Published 10 Jul 2023
HVAC maintenance is the periodic inspection of either commercial or residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Performing regular HVAC maintenance can prolong equipment life, reduce repair incidence, and prevent costly breakdowns. HVAC contractors and property managers should perform HVAC preventive maintenance inspections at least quarterly or bi-annually, especially before peak usage seasons. Though the exact maintenance requirements of each property and unit are different, in general, HVAC maintenance involves cleaning, removing debris, replacing filters, and testing the functions of various components. To maintain HVAC systems, contractors also check for leaks and signs of corrosion. Such issues may indicate that there is a larger, more systemic problem which needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
In this article
- What is an HVAC Maintenance Checklist?
- What Equipment is Checked During HVAC Maintenance?
- HVAC Maintenance Steps
- What are HVAC Inspection Report Forms?
- HVAC Maintenance Checklist App
- Top 7 HVAC Maintenance Checklists
What is an HVAC Maintenance Checklist?
An HVAC maintenance checklist is used to easily conduct preventive maintenance of an HVAC system in commercial buildings and residential properties. Utilizing digital HVAC checklists help easily identify signs of HVAC failure, address potential issues, and ensure that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are well-maintained and running cost-efficiently.
What Equipment is Checked During HVAC Maintenance?
The following equipment is checked during routine HVAC maintenance:
- Air Conditioner
- Heat Pump
- Electric Heater
- Gas Furnace
- Dual Fuel Heat Pump Furnace
HVAC Maintenance Steps
When doing HVAC preventive maintenance, also take note of the following steps to observe HVAC systems’ good working condition:
- Check HVAC equipment individually – Use checklists or templates that list down all the items that needed detailed checking when doing HVAC maintenance. Check air conditioner, heat pumps, electric heater, gas furnace, and dual fuel heat pump furnace, then specify actions for areas that need modification or improvement.
- Change filters regularly – As excessive as it may sound, it is ideal to perform regular HVAC tune ups and change filters every 30-90 days to keep them from being dirty. Clean filters improve HVAC performance and help ensure the unit’s efficiency. In turn, this regular filter change can help reduce monthly energy bills.
- Clean HVAC surroundings – Keep the area around the unit clear of leaves, grasses, dirt, or other forms of debris. Aside from that, remove clogs of mold or algae that developed inside the conditioners. This is to make sure that these little items don’t build up and cause the system to perform poorly.
- Examine refrigerant lines consistently – Check refrigerant lines at least once a month to confirm that they aren’t torn, lose, detached, or leaking. Regularly performing this step helps ensure that the desired temperature for cooling or heating a place of business, home, or other property is always maintained.
- Note unusual odors and noises – Always watch out for unusual odors or noises that occur whenever a unit is turned on. When happening normally, this can indicate the presence of other severe problems so recognizing and addressing them early helps prevent further damage to the unit.
- Inspect fan blades – Observe fan blades every couple of months to identify if there are significant signs of dirt, damage, or wear and determine if there’s immediate action needed. Otherwise, you can share these observations with HVAC technicians during scheduled maintenance inspections.
- Replace batteries as needed – When changing the batteries for smoke alarms, it is also ideal to simultaneously change the batteries of carbon monoxide detectors of the HVAC systems. Doing this regularly helps ensure that the detectors are always in safe and proper working condition.
What are HVAC Inspection Report Forms?
An HVAC inspection report details all the issues found during preventive maintenance and follow-up actions necessary for maintaining HVAC efficiency. Key HVAC inspection report findings may also include a comprehensive cost estimate for any repair or replacement work to be performed.
HVAC inspection report forms typically cover the following key areas of HVAC equipment:
- Equipment wear and tear
- Parts to be cleaned, replaced, or lubricated
- Motors and controls
- Condition of electrical connections and voltage
- Coil temperature
HVAC Maintenance Checklist App
Regular preventive maintenance tasks, creating comprehensive inspection reports, and tracking HVAC equipment performance can be challenging and time-consuming. HVAC contractors and property managers can use SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor), the world’s #1 mobile inspection app, to easily perform paperless HVAC inspections and instantly generate detailed reports.
- Capture photos to better explain the issues found and the cost of maintenance
- Spot issues and correct them as a group, where each assigned action includes a built-in chat and activity feed. Learn more.
- Automatically generate and share HVAC inspection reports before leaving the facility.
- Send/receive notifications for scheduled maintenance checks.
- Use for free with small teams. Unlimited storage, integrations, and real-time analytics for premium accounts.
Preview a sample printable PDF report.
Top 7 HVAC Maintenance Checklists
HVAC Inspection Checklist
This HVAC inspection checklist can be used to prove the functionality of newly installed or upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This HVAC inspection checklist includes checking & testing:
- Programmable thermostats
- Condensing units
- Variable Air Volume (VAV) terminals
Every failed commissioning criterion triggers a push notification via the SafetyCulture mobile app, email, and/or text message (SMS).
Commercial HVAC Preventive Maintenance Checklist
This commercial HVAC preventive maintenance checklist allows HVAC contractors to check as many HVAC equipment as needed to be maintained or inspected in a facility. Begin by adding a piece of equipment and specify if it is an air conditioning unit, heat pump, electric heater, gas furnace, or dual-fuel heat pump furnace. The list of preventive maintenance tasks to be accomplished will automatically appear, and you can efficiently continue your work by adding another piece of equipment as required. Finally, complete the preventive maintenance check with additional comments and a digital signature for the inspection report.
Residential Air Conditioning Maintenance Checklist
This residential air conditioning maintenance checklist can be used by landlords for the proper maintenance of air conditioning units in residential properties. Use this checklist with SafetyCulture's scheduling feature to automatically send inspection schedules on your maintenance personnel’s mobile devices, instantly receive alerts on completed maintenance checks, and easily evaluate team performance in real-time.
Heat Pump Maintenance Checklist
A heat pump maintenance checklist is used during routine inspections of commercial or residential heat pumps to increase operational efficiency and lower ongoing energy costs. To conveniently submit heat pump maintenance inspection reports, the SafetyCulture mobile app works offline and automatically syncs with the cloud once you are online. Equipped with new temperature sensors, more accurate and frequent readings, 24/7 remote monitoring, and triggered alerts when something goes wrong are now within your reach. Learn more.
Gas Furnace Maintenance Checklist
This gas furnace maintenance checklist can be used by professional furnace inspectors and property managers for general inspections to identify a furnace’s repair and maintenance needs. It provides checkpoints for cleaning, changing of disposable filters, and other inspection items to ensure that the furnace is in good condition.
- Take pictures of identified damage and irregularities then annotate them for evidence and documentation
- Add comments and notes for repair and maintenance recommendations
- Validate inspection data by providing inspector’s digital signature
Chiller Maintenance Checklist
A chiller maintenance checklist is used to assess if commercial HVAC chillers are maintaining the setpoint to achieve maximum efficiency. Use this checklist to easily inspect pressure and temperature gauges, detect potential chiller failures, and prevent short cycling. This checklist has been designed to make it easier for HVAC chiller maintenance technicians to efficiently:
- Inspect the chiller area and its general condition and intended function
- Take/attach photos of damages, repairs, and more
- Assign corrective actions with a due date and priority level
- Complete the chiller maintenance check with a digital signature
- Store the chiller maintenance log in the cloud
