one pipe steam system with trap ?

Ed B.

recently i replaced a steam boiler - the one i took out was undersized and was severely rotted it had leaks in all 6 sections - it had an automatic water feed - i advised the customer that he probably had a hidden water leak - he now has to add water twice aday - i am now trying to find and repair leak - large house two zone steam - sealed crawl spaces and finished basement - i have found what may be steam traps 3 of them -not sure - could not find any i.d. on them - also found disconnected pump - customer stated it was from old well - it was near boiler -house is appr. 85 years - was originally coal now nat. gas-attached are 3 photos - any help would be greatly appreciated -

Al Letellier_9

Traps

You definitely have steam traps and where trap live so should a condensate pump. Looks like old F&T traps at the end of the mains or base of risers. that old pump is a condensate pump and should be replaced. Find out where the outlet of those traps is piped to. IF they go back to the boiler and you don't have sufficient "B" dimension, they and everything on that loop won't work. Just remember that any traps works best when it discharges into a pressure free or lower pressure environment. You definitely have a leak or are losing a lot of steam somewhere.

Steamhead (in transit)

If it's two zones

controlled by zone valves, that explains the traps and return pump. Zone valves turn A dimensions into B dimensions. The usual solution is to switch to pumped return, but then you need drip traps.

If I were doing that system, I'd go to TRVs. This would let me do away with the zone valves, traps and return pump. Yes, that is a return pump, not a well pump.

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