Mechanical Acceptance Testing

Are Your Necessary Acceptance Forms Completed?

California Title 24 2013 and 2016 acceptance testing is an integral new portion of the building code that is required to be completed before any occupancy permits can be issued by the building departments to nonresidential buildings, but what is it? Acceptance testing is a series of contractor installation inspection and functional tests that work in tandem with the systems testing already performed to comply with the Title 24 mandatory building commissioning requirements. The CA T24 acceptance testing is not intended to take the place of commissioning or any test and balance procedures, it is an adjunct process focusing only on demonstrating compliance with a set of Energy Efficiency Standards and act as another layer of quality control. They were put in place to ensure that systems basic operational requirements are functioning correctly.

What Forms Do I Need to Complete?

There are 2 main types of acceptance testing; mechanical, and lighting control acceptance testing. Currently, mechanical acceptance testing is performed on all building HVAC equipment that is installed such as ventilation systems, air conditioners, refrigeration equipment, and heating hot water systems, including but not limited to:

  • Air Handlers
  • Associated Variable Air Volume or Constant Air Volume boxes
  • Fan Coils
  • Heat Pumps
  • Split System Units
  • Exhaust Fans
  • Roof Top Units
  • Packaged Air Conditioners
  • Boilers
  • Chillers
  • Cooling Towers
  • Pumps

There are 18 tests that are divided up by specific features, systems, or Title 24 requirements, but only the acceptance tests that apply need to be completed. For example, if a building is designed with air handlers in mind, Title 24 requires that demand shedding and demand control ventilation are included, so those acceptance tests must be completed because those features are required for air handlers. However, items like supply temperature reset are not mandatory, and you would not have to complete that acceptance test if supply temperature reset is not included in the design. A unique set of tests must be performed for every piece of equipment, meaning if there are 10 air handlers that have 8 acceptance tests associated with the included features in the design, all 80 tests must be completed, certified successful, signed by a licensed professional, and turned in with the necessary compliance forms to the building department. Many of these tests can or should be performed concurrently with the commissioning process functional and pre-functional testing. This means that having a certified commissioning agent who is qualified to perform acceptance testing can save valuable time and money.