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.
- Items
- 6
- Photos required
- 9
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The chiller manufacturer's or specialist service technician.
When in the schedule
Once a year, scheduled in the off-season so the machine can be opened, tested and down without load impact.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as-is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Heat exchangers
- 2 photos
Condenser and evaporator tubes inspected and cleaned
Tube condition documented after cleaning, any pitting or scaling photographed with the tube map.
- 1 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.
Refrigerant and oil
- 1 photo
Oil sample drawn and sent for analysis
Sample taken from a running machine per the lab method, results filed and compared to prior years.
- 1 photo
Refrigerant charge and purge operation verified
Charge level confirmed against operating conditions, purge run-time logged and within normal range.
Safeties and controls
- 2 photos
Every safety trip functionally tested
High pressure, low pressure, freeze and flow safeties each driven to trip and the trip point recorded.
- 2 photos
Starter and electrical connections checked
Terminations checked for heat marks, contact wear inspected, starter enclosure clean.
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.
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.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this chiller annual checklist cover?
- 6 items across 3 sections — heat exchangers, refrigerant and oil, safeties and controls. 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 does every item ask for a photo?
- 9 of the 6 items call for photo evidence. 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.
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