BOMI SMT key terms

Scheduled, planned servicing of building equipment performed before failure occurs, such as lubrication, filter changes, and inspections, intended to extend equipment life and reduce unplanned breakdowns.

Repair work performed after a fault or failure is detected, restoring equipment to acceptable operating condition. It is reactive rather than scheduled and is usually triggered by a service request or alarm.

Maintenance timed by measured equipment condition, using vibration, temperature, or oil analysis data to forecast failures, so intervention happens just before functional loss rather than on a fixed calendar.

Ongoing measurement of parameters such as vibration, temperature, pressure, and lubricant quality to detect developing faults early and inform maintenance decisions without disassembling equipment.

A written authorization and record for a maintenance task, listing scope, location, labor, materials, and completion notes. It supports scheduling, cost tracking, and equipment history.

Software that stores equipment inventories, maintenance schedules, work orders, spare parts, and labor records, enabling planned maintenance and reporting on costs and backlog.

The accumulated volume of approved but unfinished maintenance work, commonly expressed in labor hours. A growing backlog signals insufficient staffing, poor planning, or excessive reactive repairs.

Planning defines the tasks, parts, tools, and labor needed for a job; scheduling assigns that job to a specific time and technician. Together they reduce idle time and improve productivity.

The average operating time between successive failures of a repairable asset, calculated by dividing total running hours by the number of failures. Higher values indicate greater reliability.

The average elapsed time needed to restore a failed asset to service, including diagnosis, parts acquisition, and repair. Lower values indicate better maintainability and faster recovery.

A structured method that identifies equipment functions, likely failure modes, and consequences, then selects the most cost-effective maintenance tactic for each failure mode.

The specific manner in which a component or system ceases to perform its intended function, such as bearing seizure, seal leakage, or electrical contact welding.

A systematic investigation to identify the underlying reason a failure occurred, using tools such as the five-whys or fishbone diagrams, so that recurrence is prevented rather than symptoms merely repaired.

Diagnostic technique that measures oscillation of rotating machinery to detect imbalance, misalignment, looseness, and worn bearings, allowing faults to be corrected before catastrophic failure.

Use of thermal imaging cameras to detect abnormal temperature patterns in electrical panels, motors, and building envelopes, revealing loose connections, overloads, and insulation defects without contact.

Precision method of aligning coupled shafts on pumps and motors using laser emitters and detectors, reducing vibration, bearing load, and energy loss caused by misalignment.

A managed schedule specifying lubricant type, quantity, method, and interval for each machine, preventing wear and overheating while avoiding over-greasing that damages bearings and seals.

A complete inventory of equipment and systems with identifiers, location, capacity, age, and maintenance history, forming the foundation for planning, budgeting, and capital renewal decisions.

Economic analysis totaling acquisition, operating, maintenance, and disposal costs of an asset over its service life, used to compare alternatives and justify replacement or repair decisions.

Postponed maintenance or repairs that are needed but delayed for budget or operational reasons. It accumulates into a liability and can shorten equipment life and raise future costs.

Planned replacement of major building systems and components at the end of their useful life, funded through capital budgets rather than operating expense, guided by condition and criticality.

Safety procedure in which energy sources are isolated, locked, and tagged before servicing equipment, preventing accidental startup or release of stored energy that could injure workers.

Wearable safety gear such as gloves, eye protection, hearing protection, respirators, and arc-rated clothing, selected according to identified hazards for a given maintenance task.

Entry into a space with limited access and poor ventilation that is not designed for occupancy, requiring atmospheric testing, permits, attendants, and rescue provisions before and during entry.

A dangerous electrical discharge through air caused by a fault, producing intense heat, light, and pressure. Hazard assessment determines required boundaries and protective equipment for energized work.

A networked control system that monitors and commands HVAC, lighting, and other building equipment, using sensors, controllers, and schedules to maintain comfort while minimizing energy use.

Microprocessor-based control in which digital controllers read sensors and compute output signals to operate valves, dampers, and motors, replacing older pneumatic and analog control loops.

The target value a control system maintains for a measured variable, such as supply air temperature or chilled water pressure. Adjustment shifts equipment operation and energy consumption.

A closed sequence in which a sensor measures a variable, a controller compares it to setpoint, and an output device adjusts to reduce the difference, repeating continuously.

A range around a setpoint within which no control action occurs, preventing rapid cycling of equipment and stabilizing operation of heating, cooling, and pressure controls.

Planned activities to reduce building energy use while maintaining required conditions, including scheduling, setpoint optimization, economizer use, retrofits, and tracking of consumption data.

Comparing a building's energy use intensity against similar buildings or its own past performance, often through rating systems, to identify priorities for efficiency improvement.

Review of consumption, demand, and rate structures on utility statements to detect anomalies, verify savings, and select tariffs that reduce operating cost without changing building operations.

Ventilation strategy that modulates outdoor air intake based on measured occupancy, typically using carbon dioxide sensors, reducing conditioning energy when spaces are sparsely occupied.

The condition of air inside a building as it affects occupant health and comfort, influenced by ventilation rates, pollutant sources, humidity, and filtration and addressed through monitoring and response procedures.

An HVAC approach in which supply air volume varies to meet zone load while temperature stays roughly constant, using terminal boxes with dampers and often reheat for individual zone control.

An assembly of fans, coils, filters, dampers, and controls that conditions and distributes air to building zones, central to ventilation, heating, cooling, and humidity control.

Refrigeration machine that removes heat from water for cooling loads, using a vapor-compression or absorption cycle, and rejects that heat through a condenser to a cooling tower or air.

Heat rejection device that evaporates water into moving air to cool condenser water, transferring building heat to the atmosphere and requiring water treatment to control scale and biological growth.

Ratio of useful cooling or heating output to energy input for a system, expressed in consistent units. Higher values indicate greater efficiency and are used to compare equipment options.

Chemical and physical conditioning of water in boilers, chillers, and cooling towers to prevent scale, corrosion, and microbial growth, preserving heat transfer and equipment life.

The network of service entrance, switchgear, transformers, panels, and feeders delivering power to building loads, requiring inspection, testing, and protective device coordination.

Ratio of real power to apparent power in an electrical circuit, ranging from zero to one. Low values increase current and losses, sometimes incurring utility charges and justifying correction.

Backup generation and distribution, including generators, transfer switches, and battery systems, that supplies critical loads during utility outages and must be regularly tested and maintained.

Systems protecting occupants during emergencies, including fire alarm, sprinklers, smoke control, and emergency lighting, subject to inspection, testing, and code-required maintenance intervals.

Network of detection devices, manual pull stations, notification appliances, and a control panel that warns occupants and initiates responses, requiring scheduled testing and record keeping.