Air seperator question

hydronic_newbie

Hi,

I have a Taco 5 inch air seperator, off of the top there are two plugs one 1 1/4 inch and the other 3/4 inch.  There is a pipe going to the steel expansion tanks (3 - 220 gal.) coming out of the 1 1/4 inch hole.  The pipe goes up maybe 6" and then horizontal maybe 18" and then down maybe 14" and then horizontal over to the expansion tanks maybe 10 feet before it goes back up into the airtrol fittings.  I guess my question is can the line do this with steel tanks.  I thought the line had to go uphill the whole way.  Also out of the 3/4" hole on top of the air seperator there is an automatic air vent.  I didnt think those went on a system with steel expansion tanks, just the ones with bladders in them.  The original installer didnt have enough clearance to run the pipe uphill the whole way and If I am on the right track The air vent was probably a patch to try and cover up the original problem.  Anyways the complaint was the pressure relief valves drip water about once every 10 days and the maintenance guy goes down and blows water from the expansion tanks and the whole process starts again.  Another question I have is how do you know if the airtrol fittings are doing there job or not and how long do they normally last.  Any help would be appreciated.



Thanks in advance,

Hydronic_newbie