What You Don’t Know About What You Don’t See

That Noise in Your Attic Could Be a Really Big Problem!

What’s Up?

As the franchisee of three Burger Thyme restaurants, Janine has a lot on her plate. She needs to make great food while still making a profit. She wants to retain her current customers while bringing in new clientele. And of course, she has to recruit the best employees she can find to keep things running smoothly. So it’s not surprising that Janine hasn’t been paying attention to what’s going on in the ceilings above her food preparation and dining areas.

In Over Her Head

The space above the suspended ceiling in a restaurant is far different than the attic in a retail store or office building. The overhead environment is a harsh one due to a daily bombardment of high temperatures, grease, and moisture. But Janine was still surprised when the exhaust fans in one of her locations suddenly stopped working. She had to hire an electrical contractor on the weekend—at top dollar—to find that the electrical line had been chewed on by an uninvited furry friend.

But that wasn’t the only problem the contractor identified. The short had occurred due to moisture intrusion in the open electrical line. And there was a puddle of dried grease on a ceiling tile just a foot away. Her contractor told her if things had gone just a bit differently, she could have had a grease fire on her hands that might have burnt down the whole restaurant.

Raising the Roof

Janine looked at this problem as an opportunity to tackle the issue head-on. Because reliability starts at the top, she hired a firm that provides a proactive electrical maintenance program designed to help mitigate the risks associated with running an electrical system in such a harsh environment. The team went straight to work, performing a thermal scan of the wiring and breaker boxes in all three of her locations to help identify potential issues. The company completed physical inspections as well, looking for loose connections, brittle insulation, and bite marks in order to reduce the risk of an electrical failure—or worse, a fire.

Things Are Looking Up

Now that she has an electrical system maintenance plan in place that works in concert with her pest control program, Janine has peace of mind. Regular inspections and treatments have eliminated any possibility of rodent or vermin infestations for over a year. And as a bonus, she’s also avoided paying any large electrical repair bills—something that was starting to become a regular part of her operating costs.

FSG Goes Above…and Beyond

If you’re a restaurant owner or operator, partnering with the experts at Facility Solutions Group can help take the pressure off you and your staff. With a complete suite of services—from design and auditing to installation and maintenance—FSG is your one-source electrical provider. And when the inevitable does happen, FSG offers comprehensive emergency electrical repair services that keep your restaurant up and running. For more than 35 years, FSG has been helping busy folks just like you keep their overhead in check—in more ways than one.

To learn more about FSG’s top-notch range of electrical services, visit our Electrical Page.