What does this medical-surgical vacuum pump annual checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering notice and isolation, service observed, performance and alarms, housekeeping and records. 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 facilities lead documenting the visit while the qualified service technician performs the annual service.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Once a year, scheduled with the service technician so the deeper work and any performance readings are witnessed and recorded, not just billed.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 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 medical-surgical vacuum pump annual inspection?

Vacuum pump serviced but the changeover and low-vacuum alarm never re-tested afterward, so a wiring bump goes unnoticed until it's needed. Oil, seals or vanes serviced per the pump but the receiver and piping side skipped, so condensate and a slow leak stay in the system.

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

Medical-surgical vacuum pump annual maintenance checklist

The annual medical vacuum pump 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 NFPA 99, 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.

Notice and isolation

Service window signed off by clinical engineering and nursing
Window agreed under the facility's planned-interruption procedure, one pump serviced at a time while the other carries the system, master panel staff told signals may show.
No photo
Serviced pump locked and tagged at its motor and control feeds
Serviced pump's motor feed and its own control circuit locked, tagged, tried dead; the shared package control supply left live for the running pump. Run checks: closed up, people clear, guards on, locks off by their owners, run, re-locked.
Serviced pump isolated from the header and vented
Inlet isolation valve closed so the running pump keeps the system, and the pump casing let up to atmosphere before any cover, filter or drain on it is opened.
System vacuum held on a single pump during the service
Gauge watched while one pump carries the system alone, vacuum held in its normal band with no low-vacuum alarm, and the result recorded as the plant's backup check.

Service observed

Technician's pump service observed and recorded
Watch the technician carry out the manufacturer's service on each pump, record what was replaced or adjusted and any readings the technician reports.
Filters and bacteria filter renewed on schedule
Filters changed per the manufacturer's interval, old and new photographed, change date logged for the next round.
Oil changed on lubricated pumps, wear parts on oil-less
Oil drained warm and refilled to the mark with the manufacturer's grade, drained oil checked for water or sludge. Oil-less pumps: vanes or seals checked per the manual.
No photo
Removed filters handled under infection control
Used inlet elements and any bacteria filter bagged and disposed as the facility's infection control procedure directs, with the PPE it names, never left open in the room.
No photo
Exhaust drip leg drained and exhaust piping inspected
Low-point drip leg drained with the liquid noted and its valve reclosed, exhaust hangers, joints and the wall or roof penetration sound with no oil or water weeping.

Performance and alarms

Both pumps back in automatic, guards on, locks removed
Guards and covers fastened, isolation valves reopened, tools cleared, locks and tags removed by the people who hung them, and both pumps selected to automatic.
Vacuum performance and pump-down observed
System brought down to normal vacuum and observed to hold, both pumps carrying load in turn, no unusual noise or vibration.
Alarms re-tested after service
Low-vacuum and lag-run alarms exercised after the service and confirmed to annunciate and clear at the panel, results recorded.
Source vacuum read on a test gauge against the design
Calibrated test gauge at the source read against the design vacuum and the unit gauge beside it, and the unit gauge replaced if outside the manufacturer's tolerance.

Housekeeping and records

Clinical engineering and master panel staff told of restoration
Clinical engineering, nursing leadership and master panel staff told both pumps are back in service, with names and times logged.
No photo
Service report filed with the round record
Technician's report received and attached to the maintenance record, deficiencies noted with a follow-up owner and interval.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Vacuum pump serviced but the changeover and low-vacuum alarm never re-tested afterward, so a wiring bump goes unnoticed until it's needed.
Oil, seals or vanes serviced per the pump but the receiver and piping side skipped, so condensate and a slow leak stay in the system.

Verified against

NFPA 99

Common questions

6 answers

What does this medical-surgical vacuum pump annual checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering notice and isolation, service observed, performance and alarms, housekeeping and records. 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 facilities lead documenting the visit while the qualified service technician performs the annual service.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Once a year, scheduled with the service technician so the deeper work and any performance readings are witnessed and recorded, not just billed.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 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 medical-surgical vacuum pump annual inspection?: Vacuum pump serviced but the changeover and low-vacuum alarm never re-tested afterward, so a wiring bump goes unnoticed until it's needed. Oil, seals or vanes serviced per the pump but the receiver and piping side skipped, so condensate and a slow leak stay in the system.
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 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.