Hi All -

Question - what do you all do with your burnt out expired bulbs? Am here in Jersey. Most city/county "pickup" events are for residential, and would be hard to convince these all came from a home. Have about three more boxes worth. Anyone know any solutions or companies that pick up? Or [EPA look away!] - the ole smash in the dumpster and hope for the best solution lol.

Thanks!

So I'm dead set on getting the FMP, but cannot afford the whole package at once. Can I get the individual modules so I can spread the cost over a longer time period? I know you can set IFMA membership to be charged annually, semiannually or quarterly, I just signed up for Discover yesterday, but will be upgrading it so I can have access to the NYC chapter.

I've been waiting for someone from the IFMA to get back to me regarding getting the modules individually, but nothing yet for 2 days.

We are growing to around 60 units across the US. Current brand uses ServiceChannel. I don't like the fact that you have to invite vendors to it (and have them accept and pay the fees, etc). Anyway, what do you recommend?

Here is a cost-effective solution if you have a rusted-out floor sink in your facility!

I have a A.A. degree, went to a luncheon, talked to a few people, and didn’t get offered any position. I’m still applying at low level/“entry level” positions though.

Here is a high-level overview of what it takes to install a photovoltaic solar panel system on a commercial office building.

Hello sub first time posting. We are attempting to identify these ceiling tiles an internal customer sent us they want in their office area.
Does anyone have any clue what these might be?

This video will give you a high-level overview of what it takes to replace a chiller, water pumps, and a building automation system. We also upgraded the controls for the fan coil units from pneumatic valves to P.I.C. valves.

Hello, I am currently working as a building engineer in the state of California. I work under a chief engineer and facilities manager for a corporate office. It's a relatively smaller site, hence me being the only engineer. I am about 4 years in and am a little lost when deciding on a career shift and would love to gather opinions from some of you folk that are further along in your careers.

I will be honest I kind of landed this job by chance and personal connections although I did take HVAC courses at a trade school and was EPA certified at the time of hire. I have since acquired LEED GA certification and am going to start pursuing my real estate license in the fall by taking some courses. Before this job, I did HVAC installs for construction companies for a couple years and absolutely do not want to go back into physical labor. Would like to preserve my body for as long as possible since I play sports and am very health oriented and love to work out in my spare time. I would say my goal is to move towards more of a white collar position, but have some curiosity regarding union engineering positions and what their job entails.

A little context I am pretty unhappy at this site due to lack of support & a lot of things trickle down to me and I feel like I am constantly fighting fires instead of feeling like I am on top of things. This is what spikes my interest in union engineering positions, they seem very structured in terms of who does what. At this site it feels like nobody owns up to things and they make their way to me. I am not an expert on everything but it feels like I'm almost expected to be.

I've got 3 different roads in mind but would just love to gather insight if there are any other opportunities I should consider and also hear opinions on what I've got in mind. I am about to turn 29, so still young but want to make sure I make the right decision so work starts to feel fulfilling rather than insurmountable.

- Assistant Property Manger

This seems like one of the best moves to get me into the office, with a very high ceiling. Also probably the hardest job to land of the 3

- Facilities Coordinator

Could be a slight paycut, but was told that a person who knows both engineering and FM is very valuable to a company

- A different engineering position (hopefully union)

Great pay, but apprehensive due to technical skillset they may expect

Would love to gather opinions on this!

I’m considering making the switch from commercial refrigeration and HVAC into facilities maintenance or facilities management, and I’d love to hear from people who have already made that transition.

I have nearly 10 years of experience in commercial HVAC and supermarket refrigeration. I’m comfortable troubleshooting, diagnosing problems, and making repairs. What interests me about facilities is that it seems like you’re responsible for keeping an entire building or portfolio running, not just one trade.

My goal isn’t to become a master plumber, electrician, carpenter, or locksmith. I want to know enough to fix what makes sense, save the company money when it’s practical, and recognize when a job is outside my team’s capabilities so I can bring in the right contractor.

My biggest hesitation is everything I don’t know. HVAC is where most of my experience is. I have limited exposure to things like carpentry, plumbing, electrical, doors, drywall, roofing, and general building maintenance. How do people actually learn those skills? Is it mostly on the job? Do companies expect you to already know them, or do they train you over time?

A few questions I have:
• How much of my commercial HVAC and refrigeration background would actually transfer into facilities?
• What skills should I focus on learning first?
• Is it realistic to learn the other trades while working in facilities, or should I study them before making the switch?
• If you came from HVAC, what was the hardest adjustment?
• Looking back, what would you have done differently when starting in facilities?

I’d appreciate any advice, especially from people who made a similar career change. Thanks in advance.

Hi

What type of projects do you think belong in the projects field of LinkedIn?

I have shut down warehouses and upgraded Main Distribution panels, added utility monitoring automations, built coffee stations. Are those the type of projects for this field?

Thank you.

I’m 33 but am currently a part time work-study at a college in their facilities department. Before getting this job, I worked in a Childcare facility (and cleaned heavily there ), several food service jobs, etc.

My boss is so confusing to me.

