Free checklist
Surge protective device (SPD) quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly surge protective device 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 NEC (NFPA 70), manufacturer's published instructions. 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 round
SPD label read for type, voltage and the panel it serves
Label legible showing type, system voltage and configuration matching the panel it protects, and noted as built into the panel or mounted beside it, with any mismatch reported.
Covers kept closed and PPE confirmed before approach
Indicators and housing read with panel and SPD covers closed on the round, with PPE chosen from the site's arc-flash risk assessment for the approach.
No photo
Indication and alarm
Diagnostic indicator read for every phase
Each phase indicator confirmed showing protected, not just the single summary light; any dark or amber phase noted as a module to replace.
Audible and visual alarm confirmed working
Alarm exercised or its self-check confirmed, remote signal (dry contact or panel light) confirmed to actually report a fault.
Connections and mounting
Connection points checked for heat and discoloration
Terminals at the SPD and its dedicated breaker observed or scanned for heat without touching, covers closed, no browning, melting or scorching where visible.
Lead length and mounting observed
Conductors as short and straight as the install allows, no unnecessary loops, device mounted solidly and close to the panel it serves.
Breaker or disconnect feeding the SPD confirmed on
Feed breaker or disconnect found closed, not tripped, and labeled for the SPD, with a tripped device reported to the owner rather than reset without finding why.
SPD housing checked for scorching, swelling or odor
No scorch marks, melted plastic, bulged housing or burning smell at the SPD or its module face, which point to a surge event or a failing module.
Service
Module swaps left to the qualified electrician under lockout
A spent module changed only by the qualified electrician after the SPD's feed is opened, locked, tagged and proven dead, never pulled live on the round.
No photoEnd-of-life module replaced when indicated
A module showing spent replaced with the matching type and rating, replacement date recorded so the next round knows the module is fresh.
No photoFeed restored and indicators read after any module change
After a module change, the lock removed by the electrician who hung it, the feed closed, and every phase indicator showing protected before the panel is left.
No photo
Records and follow-up
Phase status logged beside last quarter's reading
Each phase's indication and any alarm logged beside last quarter's, so a phase that lost protection shows up with a date.
No photoSpent modules and alarms reported to the owner
Any dark phase, alarm, tripped feed or scorched housing reported to the owner with the module part number, so the replacement is ordered.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- One green light on the face taken as 'good' while a per-phase indicator has already gone dark and only that phase is now unprotected.
- A module that has reached end of life left in place because it still shows a light, when the light only means the device is still connected, not still protecting.
- Long, looped conductors between the breaker and the SPD left as installed, so the device can't clamp fast enough to matter.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this surge protective device (spd) quarterly checklist cover?
- 13 items across 5 sections, covering before the round, indication and alarm, connections and mounting, service, 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 electrician or maintenance tech on the quarterly panel round.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, walked with the panel it protects since a spent SPD looks identical to a healthy one until someone reads the indicators.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 7 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 9 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 surge protective device (spd) quarterly inspection?
- One green light on the face taken as 'good' while a per-phase indicator has already gone dark and only that phase is now unprotected. A module that has reached end of life left in place because it still shows a light, when the light only means the device is still connected, not still protecting. Long, looped conductors between the breaker and the SPD left as installed, so the device can't clamp fast enough to matter.
- 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 9 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.