Free checklist
Rooftop unit (RTU) quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly rooftop 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 ASHRAE guidance, the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
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 panels open
Controller alarms and fault history read before shutdown
Active alarms and stored fault codes on the unit controller or thermostat photographed before the unit is stopped for service.
Disconnect locked and tagged before any panel comes off
The tech's lock and tag on the disconnect and a start attempt proving it dead; powered checks run under the procedure's temporary release, people and tools clear, then the unit is re-locked.
Air side
Filters inspected and replaced on condition
Pressure drop across the bank, bypass gaps around the frames, date written on the new filter.
Belts checked for wear, tension and alignment
No glazing, cracking or fraying; deflection at mid-span within the unit's spec.
No photoEconomizer and dampers stroked through their range
Blades move freely, seals intact, actuator responds to the call.
No photoBlower wheel and housing checked for dirt load and rub
Wheel turned by hand with the unit locked out: blades free of caked dirt, no rub on the housing, set screws tight on the shaft.
Condenser coil face and intake hood checked for debris
Leaves, cottonwood and litter cleared off the coil face and intake screen, and bent fins noted for the annual coil cleaning.
Drainage and safeties
Condensate pan and drain clear and flowing
No standing water, algae or rust trails; trap primed and draining.
Safeties and controls exercised
High/low pressure cutouts, freeze stat and smoke detector interlocks trip and reset.
Curb, flashing and unit panels secure
No loose panels to blow off, curb seal intact, no water path into the building below.
Fan and motor bearings checked for play and noise
Shafts rocked by hand while locked out; fittings greased on units that have them, sealed bearings left alone and any play reported.
No photoControl compartment checked for pests, water and scorched wiring
Re-locked: no nesting, moisture or chafed insulation in the control box, and no scorch marks on contactor or terminal faces.
Return to service
Panels closed and locks removed by the tech who hung them
Every panel and guard refastened, the tech's own lock and tag removed, and the unit restarted and running on its call.
Supply and return temperatures read on the restarted unit
Temperature split across the unit in its current mode recorded and compared with this unit's reading from the same season last year.
Worn parts and failed checks escalated to the owner
Belts, filters and safeties that need parts listed with a recommended action, so wear seen this quarter is not just noted again next quarter.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Round billed for all units but photos only exist for the ones near the ladder hatch.
- Condensate drains checked in cooling season and skipped the rest of the year.
- Belt wear noted quarter after quarter with no replacement and no escalation.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this rooftop unit (rtu) quarterly checklist cover?
- 15 items across 4 sections, covering before the panels open, air side, drainage and safeties, return to service. 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 tech on the contracted quarterly round.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Four times a year, timed ahead of the heating and cooling seasons so failures surface before peak load.
- 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 rooftop unit (rtu) quarterly inspection?
- Round billed for all units but photos only exist for the ones near the ladder hatch. Condensate drains checked in cooling season and skipped the rest of the year. Belt wear noted quarter after quarter with no replacement and no escalation.
- 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.
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.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.