Make a list of all of your mechanical equipment, including refrigeration ((Refer & Freezer) , HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning), Kitchen equipment (Hood, exhaust fan, make up air fan, food sanitizer, dishwasher), water heater, etc.

Put all of the listed equipment into a column on your spreadsheet. Then figure what the replacement costs are for each one of these pieces of equipment. Include additional columns for the following keeping in mind that there are a few other factors to consider. They are the average lifespan of the equipment, the warranty period for each piece of equipment, and the present depreciated value.

In the final two columns figure out the amount of money that has been spent in the last year on maintenance or repair of each piece.

When you get the results, you could graph each of the following. Start with a line graph of when the purchase was made, and how its costs are shown over the total depreciated life. so if it is a three year depreciated piece of equipment it should start out as a cost figure and graduate to zero at the end of the three year period.

The next line graph should start at zero and include the repair costs over the three year period, or at least up to present day. When you compare the costs you paid for the equipment versus the amount you have paid to repair the equipment you will get a good idea of if it is time to replace it. But a good Preventative plan will reduce these costs, and increase the life of the equipment. Such as cleaning the refrigeration and freezer coils every six months. The same for the exhaust vents on laundry dryers, and especially cleaning the laundry dryer lint trap regularly before each use.

Most maintenance costs in a day care center are actually small expense items. Such as toilet repairs, sink P-trap repairs, loose toilet seats, faucets that do not shut off and clogged sinks and toilets. Below are some tips to avoid these recurring repairs and costs.