Free checklist
Duct smoke detector quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly duct smoke detector round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 72, NFPA 90A. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 4
- Photos required
- 5
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The building engineer or HVAC tech reaching the detector at the air handler on the quarterly round, recording condition rather than performing the actuation test.
When in the schedule
Every quarter, walked with the air-handler check since a fouled detector and a dirty duct show up on the same visit.
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.
Sampling and detector
- 2 photos
Sampling tube orientation and exhaust tube observed
Inlet sampling tube spanning the duct with its holes facing into the airflow, exhaust tube fitted, tubes not crushed, loose at the duct wall or plugged.
- 1 photo
Detector head and housing cleanliness checked
Detector head and sampling chamber free of heavy duct dust or grease film, housing gasket seated, cover latched and the sensing chamber not visibly fouled.
Remote station and access
- 1 photo
Remote test/reset station and LED observed
Remote station LED in its normal state, station accessible and not painted over or blocked, its location matching the unit it serves.
- 1 photo
Labeling and access to the detector checked
Detector and the AHU it serves labeled to match, mounting accessible for service, no ductwork or ceiling change that has buried the housing.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Sampling tube installed backwards or its inlet holes rotated out of the airstream, so the detector is live and reporting but never actually sampling moving air.
- Detector head caked with duct dust and read as clean from the walkway, when the buildup is exactly what drives the nuisance trips that get the whole detector bypassed.
- Remote test/reset station LED dark and unnoticed because the station is in a ceiling or a back corridor nobody passes.
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 5 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.
Common questions
- What does this duct smoke detector quarterly checklist cover?
- 4 items across 2 sections, covering sampling and detector, remote station and access. 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 building engineer or HVAC tech reaching the detector at the air handler on the quarterly round, recording condition rather than performing the actuation test.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, walked with the air-handler check since a fouled detector and a dirty duct show up on the same visit.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 5 of the 4 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 duct smoke detector quarterly inspection?
- Sampling tube installed backwards or its inlet holes rotated out of the airstream, so the detector is live and reporting but never actually sampling moving air. Detector head caked with duct dust and read as clean from the walkway, when the buildup is exactly what drives the nuisance trips that get the whole detector bypassed. Remote test/reset station LED dark and unnoticed because the station is in a ceiling or a back corridor nobody passes.
- 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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