Short answer: A preventive maintenance (PM) checklist for imaging equipment has to cover more than what the engineer does on the day. It should list (1) the daily, weekly, and monthly checks your staff perform, (2) what to do before the engineer arrives, (3) the tasks a qualified engineer completes for your specific modality, (4) how to verify the work afterward, and (5) the records you keep so you’re ready for an inspection. This page gives you all five, plus a year-round calendar.
Important: This checklist is a working framework, not a replacement for your manufacturer’s service manual or your facility’s QC program. Staff shouldn’t open covers or attempt calibration. X-ray and imaging systems involve high voltages and moving parts, and those tasks belong to qualified engineers.
How to use this checklist
| Part | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| A. Staff checks | Technologists and sonographers | Daily, weekly, monthly |
| B. Before the visit | Practice manager or lead technologist | A week before the PM visit |
| C. Engineer’s PM checklist | Qualified field service engineer | Per manufacturer schedule (see our PM guide) |
| D. After the visit | Practice manager or lead technologist | Same day as the visit |
| E. Records binder | Practice manager | Ongoing; review quarterly |
| F. Annual calendar | Practice manager | Set once a year |
Tip: a shared spreadsheet with one row per system and one column per task is enough for most small practices. You don’t need maintenance software to run this.
Part A: Staff checklist (daily, weekly, monthly)
Daily (before first patient)
- ☐ Inspect cables, housings, and controls for visible damage
- ☐ Wipe patient-contact points and controls with disinfectants approved by the manufacturer
- ☐ Confirm the system starts normally and shows no error messages
- ☐ Run the tube warm-up procedure (X-ray and CT) as the manufacturer specifies
- ☐ Ultrasound: inspect each probe’s lens, housing, cable, and connector before use, and clean and disinfect per the probe manufacturer’s instructions (the AIUM guidelines recommend regular inspection)
- ☐ Log any error code or odd behavior, even if it cleared
Weekly
- ☐ Take a test image or phantom scan per your QC program and look for artifacts or blurriness
- ☐ Check smooth movement of the tube stand, table, bucky, C-arm, and brakes
- ☐ Verify emergency stops and safety interlocks work
- ☐ Confirm images reach PACS and the network connection is stable
- ☐ Ultrasound: update your probe log with any damage or intermittent problems
Monthly
- ☐ Inspect cables and connectors for wear, kinks, or corrosion
- ☐ Clean vents and filters and make sure fans run freely, since blocked airflow causes overheating
- ☐ Confirm the system is on a surge protector or UPS where the manufacturer recommends one
- ☐ Review the error log and your downtime log for patterns
- ☐ CT: run air calibrations (many systems call for this monthly) and water-phantom checks as the manufacturer specifies. See our guide to how often CT scanners should be serviced
- ☐ Check room temperature and humidity, especially for MRI and CT rooms
Part B: Before the engineer arrives
- ☐ Confirm date, start time, and expected duration (a full CT PM typically takes about 4-8 hours and an MRI PM about 6-10 hours)
- ☐ Book after hours if you can, and move or notify scheduled patients
- ☐ Gather the system’s make, model, serial number, and last service report
- ☐ Write down recurring symptoms, error codes, and dates, and save screenshots
- ☐ Confirm the scope in writing: are tubes, detectors, probes, coils, and chillers or other room systems included or excluded?
- ☐ Ask which parts the provider will use (new OEM, OEM-equivalent, or refurbished) and how replacements are approved
- ☐ Ask whether a configuration backup is needed before software work
- ☐ Make sure the room is accessible, powered, and air-conditioned
- ☐ Line up QC and physicist dates so nothing overlaps
Part C: The engineer’s PM checklist
Every system should receive:
- ☐ Interior and exterior cleaning, including filters and fans
- ☐ Mechanical and functional checks (movement, brakes, locks, interlocks)
- ☐ Performance testing against specification
- ☐ Calibration to OEM specifications from the service manual
- ☐ Electrical safety testing
- ☐ Review of error logs since the last visit
- ☐ Software patch review and network or DICOM connectivity verification
- ☐ Assessment of wear items (tubes, batteries, cables, probes)
- ☐ A written report (see Part D)
X-ray / digital radiography
- ☐ Generator output verification and adjustment (kV, mA, time)
- ☐ Tube and collimator checks, including light-field and alignment
- ☐ Detector calibration and artifact review
- ☐ Tube stand, bucky, and table mechanics and brakes
- ☐ Exposure controls and safety interlocks
- ☐ High-voltage and signal cable inspection
- ☐ Tube usage and exposure-count review, to plan replacement. Medical tubes typically last 50,000 to 100,000 exposures or 3 to 7 years
Portable and mobile X-ray
- ☐ Battery health and charge capacity
- ☐ Wheels, drive system, and brakes
- ☐ Cables, exposure switch, and collimator
- ☐ Detector docking and communication
C-arm / fluoroscopy
- ☐ Image-chain calibration (image intensifier or flat panel)
- ☐ Mechanical movement, brakes, and counterbalance
- ☐ Tube assessment and radiation output measurement
- ☐ Display calibration and DICOM output
Ultrasound
- ☐ Transducer inspection: lens, housing, cable, connector, and element (dropout) check
- ☐ Image-quality check with a phantom
- ☐ Fans, filters, and battery
- ☐ Control panel, keys, and trackball
- ☐ Cart, wheels, and cable management
- ☐ Electrical safety testing and software or network check
CT
- ☐ Tube performance and usage review
- ☐ Detector, air, and water calibrations
- ☐ Gantry rotation and cooling-system inspection
- ☐ Phantom and QA scans
- ☐ Table movement and positioning accuracy
- ☐ Software, DICOM, and image-transfer checks
MRI (see our full MRI preventive maintenance checklist)
- ☐ Cryogen level and cold-head status
- ☐ Chiller and cooling performance. Confirm whether the chiller is in your PM scope, since it’s sometimes a separate unit
- ☐ Gradient and RF chain checks
- ☐ Coil inspection
- ☐ Phantom QA and image-quality verification
- ☐ Room temperature and humidity
Intervals vary by modality, and your manufacturer’s schedule is the authority.
