What characterizes a preventive maintenance program?

A preventive maintenance program is characterized by its proactive approach to equipment care, focusing on detecting and correcting potential issues before they lead to a breakdown. This proactive stance minimizes downtime and extends the lifespan of equipment, ensuring that systems operate efficiently and reliably. By regularly inspecting, maintaining, and servicing equipment, the program aims to catch wear and tear early, allowing for timely interventions that prevent more serious and costly repairs.

In a preventive maintenance program, technicians and operators are trained to look for signs of deterioration or potential failures during routine checks, enabling them to make adjustments or repairs based on the condition of the equipment rather than reacting to failures after they occur. This systematic planning and execution of maintenance tasks help optimize equipment performance and maintain high service levels in water distribution systems.

The other approaches such as prolonging equipment usage, waiting for equipment to fail, or making adjustments solely based on operational procedures do not embody the main goal of preventive maintenance, which is to ensure reliability and efficiency through timely interventions.