What does this fan coil unit quarterly checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering access and lockout, filter and coil face, condensate, blower and operation, 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 maintenance tech on the quarterly unit round through the rooms and corridors.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, walked room by room or by floor so the filter change and the drain check happen on the same visit.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 fan coil unit quarterly inspection?

Filter left in past its interval until it collapses into the coil, then the low airflow gets blamed on the thermostat. Condensate trap dry or the pan slime-clogged, so the first hot week the ceiling below the unit stains before the float switch is ever proven. A blower rattle logged as 'noisy' three visits running with no one checking the wheel set screw or the motor mounts.

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

Fan coil unit quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly fan coil unit 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 IMC, manufacturer's published instructions. 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.

Access and lockout

Occupant told and the space below the unit protected
Room occupant or site contact told before entry, drop cloth or catch pan set below the cabinet, ceiling access panel opened without damaging tile or grid.
No photo
Unit locked and tagged out before the cabinet is opened
Disconnect or breaker locked, tagged and the fan proven dead on a call; float, blower and call checks run under the procedure's temporary release, people clear, then re-locked.

Filter and coil face

Filter replaced and coil face inspected
Filter changed and correctly sized, no bypass gaps around the rack, coil face clean with no matting or bent fins visible behind the filter.
New filter label read against the unit schedule
Label on the filter frame shows the size and efficiency rating listed on the unit schedule or the site's filter list, not a thinner or lower grade substitute.

Condensate

Drain pan clear and trap holding
Pan draining fully with no standing water or biological growth, trap primed, drain line flowing to termination with no back-up.
Condensate float switch proven where fitted
Float switch lifted to confirm it interrupts the unit or fires the alarm, secondary pan dry where the unit sits over occupied space.
No photo
Valve package and piping dry outside the pan
Valve bodies, unions and coil connections not weeping, chilled water piping not sweating past the pan edge, insulation dry and closed at the cabinet entry.
Ceiling and finishes below the unit free of water marks
Ceiling tile, walls and floor below and beside the unit free of stains, drips or swelling, any new mark traced back to the pan, trap or a piping joint.

Blower and operation

Blower running clean and quiet
Wheel free of dust build-up, set screw tight, motor mounts sound, no rattle, imbalance or bearing noise at each speed tap.
Unit heats and cools on a call
Heating and cooling each commanded from the thermostat, discharge temperature responding, no unusual valve or fan behavior.
Fan speed setting matched to the unit schedule
Speed switch tap or ECM motor setting read and matched to the balance report or unit schedule, not left on high or low from an old comfort call.
Valve actuator following the thermostat call
Actuator indicator or stem driving open on a call and closed once satisfied, no hunting or chatter, manual override lever back in its auto position.

Return to service

Cabinet front, filter door and access panel refastened
Every panel back on with all its fasteners, gasket seated so air can't bypass the filter, ceiling access panel closed flush, no rattle once the fan runs.
Lock removed by the tech who hung it and the unit restarted
Lock and tag removed by the person who applied them, unit restarted and run on a call, thermostat returned to the occupant's setpoint.
No photo
Round findings logged against the unit tag and room
Filter change, pan and drain condition, speed setting and any leak or noise logged against the unit tag and room, follow-up work listed for the annual.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Filter left in past its interval until it collapses into the coil, then the low airflow gets blamed on the thermostat.
Condensate trap dry or the pan slime-clogged, so the first hot week the ceiling below the unit stains before the float switch is ever proven.
A blower rattle logged as 'noisy' three visits running with no one checking the wheel set screw or the motor mounts.

Verified against

IMC (mechanical code)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this fan coil unit quarterly checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering access and lockout, filter and coil face, condensate, blower and operation, 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 maintenance tech on the quarterly unit round through the rooms and corridors.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, walked room by room or by floor so the filter change and the drain check happen on the same visit.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 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 fan coil unit quarterly inspection?: Filter left in past its interval until it collapses into the coil, then the low airflow gets blamed on the thermostat. Condensate trap dry or the pan slime-clogged, so the first hot week the ceiling below the unit stains before the float switch is ever proven. A blower rattle logged as 'noisy' three visits running with no one checking the wheel set screw or the motor mounts.
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 13 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.