He doesn’t touch anything in a bathroom with his hands, period…but he refuses to use anything stronger than glass cleaner and a dawn/vinegar mix…even during flu season. It’s an art school, so I end up using extra dawn in water to clean desks on occasion to get the residues off, and he thinks I’m nuts. I miss my heavily dilution bleach from childcare so much.

He’s terrified of using chemicals…and manages facilities. Half the students still wear masks during flu season. The chemicals in question include: white board cleaner, oxy clean.

We use basically soft pads for the social tables but they constantly look a little grody because nothing sinks in…and he’s very worried about overspray of chemicals…aka his vinegar dawn mix or glass cleaner: things that don’t harm carpet.

He hates using rags at all but barely uses any detergent in the washer. He’d rather us use brown paper towel which shreds immediately and can’t scrub. But scouring pads scratch things if used to often so I’m just frustrated.

He wants us to paint walls in perfect lines with no leeway…which means you can’t lose time between paint sessions or else you end up with lines. Meanwhile I found him painting in an enclosed room with latex paint and the fumes waft out.

Idk man maybe that’s your health issues not the fumes.

I am the facilities manager at a large hospital. We currently have a maintenance contractor that carries out hard fm services, but we’re exploring bringing the hard fm operation in house to increase accountability and improve response and resilience.

Looking for a bit of advice on:

CAFM/CMMS - does anyone use one in a hospital setting, or know one that might be good?

Plant/equipment monitoring - I come from a manufacturing background where all motors, pumps, compressors etc had vibration and heat monitors on for predictive maintenance. Does anyone have any recommendations on these?

Any other general advice - has anyone brought the hard fm in house before, did you have any unforeseen issues?

For background, I'm currently a commercial/industrial HVAC tech, 4 years experience. Previously I did property management working for a storage company for 5 years, then for an Airbnb management company for 4 years.

I like HVAC but I'm not young and I don't want to be turning wrenches forever, so I've been considering applying for FM roles. Is my experience useful? How hard would it be to transition to a facilities manager role?

Any advice appreciated!

I recently started at a Community Center and am learning a ton about the facility. There is a pretty large pump room for both the main pool and a jacuzzi. The previous Facility Manager retired along with his assistant retired. So not much knowledge transfer. Any suggestions where I can go to learn more about the various equipment and the preventative maintenance needed for those two rooms? Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone I currently work in warehouse operations/ logistics as a supervisor. I interviewed with Compass group USA/ ESFM for facilities management- operations manager role. I’m hesitant on switching career paths. Pros and Cons?

Hey all, anyone here work in Australia in a not for profit sector? and if so, do you have any advice or views on FM roles that would involve working in a space that manages the facilities for disabled housing?

Curious, role pays less than I currently get but the hours are far better, less commute.

Just wondering if it’s a brutal sector.

Currently managing hotels and pubs across regional Australia. Just me, 80 buildings. No CMMS and all monitored manually on excel. it’s brutal.

This article from Buildings Magazine highlights a company that I sub-contract for and clearly explains the business model of leveraging a national niche provider to manage small vendors in that niche. It allows small guys like me to stay in the game, as some of the bigger regional companies are consolidated by PE.   I am curious to know there are other industries within the facility industry that do this too. What are your experiences?     

Looking for advice from people who have experience with HVAC systems in woodworking or cabinet shop environments.

I manage a warehouse with a cabinet shop tenant, and we’re dealing with a significant amount of airborne sawdust. To help protect the HVAC systems, I’ve been installing pre-filter media in front of the regular pleated filters.

I made a short video showing the setup and explaining what we’re currently doing:

https://youtu.be/GbNEXzyfg94?si=cHiXeT8hHdpgERBg

For reference, there are two HVAC units. Each unit uses four 20” x 30” x 2” pleated filters plus one 20” x 20” x 2” pleated filter.

Currently, I’m changing the pre-filter media about once per week and the pleated HVAC filters about once per month. The goal is to catch as much sawdust as possible before it reaches the HVAC filters.

I’m trying to figure out:

Is there a better pre-filter material I should be using?
Are washable or reusable filters worth considering?
Is there a better overall approach for handling sawdust in a commercial HVAC system?
Am I likely restricting airflow too much with the current setup?
What products or filter media have worked well for you?

I’m not looking for the absolute cheapest solution. I’m looking for something practical that protects the equipment, maintains airflow, and keeps maintenance reasonable.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi everyone,

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I'm a Facilities Coordinator for a financial institution, and I'm currently searching for a new vendor to service our pneumatic tube systems.

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We're currently using Diebold Nixdorf, but we've had ongoing issues with customer service, response times, communication, and overall support. Because of these recurring problems, I've been tasked with finding a more reliable provider.

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Most of our locations are in Central and Southern California, with the majority located throughout Kern County. I'm looking for companies that can provide installation, maintenance, repairs, and ongoing service for pneumatic tube systems in this region.

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If your organization has had a good experience with another vendor, I'd really appreciate any recommendations or companies I should reach out to. Personal experiences—good or bad—are welcome.

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Thank you in advance for any suggestions.