Tower blocks were first conceived as utopian social experiments after the end of the Second World War. They were thought to offer an antidote to the crowded slums that formed a great churn of unhappiness in cities worldwide. Tower blocks, however, require a great deal of maintenance if they are to remain safe and pleasant places. Here are some of the areas that are most important to maintain.
Water Pumps and Tanks
To ensure that residents can get high water pressure at the very top of a tower block, complex pumping systems are required to force water all the way to the upper levels. These pumps require maintenance regularly. Specialist plumbers should be hired to lock at these pumps, which are often rather dangerous to work with if you do not know what you are doing.
Water tanks also need to be regularly inspected and maintained. If left unchecked, foreign matter can seep into them, and cultures of bacteria can form. Legionnaire’s disease is a very real threat if water tanks are not regularly maintained and cleaned.
Elevator Systems
It should go without saying that elevator systems should be regularly maintained to keep them safe. Poorly maintained elevator systems can be the cause of terrible deaths, and even an out-of-order elevator can make the lives of disabled tenants considerably worse. Companies like ATIS Elevator offer building owners expert inspection and maintenance services to make sure that the elevators remain safe and efficient.
Many tower blocks were created with an elevator in mind, as taking the stairs up twenty flights are enough to wear out the hardiest of athletes. This means that regular elevator maintenance and inspection are imperative to ensure that they remain in working order, so breakdowns and malfunctions are prevented before they can even occur.
It is also important to ensure that elevators are fitted with working alarms and intercoms, in case someone does get stuck in there, so they know that help is on the way.
Cladding
Cladding is extremely important for several reasons. Firstly, cladding can be extremely important for the insulation of a tower block. Tower blocks are often built with steel and concrete, which are terrible materials for insulation and can lead to tenants having to pay huge amounts for heating. Second, cladding needs to be regularly maintained. Any cladding that has been damaged or degraded will not insulate properties efficiently.
Secondly – and of far more importance – is the importance of cladding to prevent fires from spreading out of control. The world watched in horror as the Grenfell Tower in London, England, was engulfed in flames in 2017, killing 72 residents. The fire was eventually found to have been fueled by poor-quality aluminum composite cladding on the outside of the building, which allowed the fire to bypass other safety features like fire doors. Therefore, the regular inspection and maintenance of fireproof cladding is essential to the safety of a tower block’s residents and is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.