What does this pool pump and filtration quarterly checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering before the round, pump and strainer, filter and flow, chemical feed and safety. 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 pool or facilities maintenance tech on the quarterly round; chemical treatment stays with the certified pool operator.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, run on the equipment pad so the pump, filter and chemical controller are checked as one circuit rather than one at a time.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 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 pool pump and filtration quarterly inspection?

Rising filter pressure read but never acted on, so flow keeps dropping until the filter is well past when it should have been backwashed. Strainer basket left cracked or unseated, letting debris and air reach the pump so it loses prime between rounds. Chemical feeder out of solution or a controller in alarm, spotted on the round but reported to no one who can dose the water.

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

Pool pump and filtration quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly pool equipment 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 manufacturer's published instructions, the applicable health and safety code. 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.

Before the round

Pool operator told and bathers cleared before circulation stops
Certified pool operator told first, pool closed to bathers whenever the pump stops or chemistry is disturbed, and reopened only on the operator's say.
No photo
Chemical storage kept apart and the room ventilated
Acid and chlorine stored apart in their own containment, labels legible, ventilation running, no fumes or fresh corrosion, gloves and face shield stocked.

Pump and strainer

Pump running with prime and no leaks
Pump running smoothly at normal sound and pressure, seal and unions dry, motor not overheating, no air pulling at the lid.
Pump, feeders and heater locked out before the lid opens
Pump motor, chemical feeders and heater switched off, locked and tagged at their own disconnects, isolation valves closed where fitted, before the strainer lid comes off.
Strainer basket clean and seated
Basket cleared of debris, no cracks, lid o-ring seated so the pot holds prime, no air leak at the lid.
Lid closed, locks cleared and air bled on restart
Lid tight and valves reopened, locks removed by whoever hung them, pump restarted and air bled at the filter relief until water runs steady.
No photo
Bonding conductors intact at the pump and metal equipment
Bonding conductor attached at the pump motor, heater and metal piping lugs, lugs tight and not corroded, conductor unbroken between them.

Filter and flow

Filter pressure and backwash checked
Filter gauge read against the clean baseline, filter backwashed or cleaned when the rise calls for it, sight glass observed to run clear.
Flow and circulation confirmed
Return flow present at the inlets, skimmer and main-drain suction pulling, flow meter reading in the normal band where fitted.
Heater observed running for its type where fitted
Gas burner lighting clean, electric elements or heat pump running, water leaving the heater near the operator's setpoint, no leaks at the heater unions.
No photo

Chemical feed and safety

Chemical controller and feeders observed, not dosed
Controller powered and not in alarm, feeders have solution and are running, readings recorded and referred to the pool operator for any dosing.
Controller display compared with the operator's test kit
Operator's hand test taken at the same time as the controller reading, a gap between them referred to the operator as probe drift, targets stay the operator's.
Main-drain and anti-entrapment cover condition observed
Cover secured, unbroken and legible, no missing screws or cracks; condition and any compliance marking recorded and flagged if suspect.
Safety vacuum release status checked where fitted
Safety vacuum release system or other entrapment device powered, not in fault and not bypassed, checked with the pool operator and any fault reported the same day.
No photo
Operator's log, health permit and safety data sheets on file
Round entered in the operator's log, health department permit current and posted, a safety data sheet on file for every chemical stored in the room.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Rising filter pressure read but never acted on, so flow keeps dropping until the filter is well past when it should have been backwashed.
Strainer basket left cracked or unseated, letting debris and air reach the pump so it loses prime between rounds.
Chemical feeder out of solution or a controller in alarm, spotted on the round but reported to no one who can dose the water.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this pool pump and filtration quarterly checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering before the round, pump and strainer, filter and flow, chemical feed and safety. 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 pool or facilities maintenance tech on the quarterly round; chemical treatment stays with the certified pool operator.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, run on the equipment pad so the pump, filter and chemical controller are checked as one circuit rather than one at a time.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 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 pool pump and filtration quarterly inspection?: Rising filter pressure read but never acted on, so flow keeps dropping until the filter is well past when it should have been backwashed. Strainer basket left cracked or unseated, letting debris and air reach the pump so it loses prime between rounds. Chemical feeder out of solution or a controller in alarm, spotted on the round but reported to no one who can dose the water.
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.