Checklists by equipment
2 lists · 9 items · 13 photosEvaporative cooler maintenance checklists
Evaporative cooler maintenance checklists for the quarterly and annual rounds: 2 free lists, 9 items and 13 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo that proves it. Work is commonly verified against IMC (mechanical code); the edition in force is the AHJ's call on each project.
The evaporative cooler rounds
Evaporative cooler QuarterlyEvaporative cooler quarterly maintenance checklistMedia, water distribution, sump and bleed checked on the quarterly cooling-season round5 items7 photosEvaporative cooler AnnualEvaporative cooler annual maintenance checklistMedia replacement, sump descale and pump service at the start-up or shutdown service4 items6 photos
Where each walk sits in the schedule
- Evaporative cooler quarterly maintenance checklistquarterly
- Every quarter while the unit is running, because scale and biofilm build fast in warm standing water and a dry patch of media cools nothing. Run by: The HVAC or maintenance tech on the quarterly round through the cooling season.
- Evaporative cooler annual maintenance checklistannual
- Once a year at start-up or shutdown, when the sump can be drained and the media pulled without taking cooling away on a hot day. Run by: The HVAC service lead at the seasonal start-up or winterizing service.
What most often fails on an evaporative cooler
- Media wetted unevenly — dry streaks and channeling — because the distribution header holes are scaled shut.
- Bleed or blowdown plugged or turned off to 'save water,' so the sump concentrates and the media cements up with scale.
- Drift carrying onto the roof or wall, staining the membrane and leaving mineral deposits everyone blames on the roofer.
- Media reinstalled scaled and hardened instead of replaced, so this season's cooling is down before it starts.
- Unit left full of water into a freeze because the sump, supply and bleed were never drained at shutdown.
Verified against
Families only, never clause numbers. Adoption varies by jurisdiction; confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
Common questions
- Which evaporative cooler maintenance rounds do these checklists cover?
- Evaporative cooler quarterly maintenance checklist (quarterly): Every quarter while the unit is running, because scale and biofilm build fast in warm standing water and a dry patch of media cools nothing. Evaporative cooler annual maintenance checklist (annual): Once a year at start-up or shutdown, when the sump can be drained and the media pulled without taking cooling away on a hot day.
- Who runs the evaporative cooler maintenance round?
- The HVAC or maintenance tech on the quarterly round through the cooling season. The HVAC service lead at the seasonal start-up or winterizing service.
- What most often fails on an evaporative cooler?
- Media wetted unevenly — dry streaks and channeling — because the distribution header holes are scaled shut. Bleed or blowdown plugged or turned off to 'save water,' so the sump concentrates and the media cements up with scale. Drift carrying onto the roof or wall, staining the membrane and leaving mineral deposits everyone blames on the roofer. Media reinstalled scaled and hardened instead of replaced, so this season's cooling is down before it starts.
- Which standards is evaporative cooler work verified against?
- IMC (mechanical code), published by the International Code Council. Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 2 lists (9 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.