Short answer: A preventive maintenance plan lists every electrical asset, ranks how much each one matters, and gives each task an interval, an owner and a record. Score criticality, set intervals from the manufacturer’s instructions and the equipment’s condition and your site maintenance program, then log as-found and as-left results every time. If a task has no record, nobody can reliably say when it was done, what was checked or what is still wrong.
Maintenance work puts motors, transformers and panels in front of you often. If you are also preparing for the Texas Journeyman exam, the outline covers the rules for them. The PSI outline gives Motors and Generators 5 items and Electrical Equipment and Devices 10 items in Texas Journeyman NEC Knowledge. The Texas Journeyman Practice Pack has 1,000 practice questions on the 2026 NEC and scores you by topic area after each of its 10 timed mocks. US$39 once.
Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. The worksheets and numbers below are our own teaching examples. Your plant’s maintenance program, the manufacturer’s instructions and your employer’s electrical safety program come first.
Why maintenance planning matters for your career
Electricians do not only install. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists inspecting electrical components such as transformers and circuit breakers, and installing and maintaining wiring, control and lighting systems, among typical duties (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
In Texas there is also a separate Maintenance Electrician license. TDLR asks for 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician or Maintenance Electrician, an application by mail with a $20 fee, and a passing exam (TDLR Maintenance Electrician page). The PSI bulletin lists the Maintenance Electrician exam as 60 items in 180 minutes with a 70% pass mark and a $64 fee (PSI Candidate Information Bulletin). Some in-house work may fall under exemptions in Texas law; check TDLR before relying on one.
What NFPA 70B adds
NFPA 70B is the NFPA document on electrical equipment maintenance. Industry summaries report that its 2023 edition changed it from a recommended practice into a standard with mandatory language, built around an electrical maintenance program, and that it uses the equipment’s condition to set how often maintenance is done. A standard becomes enforceable for you when a law, a contract, an insurer or your employer adopts it. We only saw summaries of these points, not the standard itself, so read the current edition before you rely on them (NFPA 70B page).
The five parts of a PM record
| Part | Question it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Asset | What equipment? | Panelboard LP-2A, Building 1, Room 104 |
| Task | What is done? | Visual inspection, thermal scan, clean and check enclosure |
| Interval | How often? | Every 12 months |
| Owner | Who does it? | Maintenance electrician on B shift |
| Evidence | How do we prove it? | Dated record with readings, photos and the next due date |
Rank criticality before you set intervals
A simple worksheet scores each asset on two things, from 1 (low) to 3 (high), and multiplies them:
- Consequence: what happens if it fails (safety, production, cost).
- Condition: how well it is doing now (age, environment, past problems).
| Asset | Consequence | Condition | Score | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main switchboard | 3 | 2 | 6 | High |
| Fire pump controller | 3 | 1 | 3 | Medium score, but life-safety rules also apply |
| Production line motor starter | 2 | 3 | 6 | High |
| Office lighting panel | 1 | 2 | 2 | Low |
| Exterior lighting contactor | 1 | 3 | 3 | Medium |
In our worksheet, 6 to 9 is high, 3 to 5 is medium and 1 to 2 is low. Use the score to decide which assets get looked at first. Set the actual intervals from the equipment requirements, the manufacturer instructions, documented condition and your site maintenance program; a high score alone does not set the interval. Your site may use a different scale; the idea is the same.
Worked example 1: annual PM workload
A small plant’s PM plan has these recurring tasks:
| Task | Count | Hours each | Times per year | Hours per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panelboard inspection | 18 | 0.75 | 1 | 13.5 |
| Dry-type transformer inspection | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 16.0 |
| Motor starter check | 6 | 0.5 | 4 | 12.0 |
| Standby generator run test | 1 | 1.0 | 12 | 12.0 |
- Panelboards: 18 × 0.75 × 1 = 13.5 hours.
- Transformers: 4 × 2.0 × 2 = 16.0 hours.
- Motor starters: 6 × 0.5 × 4 = 12.0 hours.
- Generator: 1 × 1.0 × 12 = 12.0 hours.
- Total: 13.5 + 16.0 + 12.0 + 12.0 = 53.5 hours per year, or about 4.5 hours per month (53.5 ÷ 12 = 4.46).
Check: add in another order. 12.0 + 12.0 = 24.0, plus 16.0 = 40.0, plus 13.5 = 53.5. Same total.
Worked example 2: is this task overdue?
A motor starter check has a 90-day interval. It was last done on June 20, 2026. Today is October 10, 2026.
- Count 90 days from June 20: 10 days to June 30, 31 in July (41), 31 in August (72), then 18 more into September (90).
- Due date: September 18, 2026.
- Days overdue on October 10: 12 days left in September after the 18th, plus 10 in October = 22 days.
Check: from June 20 to October 10 is 10 + 31 + 31 + 30 + 10 = 112 days. 112 − 90 = 22. Same answer.
What a good record looks like
- Date, asset ID and the exact task done.
- As-found condition and readings, and as-left condition after the work.
- Any deficiency, who it was reported to, and the work order number for the repair.
- The next due date.
- Who did the work.
Energized tasks such as thermal scans are done only by qualified persons under the employer’s NFPA 70E program. If you are not qualified for a task, your job is to set up, record and learn. See NFPA 70E and lockout before any maintenance work.
Check yourself
Our own practice questions. Answers below each.
- Consequence 3, condition 3. Score and priority in our worksheet? Answer: 9, high.
- 12 lighting contactors checked twice a year at 0.25 hours each. Hours per year? Answer: 12 × 0.25 × 2 = 6 hours.
- A 30-day task was last done September 1. When is it due? Answer: October 1.
Practice for the two-part exam on paper or screen. The Texas Journeyman Practice Pack has 1,000 practice questions and 10 timed two-part mocks in the 59 + 26 format. US$39 once. Not affiliated with TDLR or PSI.
FAQ
What is an electrical preventive maintenance plan?
A list of electrical equipment with the tasks, intervals, responsible person and records for each one, so inspections, cleaning, testing and repairs happen on schedule and can be proven.
How often should electrical equipment be maintained?
It depends on the equipment, the manufacturer’s instructions and its condition. Industry summaries of NFPA 70B say it uses equipment condition to set intervals. Critical or poor-condition equipment may need earlier evaluation or closer monitoring. Set maintenance intervals according to equipment requirements, manufacturer instructions, documented condition, and the site’s electrical maintenance program, not the criticality score alone.
Do I need a license to be a maintenance electrician in Texas?
TDLR issues a Maintenance Electrician license that requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master or Maintenance Electrician and a passing exam. Some in-house work may be exempt under Texas law, so check with TDLR.
What should a maintenance record include?
The date, asset, task, as-found and as-left condition and readings, any deficiency and where it was reported, who did the work, and the next due date.
Sources checked October 2026
- TDLR Maintenance Electrician application page: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/apply/individuals/maintenance.htm
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for TDLR (updated 9/15/2026): https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/1682
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electricians: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
- NFPA 70B, Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, development page: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-70b-standard-development/70b
