Low Pressure Steam Traps

BAB

I have a lot of Barnes & Jones 122 & 134 thermostatic traps in my system (about 120 traps). I have been replacing the guts of defective traps with Tunstall trap inserts & recently installed 4 new Tunstall F/T traps. My boiler puts out 5-9 oz/sq in and when really cooking will get to 9-12 oz/sq in. The whole time the vacuum pump/condensate return line is at zero or sometimes up to 1-2 oz/sq in. I can not pull a vacuum on the condensate return line. I tested the vacuum pump independent of the system & it pulls a good vacuum. During a long heating cycle the vacuum pump kicks on & will run & keep the pressure/vacuum at zero, but never 3-5 in of Hg. At the same time the boiler pressure will react to the vacuum pumping action with the boiler pressure going from 9-12 down to 5-9 oz/sq in.

I have installed some test valves on the outlet side of the 4 new F/T traps. Only one new trap dumps condensate properly. All the others (3 new F/T traps) constantly pass steam, never interrupting the steam flow, wide open all the time. Also some of my drip legs constantly pass steam, regardless how many times I have replaced with new thermostatic trap inserts. So I have a lot of hot pipes constantly running steam into my condensate return line. The main condensate return line is not hot or warm but a lot of vertical drop lines are hat with live steam. I called & then went up to Tunstall main office in Chicopee, MA & they suggest installing replacement thermostatic inserts in their new F/T traps. I will be doing so this week. But is their brand of trap not sensitive enough to low temperature steam (< 212 deg F)? .....
Bromley

gerry gill

they should work..

especially since your not in vacuum..but they should be rated for vacuum to 15 lbs to work on your system assuming someday the vacuum pump can actually draw down..since these don't work, it tells me they're no good..defective..

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