installation, specific control systems and asset modifications for older equipment. 

• You’ll need to invest in staff training as there needs to be a greater understanding of performance criteria, sensors and control systems. 

• Maintenance needs to be carried out as and when, as opposed to being predicted in advance, meaning predicting optimum resource levels can be difficult.  
  
  

How do other Maintenance strategies compare? 

This article has given you an idea of just how vital condition-based maintenance is for facilities managers and maintenance contractors. 

Keeping assets and equipment running as efficiently and safely as possible is a top priority that can be achieved through maintenance strategies such as CBM. 

However, condition-based maintenance is just one asset-maintenance strategy. FM professionals use many strategies including: 

• Run to Failure 

• Risk-Based (better known as Business Focused Maintenance) 

• Reliability Centred Maintenance 

• Predictive 
• Preventative 
  
  

Each type of maintenance falls under either ‘proactive’ or ‘reactive’, and has its own benefits that are suited to specific assets and equipment.  

At SFG20, we’ve been raising maintenance standards for over 30 years – it’s our mission to empower maintenance professionals with the information they need to keep buildings safe.  

That’s why we’ve created several informative and easy-to-read guides, including our Ultimate Guide to Compliance In Facilities Management. Click below to get a better understanding of your duties as a Facilities Manager.