What does this air and dirt separator quarterly checklist cover?

14 items across 4 sections, covering air removal, dirt removal and blowdown, pressure and body, treatment and record. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The HVAC or building maintenance tech checking the separator on the quarterly mechanical-room round, venting air and blowing down the collected dirt.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, and more often on a loop that's been opened or refilled, since air the separator misses collects at the high points and dirt it doesn't drop settles into the pump seals and control valves.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails an air and dirt separator quarterly inspection?

Automatic air vent stuck or fouled, so air stays in the loop and the pumps cavitate or a high point air-binds and starves a coil. Blowdown valve never opened, so the dirt the separator collects packs the bottom and carries back into the loop instead of dropping out. Air vent weeping and left dripping, so make-up water keeps feeding the loop and drives fresh oxygen and scale into the system.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Air and dirt separator quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly air and dirt separator round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against IMC (mechanical code), manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Air removal

Automatic air vent operating and not weeping
Vent seen releasing air and reseating dry, float chamber not water-logged, no steady drip that means the seat is fouled or the vent is passing water.
Vent cap set open and outlet not plugged or painted over
Vent cap backed off as the manufacturer directs so air can escape, outlet port clear of paint, scale or a plug, and any vent drip line running to a drain.

Dirt removal and blowdown

Blowdown discharge routed to a drain with people kept clear
Hose or pipe from the blowdown secured into a floor drain or container before the valve opens, people kept clear, and flow throttled so hot or treated loop water can't splash.
Blowdown opened and discharge observed
Blowdown or drain valve at the base opened to a bucket or drain, dirty water and settled sediment seen discharging, valve reseating clean with no drip after.
Sediment in the blowdown judged for color and amount
Blowdown caught in a clear container, black magnetite, red rust or grit noted and compared with last quarter, heavy or rising dirt reported to the water treatment contractor.
Magnetic insert withdrawn during blowdown where fitted
On a separator with a removable magnet in a dry well, the magnet pulled during blowdown so captured magnetite flushes out the dirt leg, then reseated fully.
No photo
Blowdown outlet capped once the valve is closed
Blowdown valve closed tight, hose removed and the outlet capped or plugged, so a bumped handle can't dump loop water on the mechanical room floor.

Pressure and body

System pressure and separator body checked
Loop pressure at the gauge steady in its normal band, no rising make-up suggesting a leak here, separator body and connections dry with no weeping at the flanges or the vent.
Pressure drop across the separator read where gauged
Where inlet and outlet gauges or test ports are fitted, pressure drop read and compared with the commissioning or last reading, a rising drop reported as a loaded element.
No photo
Any bypass around the separator found closed
Where a bypass is piped, its valve found closed and tagged normally closed, so loop water runs through the separator and not around it.
No photo
Insulation and mounting intact
Body insulation on a chilled or condensing loop intact so it doesn't sweat, mounting and supports sound, isolation valves in their normal positions.
Nameplate model and flow arrow read against the equipment list
Nameplate model, size and pressure rating matched to the equipment list and the flow arrow agreeing with the piping, so it's serviced as a separator, not lumped in as a strainer.

Treatment and record

Glycol blowdown caught for disposal and make-up logged
On a glycol loop, blowdown caught rather than drained unless site rules allow it, volume logged, and the treatment contractor told so concentration can be restored.
No photo
Blowdown, vent and pressure findings logged to the tag
Sediment, vent condition, loop pressure and any pressure drop logged under the separator's tag, and deficiencies reported to the owner and the water treatment contractor.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Automatic air vent stuck or fouled, so air stays in the loop and the pumps cavitate or a high point air-binds and starves a coil.
Blowdown valve never opened, so the dirt the separator collects packs the bottom and carries back into the loop instead of dropping out.
Air vent weeping and left dripping, so make-up water keeps feeding the loop and drives fresh oxygen and scale into the system.

Verified against

IMC (mechanical code)

Common questions

6 answers

What does this air and dirt separator quarterly checklist cover?: 14 items across 4 sections, covering air removal, dirt removal and blowdown, pressure and body, treatment and record. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The HVAC or building maintenance tech checking the separator on the quarterly mechanical-room round, venting air and blowing down the collected dirt.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, and more often on a loop that's been opened or refilled, since air the separator misses collects at the high points and dirt it doesn't drop settles into the pump seals and control valves.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails an air and dirt separator quarterly inspection?: Automatic air vent stuck or fouled, so air stays in the loop and the pumps cavitate or a high point air-binds and starves a coil. Blowdown valve never opened, so the dirt the separator collects packs the bottom and carries back into the loop instead of dropping out. Air vent weeping and left dripping, so make-up water keeps feeding the loop and drives fresh oxygen and scale into the system.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 10 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.