Free checklist
VRF system quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly VRF system 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 IMC, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 5
- Photos required
- 8
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The HVAC tech on the quarterly round, working from the outdoor unit down through the branch controllers to a sample of indoor heads.
When in the schedule
Every quarter, and ahead of each cooling and heating season since the same system runs both ways and one dropped head is easy to miss on a walk.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Outdoor unit
- 2 photos
Outdoor coil and fans clear and running
Condenser coil faces free of lint, leaves and cottonwood on all sides, fans spinning freely and quiet, clearances around the unit maintained, no fault standing on the outdoor board.
Branch controllers
- 2 photos
Refrigerant valve boxes dry and condensate draining
Branch controller and refrigerant valve boxes free of oil residue at the connections, insulation intact, and any condensate drain from the box flowing clear with no back-up above the ceiling.
Indoor heads and controls
- 2 photos
Indoor filters and drains checked at a sample of heads
Filters at the walked heads cleaned or replaced, pans draining, condensate pumps cycling quiet where fitted, no staining on the wall or ceiling below a head.
- 1 photo
All indoor units reporting on the controller
Central or remote controller showing every addressed head online and answering, no communication error or missing unit, heat and cool commanded at a sample head to confirm changeover.
- 1 photo
Refrigerant leak detection present and powered where required
Where leak-detection sensors are required for the room's refrigerant concentration, the sensor is in place, powered and not in fault or bypass.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- One indoor head's filter loads and the space complaint gets chased at the thermostat, because on a big system a few heads always get skipped when their rooms are occupied.
- A branch controller's condensate drain clogs above a ceiling and stains the tile below, since the boxes get walked past as 'no moving parts' on the round.
- A head shows offline on the central controller and nobody notices, so the system runs with a gap until the room finally calls it in.
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 8 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this vrf system quarterly checklist cover?
- 5 items across 3 sections, covering outdoor unit, branch controllers, indoor heads and controls. 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 tech on the quarterly round, working from the outdoor unit down through the branch controllers to a sample of indoor heads.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, and ahead of each cooling and heating season since the same system runs both ways and one dropped head is easy to miss on a walk.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 8 of the 5 items call for photo evidence. 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 vrf system quarterly inspection?
- One indoor head's filter loads and the space complaint gets chased at the thermostat, because on a big system a few heads always get skipped when their rooms are occupied. A branch controller's condensate drain clogs above a ceiling and stains the tile below, since the boxes get walked past as 'no moving parts' on the round. A head shows offline on the central controller and nobody notices, so the system runs with a gap until the room finally calls it in.
- 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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