diff --git a/config/default_configs/default_config.yml b/config/default_configs/default_config.yml
index bf88fd23947..b7315b73633 100644
--- a/config/default_configs/default_config.yml
+++ b/config/default_configs/default_config.yml
@@ -217,9 +217,6 @@ regression_test:
 check_conservation:
   help: "Check conservation of mass and energy [`false` (default), `true`]"
   value: false
-check_precipitation:
-  help: "Sanity checks for 1-moment precipitation [`false` (default), `true`]"
-  value: false
 ls_adv:
   help: "Large-scale advection [`nothing` (default), `Bomex`, `LifeCycleTan2018`, `Rico`, `ARM_SGP`, `GATE_III`]"
   value: ~
diff --git a/config/model_configs/single_column_precipitation_test.yml b/config/model_configs/single_column_precipitation_test.yml
index 679f148edcc..f105d951d02 100644
--- a/config/model_configs/single_column_precipitation_test.yml
+++ b/config/model_configs/single_column_precipitation_test.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ vert_diff: "FriersonDiffusion"
 implicit_diffusion: true
 approximate_linear_solve_iters: 2
 regression_test: false
-check_precipitation: true
 toml: [toml/single_column_precipitation_test.toml]
 diagnostics:
   - short_name: [hus, clw, cli, husra, hussn, ta, wa]
diff --git a/examples/hybrid/driver.jl b/examples/hybrid/driver.jl
index c572b34bbcb..1ffe7c3cfa5 100644
--- a/examples/hybrid/driver.jl
+++ b/examples/hybrid/driver.jl
@@ -167,57 +167,6 @@ if config.parsed_args["check_conservation"]
     end
 end
 
-# Precipitation characteristic checks
-if config.parsed_args["check_precipitation"]
-    # run some simple tests based on the output
-    FT = Spaces.undertype(axes(sol.u[end].c.ρ))
-    Yₜ = similar(sol.u[end])
-    @. Yₜ = 0
-
-    Yₜ_ρ = similar(Yₜ.c.ρq_rai)
-    Yₜ_ρqₚ = similar(Yₜ.c.ρq_rai)
-    Yₜ_ρqₜ = similar(Yₜ.c.ρq_rai)
-
-
-    CA.precipitation_tendency!(
-        Yₜ,
-        sol.u[end],
-        sol.prob.p,
-        sol.t[end],
-        sol.prob.p.atmos.precip_model,
-        sol.prob.p.atmos.turbconv_model,
-    )
-    @. Yₜ_ρqₚ = -Yₜ.c.ρq_rai - Yₜ.c.ρq_sno
-    @. Yₜ_ρqₜ = Yₜ.c.ρq_tot
-    @. Yₜ_ρ = Yₜ.c.ρ
-
-    # no nans
-    @assert !any(isnan, Yₜ.c.ρ)
-    @assert !any(isnan, Yₜ.c.ρq_tot)
-    @assert !any(isnan, Yₜ.c.ρe_tot)
-    @assert !any(isnan, Yₜ.c.ρq_rai)
-    @assert !any(isnan, Yₜ.c.ρq_sno)
-    @assert !any(isnan, sol.prob.p.precomputed.ᶜwᵣ)
-    @assert !any(isnan, sol.prob.p.precomputed.ᶜwₛ)
-
-    # treminal velocity is positive
-    @test minimum(sol.prob.p.precomputed.ᶜwᵣ) >= FT(0)
-    @test minimum(sol.prob.p.precomputed.ᶜwₛ) >= FT(0)
-
-    # checking for water budget conservation
-    # in the presence of precipitation sinks
-    # (This test only works without surface flux of q_tot)
-    @test all(ClimaCore.isapprox(Yₜ_ρqₜ, Yₜ_ρqₚ, rtol = 1e2 * eps(FT)))
-
-    # mass budget consistency
-    @test all(ClimaCore.isapprox(Yₜ_ρ, Yₜ_ρqₜ, rtol = eps(FT)))
-
-    # cloud fraction diagnostics
-    @assert !any(isnan, sol.prob.p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf)
-    @test minimum(sol.prob.p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf) >= FT(0)
-    @test maximum(sol.prob.p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf) <= FT(1)
-end
-
 # Visualize the solution
 if ClimaComms.iamroot(config.comms_ctx)
     include(
diff --git a/test/parameterized_tendencies/microphysics/precipitation.jl b/test/parameterized_tendencies/microphysics/precipitation.jl
index 9363de99a3a..b69207f4fc7 100644
--- a/test/parameterized_tendencies/microphysics/precipitation.jl
+++ b/test/parameterized_tendencies/microphysics/precipitation.jl
@@ -73,10 +73,35 @@ include("../../test_helpers.jl")
     for var_name in test_varnames
         @test var_name ∈ propertynames(precip_cache)
     end
+
+    # test helper functions
     @test CA.qₚ(FT(10), FT(2)) == FT(5)
     @test CA.qₚ(FT(-10), FT(2)) == FT(0)
     @test CA.limit(FT(10), FT(2), 5) == FT(1)
+
+    # compute source terms based on the last model state
     CA.precipitation_tendency!(ᶜYₜ, Y, p, FT(0), precip_model, turbconv_model)
+
+    # check for nans
+    @assert !any(isnan, ᶜYₜ.c.ρ)
+    @assert !any(isnan, ᶜYₜ.c.ρq_tot)
+    @assert !any(isnan, ᶜYₜ.c.ρe_tot)
+    @assert !any(isnan, ᶜYₜ.c.ρq_rai)
+    @assert !any(isnan, ᶜYₜ.c.ρq_sno)
+    @assert !any(isnan, p.precomputed.ᶜwᵣ)
+    @assert !any(isnan, p.precomputed.ᶜwₛ)
+
+    # test water budget
     @test ᶜYₜ.c.ρ == ᶜYₜ.c.ρq_tot
     @test ᶜYₜ.c.ρ == Y.c.ρ .* p.precipitation.ᶜSqₜᵖ
+    @test p.precipitation.ᶜSqₜᵖ == .- p.precipitation.ᶜSqᵣᵖ .- p.precipitation.ᶜSqₛᵖ
+
+    # test if terminal velocity is positive
+    @test minimum(p.precomputed.ᶜwᵣ) >= FT(0)
+    @test minimum(p.precomputed.ᶜwₛ) >= FT(0)
+
+    # test if cloud fraction diagnostics make sense
+    @assert !any(isnan, p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf)
+    @test minimum(p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf) >= FT(0)
+    @test maximum(p.precomputed.cloud_diagnostics_tuple.cf) <= FT(1)
 end