What does this infrared radiant heater annual checklist cover?

14 items across 5 sections, covering isolation and access, combustion service, tubes and venting, clearances and safeties, 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 HVAC service lead on the annual pre-season combustion service.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year before the heating season, when the burner can be pulled and the tubes, vent and reflectors inspected with the unit cold and locked out.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 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 an infrared radiant heater annual inspection?

Vent connector inspected from the floor only, missing corrosion, separated joints or a blocked terminal that spills combustion products indoors. Burner cleaned but combustion never checked, so it runs rich, sooting the tubes and cutting radiant output all winter.

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

Infrared radiant heater annual maintenance checklist

The annual infrared radiant heater 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 IMC (mechanical code), the applicable fuel-gas code, 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.

Isolation and access

Work zone under the heater barricaded for the service
Aisle below closed to forklifts and foot traffic for the service, lift checked before use, tools tethered or kept in the basket so nothing drops.
Every supply to the heater isolated, locked and tagged
Burner, any inducer and control power locked, gas cock closed and tagged; firing tests run under the temporary release (gas reopened, covers on, locks off by owner), then re-locked.
Tubes, emitters and reflectors left to cool before handling
Heater allowed to cool after lockout, surfaces checked with a thermometer or by hand held off the metal before anyone grips a tube, emitter or reflector.
No photo

Combustion service

Burner cleaned and combustion checked
Burner, orifice and igniter cleaned, gas pressure set per the rating plate, combustion confirmed clean and stable, no sooting.
Flame sensor cleaned and set to the maker's gap
Flame rod or sensor cleaned of oxide and set to the maker's gap, its lead and ceramic insulator intact; the igniter is covered by the burner cleaning.
No photo
Flame signal read at the ignition control
Where the control gives a reading, flame signal read with the burner firing under the release and energized-work PPE, against the module's listed minimum and last year's value.
No photo
Draft inducer wheel and motor cleaned on tube heaters
Inducer wheel cleaned of dust and soot, motor turning freely without bearing noise, pressure-switch tubing clear and uncracked.
No photo

Tubes and venting

Radiant tubes and vent connector inspected full length
Tubes and vent connector checked end to end for corrosion, separated joints, sag and blockage, terminal and screen clear.
No photo
Reflectors washed and their clips and end caps refastened
Deeper than the quarterly view: reflectors washed of dust and soot, dents straightened or noted, clips and end caps refastened so heat throws downward.

Clearances and safeties

Clearances and safety controls verified
Listed clearances confirmed on all sides after any layout change, high-limit and flame safeguard proven to shut the burner down.
Chains, S-hooks and beam clamps checked at the structure
Deeper than the floor view: every hanger followed to its beam clamp or anchor, links closed, clamps tight, no hanger bent by tube expansion.
Space or globe sensor compared with a reference reading
Reference thermometer held beside the sensor, its offset set as the manufacturer allows, and the owner's setpoint restored afterward.

Return to service

Heater closed up and released from lockout
Covers fastened and tools off the heater, gas cock reopened and disturbed joints leak-tested, each lock removed by whoever hung it.
Heater run through a full call and the aisle reopened
Called on at the controller, it lights, radiates evenly along the tube or emitter, satisfies and shuts off, then barricades come down.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Vent connector inspected from the floor only, missing corrosion, separated joints or a blocked terminal that spills combustion products indoors.
Burner cleaned but combustion never checked, so it runs rich, sooting the tubes and cutting radiant output all winter.

Verified against

IMC (mechanical code)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this infrared radiant heater annual checklist cover?: 14 items across 5 sections, covering isolation and access, combustion service, tubes and venting, clearances and safeties, 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 HVAC service lead on the annual pre-season combustion service.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year before the heating season, when the burner can be pulled and the tubes, vent and reflectors inspected with the unit cold and locked out.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 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 an infrared radiant heater annual inspection?: Vent connector inspected from the floor only, missing corrosion, separated joints or a blocked terminal that spills combustion products indoors. Burner cleaned but combustion never checked, so it runs rich, sooting the tubes and cutting radiant output all winter.
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 10 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.