What does this power factor correction capacitor bank annual checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering outage planning, isolation and discharge, cans and connections, testing observed and recorded, 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 facility electrician recording the inspection during a planned outage, inspecting cans and connections after discharge while the testing firm performs the electrical tests.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year during a scheduled shutdown, coordinated with the NETA technician so the bank is locked out, the discharge resistors are given their full time to bleed the cans down, and it's inspected and tested before returning to service.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 15 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 a power factor correction capacitor bank annual inspection?

Work started on the bank before the discharge resistors have had their full time to bleed the stored charge, leaving live cans behind an open disconnect. A capacitor that already reads low on the testing tech's meter left in service because it 'still switches', so the bank quietly loses correction. Reactor and connection torque checked but the discharge resistors themselves never inspected, so a failed resistor leaves the next crew a charged can.

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

Power factor correction capacitor bank annual maintenance checklist

The annual capacitor bank 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 NFPA 70B, NEC (NFPA 70). 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.

Outage planning

Outage agreed with the owner before the bank is switched off
Window, switching order and restoration agreed with the owner, including running without correction meanwhile, with the stages switched out before the feed is opened.
No photo
Stages called in and imaged at load ahead of the shutdown
Scan at normal load through IR windows, or with doors opened only as the energized-work procedure allows, marking hot cans, fuses and joints to open.

Isolation and discharge

Every source feeding the bank locked and tagged
Main feed, controller supply and any separate fan, heater or control power circuit locked and tagged under the site's procedure, each lock hung by the person working.
Bank locked out and cans fully discharged
Feed isolated, discharge time allowed per the manufacturer before contact, absence of voltage tested at the cans before any work begins.
Cans grounded with a grounding stick before hands go in
After the manufacturer's discharge wait and a dead test, each can terminal shorted and grounded with a grounding stick, the grounds left on during work and logged for removal.
Discharge resistors inspected
Discharge resistors or bleed devices confirmed intact and connected, no open or burnt resistor that would leave a can charged.

Cans and connections

Cans, reactors and connections inspected and torqued
Cans cleaned and checked for bulging or leakage up close, reactor and bus connections torque-verified, re-torqued only where found loose, no discoloration at the terminations.
Contactors and controller wiring inspected
Stage contacts checked for pitting and wear, controller sensing wiring and current transformer connections landed tight.
Capacitor fuses tested and ratings checked against the design
Each fuse tested for continuity and its type and rating read against the design or the manufacturer's list, with blown or mismatched fuses replaced like for like.
Reactor windings inspected on detuned banks
Windings and insulation free of discoloration, cracking or loose laminations, and any thermal switch wiring intact. Not applicable where the bank has no reactors.
No photo
Vents and cooling path cleaned inside the enclosure
Dust vacuumed, not blown, from vents and the contactor area, and where fitted fan blades turned by hand for free bearings and intake filters changed.

Testing observed and recorded

NETA electrical tests witnessed and logged
Capacitance and insulation-resistance results from the testing tech recorded per stage, cans reading low or out of range flagged for replacement before re-energizing.

Return to service

Grounds removed and enclosure closed before re-energizing
Grounding stick and temporary grounds off and counted, no tools left inside, doors fastened, and each lock and tag removed by the person who hung it.
Stages called in after restart and step currents read
Bank re-energized to the plan, each stage called in by the controller or its test mode, and step current read under the energized-work procedure against the nameplate.
Capacitance trend and parts replaced sent to the owner
Report with capacitance per stage against last year, cans and fuses replaced, and open defects goes to the owner for acceptance.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Work started on the bank before the discharge resistors have had their full time to bleed the stored charge, leaving live cans behind an open disconnect.
A capacitor that already reads low on the testing tech's meter left in service because it 'still switches', so the bank quietly loses correction.
Reactor and connection torque checked but the discharge resistors themselves never inspected, so a failed resistor leaves the next crew a charged can.

Verified against

Common questions

6 answers

What does this power factor correction capacitor bank annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering outage planning, isolation and discharge, cans and connections, testing observed and recorded, 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 facility electrician recording the inspection during a planned outage, inspecting cans and connections after discharge while the testing firm performs the electrical tests.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year during a scheduled shutdown, coordinated with the NETA technician so the bank is locked out, the discharge resistors are given their full time to bleed the cans down, and it's inspected and tested before returning to service.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 12 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 15 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 a power factor correction capacitor bank annual inspection?: Work started on the bank before the discharge resistors have had their full time to bleed the stored charge, leaving live cans behind an open disconnect. A capacitor that already reads low on the testing tech's meter left in service because it 'still switches', so the bank quietly loses correction. Reactor and connection torque checked but the discharge resistors themselves never inspected, so a failed resistor leaves the next crew a charged can.
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.

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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 15 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.