For commercial greenhouse operators, the approach to maintenance isn't just about keeping things running – it's about safeguarding your entire business. "The choice between reactive "fix-it-when-it-breaks" maintenance and a proactive, preventative strategy directly impacts your yield, costs, and long-term success", says Byron Meyer, director with BM Greenhouses.
Reactive maintenance: deferred risk, increased impact
With over a decade of experience in the UK and international greenhouse market, Byron sees many operations still rely on reactive maintenance—responding only when systems fail. While this approach may reduce short-term spending, Byron sees it introduces operational volatility that can escalate over time. "Running on a reactive model is essentially gambling with the crop. You might get away with it once or twice, but eventually a failure in a heating line or irrigation manifold will catch you out—usually when it does the most damage."
Reactive maintenance often leads to unplanned downtime, as failures tend to occur during temperature extremes or at peak crop load. According to Byron, "A boiler shutdown in winter or a fertigation fault in summer doesn't give you hours to respond—it gives you minutes." These breakdowns also result in higher costs, as emergency repairs usually involve rush orders, overtime labour, and delays in production. "What could've been a half-hour service job becomes a weekend callout at five times the cost," he adds.
Equipment degradation is another common consequence. Systems that are left unchecked wear out faster. "We see cases where fans or vent motors are replaced far earlier than necessary, simply because lubrication or alignment was missed," says Meyer. Environmental instability caused by failing components can also impact crop quality. "One system goes down, and suddenly you've got heat stress or root zone variability. You don't see the full effect until harvest."
Proactive maintenance: scheduled, measured, controlled
A proactive maintenance strategy introduces scheduled inspections, system diagnostics, and replacement of wear components before failure occurs. "Proactive doesn't mean over-maintaining," Byron explains. "It means knowing your systems well enough to intervene just before performance starts to drop—not after something breaks."
A planned maintenance approach supports operational continuity. He notes that "with a planned program, most of the faults we catch are minor—cracked belts, dirty filters, misaligned screens. Fixing them early avoids downstream failures." Costs also become more predictable, allowing growers to forecast maintenance budgets more reliably instead of reacting to emergencies mid-season. Maintaining control systems, motors, and climate sensors helps ensure consistent environmental conditions. "You can't fine-tune a climate if the sensors are drifting or if one fan bank isn't pulling air," says Byron. In addition to system performance, routine checks improve safety conditions for staff. "It's about knowing the structure as well as the crop."
System-specific planning: Not one-size-fits-all
BM Greenhouses integrates maintenance planning into the full life cycle of their greenhouse projects, from design to ongoing support. "We don't hand over a project and walk away," says Byron. "Every site has different requirements depending on crop, heating type, and control systems. Maintenance needs to be tailored accordingly." Their team conducts targeted checks across critical infrastructure. This includes boiler efficiency tests, heat pipe pressure checks, and valve inspections for heating systems. Irrigation units receive pump maintenance, filter cleaning, and fertigation calibration. For ventilation and screening systems, they inspect drive motor alignment, cloth tracking, and cable wear. Electrical systems are monitored through panel inspections, safety interlock testing, and load balancing.
Maintenance records and visual inspection reports are part of BM's standard support process. "We want operators to understand what's happening with their systems, not just respond to alarms."
Implementation
For growers looking to adopt a proactive model, Meyer recommends beginning with a full inventory of critical systems. "List every critical system and identify the failure points. Build inspection tasks around those, with frequency based on manufacturer guidelines and actual usage," he advises. Documentation plays a key role in maintaining consistency. "It's easy to forget what was checked and when. Keeping a log—even on paper—makes it easier to see patterns and know when to adjust your schedule," says Meyer.
For more information:
Byron Meyer
BM Greenhouses
+44 (0) 333 188 9899
[email protected]
www.bmgreenhouses.co.uk