Part D: After the visit: accept the work
Treat this as your sign-off checklist. If something is missing from the report, it may be missing from the visit.
- ☐ You received a signed, itemized service report the same day
- ☐ The report lists system make, model, serial number, date, and the engineer’s name
- ☐ The report includes before-and-after readings and calibration results
- ☐ Parts replaced or recommended are listed, with the source noted
- ☐ Software versions and patches are recorded
- ☐ Electrical and safety test results are included
- ☐ Open issues are listed with recommended actions and urgency
- ☐ The next PM due date is stated
- ☐ The system was tested and verified before returning to patient use, and you ran a test image or phantom per your QC program
- ☐ The report is filed in your records binder and your asset log is updated
- ☐ Wear items flagged for replacement are added to next year’s budget
If a major component was replaced or the system was moved, update your records and, for X-ray in California, report changes to the Radiologic Health Branch. See our guide to preparing for imaging equipment relocation.
Part E: Your inspection-ready records binder
Requirements differ by facility type and accreditor, but these records are commonly requested. In California, the Radiologic Health Branch publishes hospital and medical clinic inspection-preparation guides.
- ☐ Equipment inventory: make, model, serial number, location, install date, warranty status
- ☐ State registration details for each X-ray machine (California machines are registered with the Radiologic Health Branch and registration runs on a two-year cycle)
- ☐ Every PM service report
- ☐ Repair and corrective work orders
- ☐ QA/QC logs. Keep at least three years, since California inspectors ask for QA/QC records covering the past three years
- ☐ Physicist survey or performance evaluation reports, current for each unit that requires or requests one
- ☐ Calibration records
- ☐ QC training records for staff who perform QC
- ☐ Downtime and probe logs
- ☐ Service contract and warranty terms
- ☐ Accreditation documents if you hold them (for example, ACR accreditation programs expect documented QC and physicist surveys)
Hospitals: CMS guidance directs hospitals to maintain imaging and radiologic equipment according to manufacturers’ recommendations, and Joint Commission standards expect manufacturer-recommended activities to be completed at a 100% rate. See what regulators and accreditors expect in our PM guide. This is general information, not legal advice.
Part F: A year-round calendar for California practices
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Spring | Book the first PM visit before the summer heat. Have your room HVAC checked and clean filters. |
| Summer | Watch room temperature and fan noise. Triple-digit heat is common in the Sacramento Valley and stresses cooling systems. |
| Early fall | Book the second visit for semiannual systems. Review your power plan before wildfire-related Public Safety Power Shutoff season. Recent events have occurred in late September and October. |
| Q4 | Schedule physicist evaluations, finish QC records, and review the downtime log. |
| Year-end | Budget for tube, battery, and probe replacements flagged in reports. Review which systems need tighter intervals. |
After any power outage, if a system behaves abnormally on restart, have it checked before returning to patient use.
How VectoRay Medical can run this for you
VectoRay Medical is based in Elk Grove and serves hospitals, clinics, and imaging centers across California and surrounding states. Our preventative maintenance plans cover X-ray, CT, ultrasound, MRI, angiography, and Zeego systems. Each visit includes interior and exterior cleaning, mechanical functional checks, performance testing, and calibration to OEM specifications from service manuals, and we can schedule overnight or on weekends. If a checklist item turns up a problem, our medical equipment repair team handles the fix. For typical repair costs, see our cost guide.
Contact us or call 1-855-409-2885 for a PM schedule built around your equipment.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a medical equipment preventive maintenance checklist?
For imaging equipment: daily, weekly, and monthly staff checks; pre-visit preparation; the engineer’s tasks for your modality (cleaning, mechanical checks, performance testing, calibration, electrical safety, software and connectivity); a post-visit sign-off; and a records binder.
Who should perform preventive maintenance tasks?
Staff handle visual checks, cleaning with approved agents, and routine QC. Calibration, output testing, and electrical safety testing belong to qualified engineers, and a medical physicist performs the annual performance evaluation where required.
How often should imaging equipment have preventive maintenance?
Common intervals are once or twice a year for X-ray and ultrasound, twice a year for CT, and two to four times a year for MRI, following your manufacturer’s schedule. See our PM guide.
Do I need a different checklist for each type of equipment?
Yes. The core items are shared, but X-ray, ultrasound, CT, and MRI each have specific tasks, as shown in Part C.
What’s the difference between a PM checklist and a QC checklist?
A PM checklist covers service work that keeps the system within specification. A QC checklist covers routine tests your technologists run to verify image quality between visits. You need both.
Do I need maintenance software?
Not necessarily. Large hospitals often use maintenance-management software, but a well-kept spreadsheet with reminders and a shared folder for reports works for most small practices.
How long does a PM visit take?
It depends on the system. A full CT PM typically takes about 4-8 hours and an MRI PM about 6-10 hours. X-ray and ultrasound visits are generally shorter, so ask your provider for an estimate.
What records should I keep?
PM reports, repair records, QC logs, physicist reports, calibration records, and your equipment inventory. California inspectors ask for QA/QC records covering the past three years.
