Commissioning Checklist
This commissioning checklist ensures the safety and effectiveness of new or modified systems within a facility. Use this comprehensive list to efficiently validate the performance of HVAC equipment, pumps, piping, and lighting systems. The checklist includes required installation checks as well as points for Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB).
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How to Use This Checklist
- **Confirm installation and access.** Check the enclosure for dents, leaks, and door seals; confirm access doors close tightly, the casing between shaft and unit is complete, and vibration isolation devices are installed and released from shipping locks. Verify maintenance access to unit and components is available.
- **Check thermal, instrumentation, and cleanliness items.** Confirm sound attenuation and insulation are installed as specified; instrumentation such as thermometers, pressure gauges, and flow meters is installed per specification; filters are installed with type and efficiency permanently noted; coils are clean with fins in good condition; condensate pans are clean and sloped toward the drain; and equipment cleaning is complete per contractual documents.
- **Verify refrigerant and pipework integrity.** Check that no leaks are visible at refrigerant fittings. Confirm pipe connections are fully and properly supported, taking thermal expansion and building expansion joints into account, and that installed safety devices are functional, shown to be leak-tight, and that any special requirements are met so the system is functional.
- **Test and adjust (TAB).** Position and secure OSAT, MAT, SAT, and RAT sensors and confirm sensors are calibrated. Ensure controller locations and connections are checked and components are inspected for physical integration. Calibrate and record motor overload settings, and observe pump operation to confirm implemented safeguards function as specified.
- **Review electrical and safety provisions.** Confirm safety devices are installed and safe operating ranges are provided; that isolators are present and properly labelled; that all electrical connections are secure and present; and that any deviations from the commissioned work flows are noted.
- **Document outcomes.** Record operational events and submitted documentation against the commissioned work flows, and report incidents and records according to the set protocols.
- **Sign off.** Capture the conducted-on date, who prepared it, the location, the signature, the finish time, and the actual inspection start and end dates.
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What commissioning verification covers
Commissioning is the step where you prove that a newly installed or modified system is safe and performs the way it was designed to. Rather than testing a system after it is already in regular use, commissioning verifies it at the point where the equipment, controls, and balancing work can still be corrected. This checklist treats the facility as a set of connected systems — HVAC equipment, pumps, piping, and lighting — and takes you through the installation and Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) checks for each.
Installation checks
Before any system is run, you confirm that it has been built as specified. This includes the physical condition of equipment: enclosures free of dents, leaks, and door seal defects; access doors that close tightly; complete casing between shaft and unit; vibration isolation devices installed and released from shipping locks; and adequate maintenance access to the unit and its components. Sound attenuation, insulation, and instrumentation must be installed in line with the specification. Cleanliness matters too — equipment is cleaned per the contractual documents, filters are installed with their type and efficiency permanently noted, coils are clean with fins in good condition, and condensate pans are clean and sloped toward the drain.
TAB: testing, adjusting, and balancing
TAB is where the system is brought to its design operating condition. The checklist guides you through positioning and securing the OSAT, MAT, SAT, and RAT sensors and confirming they are calibrated, checking controller locations and connections, and inspecting components for physical integration. Motor overload values need to be calibrated and recorded with no deviations, and pump operation needs to be observed with its safeguards confirmed to work as specified. Where the system has refrigerant fittings, you check that no leaks are visible; where pipework is installed, you confirm connections are properly supported, including allowances for thermal expansion and building expansion joints.
Electrical and safety provisions
Safety devices must be installed and operating ranges confirmed safe, and the system shown to be functional. Isolators need to be present and properly labelled, and all electrical connections secure and present. Record any incidents and maintain records as required by the set protocols.
Documenting results
Each checklist item is answered as pass, fail, or not applicable, and the record captures the date, the person preparing it, the location, the signature, the finish time, and the actual inspection start and end dates. Where operational events, submitted documentation, or the commissioned work flows show a deviation, note it so the responsible party can act on it.
Common pitfalls
- **Treating commissioning as a paperwork exercise.** The value is in the field checks: enclosures, seals, piping supports, sensor calibration, motor overload settings, and pump behaviour. - **Leaving vibration isolation shipping locks in place.** They must be released before the unit is run, otherwise the isolation does not work as designed. - **Skipping cleanliness before start-up.** Filters, coils, and condensate pans should be clean and correct before testing begins. - **Balancing without checking the sensors first.** OSAT, MAT, SAT, and RAT sensors must be positioned, secured, and calibrated before the TAB readings mean anything. - **Ignoring documentation discrepancies.** Deviations from submitted documentation and commissioned work flows should be recorded, not passed over.
Who this is for
Commissioning agents, mechanical and electrical contractors, facilities engineers, and building operators can use this checklist to verify HVAC equipment, pumps, piping, and lighting systems before handover, and to keep a consistent record of what was checked and what was found.
Why it matters
A system that is commissioned properly is less likely to surprise you once it is in service. Verifying installation, TAB results, electrical connections, and safety provisions together confirms that equipment operates as specified and that safe operating ranges are in place. The record produced by the checklist also gives you a clear reference point for future maintenance and troubleshooting.
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