The leaks you can’t ignore: Turning frustration into a facilities management fix

By Frank Hogg, Industrial Problem Solver, Blackpool

“No one had time to listen. So I built a tool that made them pay attention.” — Frank Hogg

I’ve spent over 25 years in manufacturing facilities, industrial estates, and commercial buildings. Across that time, the biggest losses often weren’t dramatic failures — they were the subtle, persistent leaks. The barely audible hiss of steam. The rhythmic plink of a dripping tap. The invisible sigh of compressed air slipping through seals.

These weren’t minor annoyances. They were signals that resources and money were escaping silently into thin air.

And yet, time and time again, building owners and decision-makers brushed them off. “We’ll look at it next quarter.” “Maintenance can wait.” The problem wasn’t carelessness, it was a disconnect. Few people could quantify the financial impact of these small failures, let alone see the wider implications.

That frustration pushed me to create Your Maintenance Buddy — a digital tool designed to turn engineering insight into business intelligence. The app identifies leaks, logs their type and severity, calculates real-world financial loss, and produces reports that show clear return on investment when repairs are made.

With Your Maintenance Buddy, I don’t just say “this needs fixing.” I show them how much it’s costing, what savings are on offer, and how quickly payback can happen.

The results speak volumes. One site identified over £9,000 in recoverable losses, with a payback period under four months. Another flagged neglected steam traps costing £1,460 per year each, not to mention dripping mixer taps wasting £616 annually per unit.

But beyond the financials lies something just as important: reduced leakage means reduced consumption. Fixing that steam trap doesn’t just save money, it cuts down on energy generation, water usage, and strain on supply systems. Preventing compressed air loss means lower demand on compressors, saving electricity and maintenance hours.

And with less resource usage comes a lighter carbon footprint.

Your Maintenance Buddy supports sustainability not just through intention but through action. Every leak sealed, every drop saved, contributes directly to lower CO₂ emissions. For organisations committed to environmental targets, this tool turns maintenance into a measurable climate-positive effort.

Facilities managers are no longer stuck in the middle — caught between what they know and what they can prove. The app gives them hard data, visual evidence, and professional-grade reports to justify intervention.

What’s most rewarding is seeing those front-line professionals empowered. I recently heard from a site manager who said, “For the first time, I’ve got numbers that the board actually listens to.”

That’s why I built Your Maintenance Buddy. To close the gap between engineering and economics — and make sustainability not just a talking point, but a daily practice.

So if you suspect your building is bleeding money through unseen leaks, you’re probably right. Let us help you stop it — and improve your bottom line and your carbon footprint.

And the benefits cascade outward. Reduced consumption eases pressure on supply chains and infrastructure, lowering wear and tear on mechanical systems and extending asset life. That’s fewer replacements, less landfill, and smarter lifecycle planning. It’s a domino effect of improvement—financial, environmental, and operational.

Your Maintenance Buddy turns reactive maintenance into proactive strategy. It’s not just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about building resilience, reducing emissions, and aligning every decision with long-term value. It’s smart maintenance for a smarter planet.

Trial it today.
Make invisible waste visible.

For more information visit http://your-maintenance-buddy.com/, email Frank@yourmaintenancebuddy.com or call 07947250675.