What does this chiller annual checklist cover?

14 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and isolation, heat exchangers, refrigerant and oil, safeties and controls, 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 chiller manufacturer's or specialist service technician.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, scheduled in the off-season so the machine can be opened, tested and down without load impact.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

7 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 9 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 chiller annual inspection?

Tubes punched without an eddy-current or condition record, so pitting is discovered as a leak. Oil analysis skipped because the oil 'looked clean.' The lab catches what the eye can't. Safety trip setpoints drift-checked on paper but never actually tripped during the test.

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

Chiller annual maintenance checklist

The annual chiller 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 ASHRAE guidance. 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.

Shutdown and isolation

Owner notified and the load covered before shutdown
Owner told the machine is coming off line, load moved to another chiller or the outage window confirmed.
No photo
Chiller locked out and the water side isolated
Starter disconnect and any separately fed control or oil heater circuit locked and tagged, valves closed; loop refilled before the temporary release for running tests, then re-locked.

Heat exchangers

Condenser and evaporator tubes inspected and cleaned
Tube condition documented after cleaning, any pitting or scaling photographed with the tube map.
No photo
Eddy-current or condition test where the program calls for it
Test report filed against the unit's serial number, anomalies located and photographed.
No photo
Water box covers resealed and bolts torqued where fitted
New gaskets fitted, bolts drawn up in a cross pattern to the manufacturer's torque, no weeping once the loop is refilled.
No photo

Refrigerant and oil

Oil sample drawn and sent for analysis
Sample taken from a running machine per the lab method, results filed and compared to prior years.
Refrigerant charge and purge operation verified
Charge level confirmed against operating conditions, purge run-time logged and within normal range.
Annual leak test done by the certified refrigerant technician
Leak test, any charge added and any recovery entered in the refrigerant log by the certified technician, leak rate reported.
No photo
Pressure relief valve tags and vent line checked
Relief valve tags read for replacement date against the manufacturer's schedule, vent line intact to its outlet, no sign of discharge.

Safeties and controls

Every safety trip functionally tested
High pressure, low pressure, freeze and flow safeties each driven to trip and the trip point recorded.
Starter and electrical connections checked
Terminations checked for heat marks, contact wear inspected, starter enclosure clean.
Sensors and transducers checked against a reference
Water temperature sensors and refrigerant pressure transducers compared to a calibrated instrument, offsets corrected and recorded.

Return to service

Isolation removed and chiller restarted and run under load
Valves confirmed open and locks removed by the people who hung them, chiller started from the controller and run until readings settle.
No photo
Post-service log recorded as the new baseline
Operating log taken after restart and filed with the tube, oil and trip test results as next year's comparison.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Tubes punched without an eddy-current or condition record, so pitting is discovered as a leak.
Oil analysis skipped because the oil 'looked clean.' The lab catches what the eye can't.
Safety trip setpoints drift-checked on paper but never actually tripped during the test.

Verified against

ASHRAE guidance

Common questions

6 answers

What does this chiller annual checklist cover?: 14 items across 5 sections, covering shutdown and isolation, heat exchangers, refrigerant and oil, safeties and controls, 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 chiller manufacturer's or specialist service technician.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, scheduled in the off-season so the machine can be opened, tested and down without load impact.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 7 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 9 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 chiller annual inspection?: Tubes punched without an eddy-current or condition record, so pitting is discovered as a leak. Oil analysis skipped because the oil 'looked clean.' The lab catches what the eye can't. Safety trip setpoints drift-checked on paper but never actually tripped during the test.
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 9 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.