What does this smoke control fan quarterly checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering notice and test setup, fan and drive, air path and dampers, power and controls, 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 mechanical or life-safety tech on the quarterly round; findings are documented, not certified.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter between the annual dedicated tests, because a pressurization fan that sits idle all year is the one that fails when the alarm calls it.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 11 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 smoke control fan quarterly inspection?

Fan energizes on a smoke signal but the associated damper never strokes open, so it deadheads against a closed path. A tenant or trade has stacked storage or blocked the stair-pressurization intake or relief louver. Standby or emergency power to the fan was never confirmed, so it only ever ran on normal power during the round.

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

Smoke control fan quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly smoke control fan 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 NFPA 92, IMC (mechanical 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.

Notice and test setup

Monitoring company, owner and occupants told before the run
Monitoring company told signals may come in, owner told which fans and zones will run, occupants warned stair doors may pull hard, and the owner's impairment procedure followed.
No photo
Smoke control panel set for the test by the qualified tech
Fire alarm or smoke control panel put in test per the owner's procedure by the qualified fire alarm tech, so the run neither dispatches the fire department nor starts other zones.
No photo
Automatic self-test result read at the firefighter's panel
On dedicated systems with an automatic self-test, the latest result and any fault since the last round read at the firefighter's smoke control panel or its log.
No photo

Fan and drive

Fan starts on its smoke-control command, not just the local switch
Fan initiated through the fire alarm or firefighter's control interface and observed to start and run, not bumped from the disconnect.
Air moving the right way for the fan's smoke mode
Wheel turning per the housing arrow and air moving into the stair or shaft for pressurization, or out of the building for exhaust, checked at the intake or discharge.
No photo
Lock and tag applied at every source feeding the fan
Fan disconnect, any drive or bypass feed and the standby-power feed locked and tagged per the site's procedure before hands go near the belt or wheel.
Belt, wheel and bearings sound with no rub or noise
Belt tension and alignment against spec, wheel spun free with power locked out, no bearing whine or vibration at speed.
Guards and panels fastened before the locks come off
Belt or coupling guard and access panels back on and fastened, tools and people clear, and locks and tags removed by whoever hung them before the fan runs again.

Air path and dampers

Associated smoke and control dampers stroke to their smoke position
Each damper in the path observed fully open (or fully closed) for its smoke mode, linkage free, blades not binding.
Intakes, relief louvers and shafts clear
Pressurization intake, stair relief and exhaust path free of storage, snow screens and debris, nothing choking the opening.

Power and controls

Standby or emergency power source to the fan confirmed
Fan observed running on its standby source (generator or alternate feed) where provided, transfer confirmed, not assumed.
Fan run status proven back at the smoke control panel
Panel shows the fan running from its own proof device, airflow switch or current sensor, not just the start command, and showing off again when the command is released.

Restore and report

Fan left in automatic at every switch that controls it
Local hand-off-auto, drive keypad and smoke control panel switches all left in auto so the fan answers a smoke command, none left in off or hand after the round.
Test mode cleared and the monitoring company told fans are live
Test mode taken off the panels by the qualified tech with no trouble left standing, then the monitoring company and owner called that smoke control is live again, calls logged.
No photo
Faults reported to the owner as impairments, not held
Any fan, damper, power or proof fault that leaves the system unable to perform logged and reported to the owner as an impairment, not held over for the annual test.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Fan energizes on a smoke signal but the associated damper never strokes open, so it deadheads against a closed path.
A tenant or trade has stacked storage or blocked the stair-pressurization intake or relief louver.
Standby or emergency power to the fan was never confirmed, so it only ever ran on normal power during the round.

Verified against

IMC (mechanical code)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this smoke control fan quarterly checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering notice and test setup, fan and drive, air path and dampers, power and controls, 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 mechanical or life-safety tech on the quarterly round; findings are documented, not certified.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter between the annual dedicated tests, because a pressurization fan that sits idle all year is the one that fails when the alarm calls it.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 11 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 smoke control fan quarterly inspection?: Fan energizes on a smoke signal but the associated damper never strokes open, so it deadheads against a closed path. A tenant or trade has stacked storage or blocked the stair-pressurization intake or relief louver. Standby or emergency power to the fan was never confirmed, so it only ever ran on normal power during the round.
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 11 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.