What does this air curtain annual checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering access and lockout, blower and bearings, discharge and coverage, heating section where fitted, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The HVAC service tech on the annual visit, with the unit dropped or opened up.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, scheduled ahead of the cold season so a worn bearing or a mis-aimed nozzle is caught before the doors are working all day.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an air curtain annual inspection?

Blower wheel cleaned on the visible face while caked buildup on the back of the blades leaves it out of balance and throwing less air. Nozzle left at whatever angle it drifted to, so the stream lands short of the floor and rolls back into the lobby instead of sealing the opening. Heating section coil vacuumed but the element or hydronic connections never checked for the reason the discharge feels cool.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Air curtain annual maintenance checklist

The annual air curtain service is the deep pass: the measurements, cleanings and tests a quarterly round doesn't reach. This checklist keeps the full service on record with the photos that make it defensible later. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Access and lockout

Entrance traffic rerouted and the owner told before teardown
Owner told the entrance runs without its curtain for the visit, doorway coned off or a spotter posted, lift or ladder set per the site's access plan.
No photo
Fan, heater and control feeds locked, tagged and tried
Every feed locked, tagged and tried, water valves shut on hydronic units. Test runs: covers on, tools clear, locks off by their owner, re-locked before hands go back in.

Blower and bearings

Blower wheel cleaned and checked for balance
Wheel cleaned front and back of the blades, no cracked or missing tabs, spins true with no wobble or heavy vibration on start.
Motor bearings checked for wear and noise
Shaft felt for play, bearings listened to under load for whine or growl, greased where the fittings allow.
Housing, scroll and motor openings vacuumed out
Lint and dust cleared from the scroll, behind the wheel and the motor cooling openings, not just the intake screen, so the motor is not running hot.
Motor and controller terminations checked for tightness
Terminals torque-verified or resistance-measured, re-torqued only where found loose, no heat marks on the motor leads, contactor or speed controller.

Discharge and coverage

Nozzle re-aimed to reach the floor across the opening
Discharge angle set so the stream lands near the floor and holds full width, velocity felt as even from jamb to jamb, no weak center.
Stream velocity measured across the opening near the floor
Anemometer readings at both jambs and the center compared with the commissioning or last year's figures, low spots traced to vanes, wheel or mounting height.
Mounting and anti-vibration hardware retightened
Brackets and isolators checked and snugged, no cracked mounts, unit sits level to the head of the opening.

Heating section where fitted

Heating section serviced and discharge warmth confirmed
Electric elements or hydronic coil cleaned and checked, connections sound, discharge felt warm through the run on a heat call.
No photo
Electric heater safeties checked on electric units
Electric units only: high limit proved by the manufacturer's test method and heat seen to stay off unless the fan is running, nothing jumpered.
No photo
Hydronic valve and coil freeze protection checked on water units
Hydronic units only: control valve strokes on a heat call, coil vented, and the freeze protection the design includes still set and working.
No photo

Return to service

Unit closed up, locks off by their owner and restarted
Covers and intake guard fastened, tools and rags out of the housing, each lock removed by whoever hung it, unit restarted and left on its door switch.
Motor current read against the nameplate after restart
Running current taken under the site's energized-work procedure and PPE, compared with the nameplate full-load figure and last year's reading, heaters included where fitted.
Annual findings entered on the unit record
Velocity readings, current, bearing and wheel condition and deferred work entered against the unit so next year's visit has figures to compare with.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Blower wheel cleaned on the visible face while caked buildup on the back of the blades leaves it out of balance and throwing less air.
Nozzle left at whatever angle it drifted to, so the stream lands short of the floor and rolls back into the lobby instead of sealing the opening.
Heating section coil vacuumed but the element or hydronic connections never checked for the reason the discharge feels cool.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this air curtain annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering access and lockout, blower and bearings, discharge and coverage, heating section where fitted, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The HVAC service tech on the annual visit, with the unit dropped or opened up.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, scheduled ahead of the cold season so a worn bearing or a mis-aimed nozzle is caught before the doors are working all day.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an air curtain annual inspection?: Blower wheel cleaned on the visible face while caked buildup on the back of the blades leaves it out of balance and throwing less air. Nozzle left at whatever angle it drifted to, so the stream lands short of the floor and rolls back into the lobby instead of sealing the opening. Heating section coil vacuumed but the element or hydronic connections never checked for the reason the discharge feels cool.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Air curtain QuarterlyAir curtain quarterly maintenance checklistIntake screen, door interlock and the air stream across the opening checked on the quarterly round13 items12 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.