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Engineering Operations

Preventive Maintenance Shop

The Preventive Maintenance Shop is comprised of 3 groups:

  • Preventive Maintenance Technicians
  • Rounding Teams
  • Air Quality

Each group has fairly specific tasks but there is some overlap of duties.

See when you can expect the preventative maintenance staff in your building.

Preventive Maintenance Technicians

The PM technicians’ primary task is to perform scheduled maintenance of general building mechanical and electrical systems. The PM technicians have in depth knowledge of their buildings’ systems and therefore are also called upon as resources to assist with corrective maintenance and resolve emergency situations.

Each major academic building is assigned a primary preventive maintenance technician. This technician is assisted routinely by other preventive maintenance technicians to complete their assigned maintenance tasks in a safe manner.

Rounding Teams

The Rounding Teams’ primary task is to perform minor corrective maintenance/repairs of general building systems free of charge. Minor corrective repairs are those requiring a maximum of 1 labor hour. There are 3 regionally located Rounding Teams. Each team is comprised of a plumber, an electrician and a building tradesman.

Each team rotates through their assigned buildings on a weekly basis to complete corrective maintenance tasks such as:

  • Repairs to lighting systems
  • Minor plumbing repairs
  • Minor patching/painting
  • Repair existing blinds and shades
  • Install customer purchased blinds and shades
  • Hang pictures/signs
  • Minor door repairs
  • Hang/remove customer furnished shelving
  • Repair baseboards and flooring
  • Minor desk and cabinet repairs
  • Minor electrical repairs
  • Hang/removal of whiteboards
  • Replace broken or stained ceiling tile
  • Explore and isolate any leaks
  • Cleaning of HVAC grills
  • Install soap dispensers
  • Fix stair treads
  • Assist with simple rearranging of furniture within a building
  • Fix classroom seating
  • Repair water fountains
  • Repair windows and window leaks
  • Replace faucets costing less than $300
  • Install customer purchased faucets costing more than $300
  • Replace non-biohood, educational use fumehood motors, maximum size 3hp
  • Install non-biohood, research use fumehood motors, maximum size 3hp
  • Adjust location of existing electrical receptacle on a wall where sufficient wiring exists – no more than 6 linear feet

Note that Preventive Maintenance shop personnel are not allowed to perform work requiring the issue of a permit from the Building Code Official.

Rounding Team personnel do not routinely enter research labs; therefore, if there are needs in these spaces, department should contact the Facilities Business Office at 1-4300 to request service.

The Rounding Teams also coordinate first response efforts with PM mechanics to emergency calls in their region – breaker tripped, water flowing, “light out above a desk”, etc.

Air Quality

The Air Quality group assists the preventive maintenance mechanics with air handler service and filter changes. They also provide duct cleaning services, perform minor sheet metal work, make insulation repair on HVAC units, perform maintenance and cleaning of grills and diffusers, perform mold remediation tasks and service fan coil units.


In addition to addressing minor customer requests and performing preventive maintenance, these groups are charged with reporting any building maintenance issues that they identify.

Location and Contact Info

Facilities Operations
Sterrett Facilities Complex
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone: 540-231-4300
Email: vtrepair@vt.edu

Need to report a maintenance issue?
HokieServ

Need to request a service?
HokieMart

Emergencies

Technicians are available on most shifts to respond to emergency calls until midnight Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

To report an emergency outside of normal working hours call the Virginia Tech Police Department at 231-6411.

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