What does this automatic door operator annual checklist cover?

12 items across 4 sections, covering notice and lockout, operator adjustment, safety verification, documentation. 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 door service tech on the annual service, resetting the operator's parameters and running the door through its full cycle and safety checks.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, the pass that resets opening and closing force, speed and timing to the manufacturer's figures and rechecks every sensor, rather than the quarterly walk-by.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 12 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 automatic door operator annual inspection?

Force and speed dialed to whatever stops the complaints instead of back to the operator's specification, leaving the door outside its low-energy limits. Sensors cleaned and re-aimed but the actual stop-and-reverse behavior never re-run afterward, so a mis-aimed sensor is signed off as good.

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

Automatic door operator annual maintenance checklist

The annual automatic door operator 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 the applicable building code, 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.

Notice and lockout

Owner told and an alternate entrance signed for the service
Service window agreed with the owner, the opening closed to traffic and an alternate route signed, including an accessible one where this is the accessible entrance.
No photo
Operator supply locked and tagged before the header opens
Circuit and battery locked, tagged, tried dead, arm held or spring released as the manufacturer directs before it comes off. Powered tests: hands clear, lock off by whoever hung it, then re-locked.

Operator adjustment

Opening and closing force, speed and timing reset to specification
Parameters set back to the manufacturer's figures, force measured within the limits for its type, low-energy or full-power, per the applicable standard, backcheck and latch smooth.
Mechanism, arms and fasteners serviced
Arms, spindle and fasteners tight and lubricated per the instructions, no play in the linkage, spring or motor sound, closer fluid not weeping.
Controller wiring and terminations inspected in the header
Terminals tight, no scorching or chafed conductors at the header entry or any cable crossing to the door, controller and power supply free of dust and moisture.
Activation devices and their wiring secured
Push plates, wall actuators and approach sensors fixed firmly on their mounts, their cables protected in the frame or wall, and any wireless actuator battery changed per the instructions.

Safety verification

Door behavior on power loss matches the instructions
Supply opened with the opening clear, and the door seen doing what the manufacturer's instructions set, such as closing on its spring, opening by hand or opening on battery.
Fire alarm release checked on fire-rated or egress-control doors
Where the operator is tied to the fire alarm, the release seen during the alarm contractor's test after the monitoring company is told, door closing and latching or opening as designed.
No photo
Full activation and safety sequence re-run after adjustment
After adjustment, the door re-cycled from its normal activation and the presence and approach sensors re-verified stopping or reversing the door on a person, with no blind spot.
Certified automatic door inspector's annual inspection completed
Safety inspection done by the certified automatic door inspector, the dated inspection label on the door and the inspector's report left with the owner, open items noted.

Documentation

Cover on, lock removed and door handed back to the owner
Header cover fastened, tools cleared, lock removed by the person who hung it, mode switch at the owner's setting and the door cycled once more before the opening reopens.
Settings and safety results recorded
Force, speed and timing figures and the sensor verification logged with a photo and a date, any part replaced noted so the next service has the history.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Force and speed dialed to whatever stops the complaints instead of back to the operator's specification, leaving the door outside its low-energy limits.
Sensors cleaned and re-aimed but the actual stop-and-reverse behavior never re-run afterward, so a mis-aimed sensor is signed off as good.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this automatic door operator annual checklist cover?: 12 items across 4 sections, covering notice and lockout, operator adjustment, safety verification, documentation. 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 door service tech on the annual service, resetting the operator's parameters and running the door through its full cycle and safety checks.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, the pass that resets opening and closing force, speed and timing to the manufacturer's figures and rechecks every sensor, rather than the quarterly walk-by.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 12 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 automatic door operator annual inspection?: Force and speed dialed to whatever stops the complaints instead of back to the operator's specification, leaving the door outside its low-energy limits. Sensors cleaned and re-aimed but the actual stop-and-reverse behavior never re-run afterward, so a mis-aimed sensor is signed off as good.
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

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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.