F&T trap question

steamed_in_CT

Hello, new to the board, but glad I found you!  Have a 1927 tudor with oil-fired steam boiler.  Having too many problems to list here, but am replacing boiler with gas fired unit within the next few months.  Also replacing all radiator steam trap capsules and main returns, and INSULATING.  Question is, in reading through Dan's "We got steam heat!" and "The Lost Art of Steam Heating" (AWESOME reads BTW), there is a lot of importance placed on the F&T traps.  I have 2 main supplies and cannot see where there have ever been F&T traps installed.  Being that the system is 80+ years old, and likely performed well for many years without them, do I really need to add them now?  The mains are 3" all the way to the end, where they vent, turn 90 degrees, and reduce to 1 3/4" down to the return. Any other tips to bring the system back? Thanks!

Jamie Hall

F&T traps

were and are found on some, but by no means all, steam heating systems.  In fact, in your age bracket (well, not you -- your system's) it is likely that there never were F&T traps.



Typically the mains, as you say. would go to wherever they needed to, and then turn down and go down to a wet return.  So long as that wet return stays wet (you mention replacing the boiler; when you do, be very sure that you set the water level of the new boiler at the same elevation -- plus or minus no more than an inch -- as the water level in the old one!  You'll save yourself a lot of grief...) the steam can't get past there, and the condensate happily returns to the boiler.



However... that doesn't take care of the venting.  Some old systems had dry returns as well, and cross over traps.  If yours does not, it probably depended on venting through the radiators, which was fine for coal, which built steam slowly, but doesn't work well for oil or gas, which build steam very quickly (relatively speaking).  What that means is that you should probably figure out how to add main vents right near the ends of the steam mains.  That will help even out the heat, and also get it to your radiators much more quickly.



Keep at it -- and keep asking questions!

Rod

Piping Diagram

Hi - Welcome to the Wall!  I've attached a diagram which maybe of help to you. On a two pipe system, the system requirements are that you have to allow the air and condensate (water) to escape from the steam main but contain the steam in the steam main so it will route through the radiators.

        The diagram shows two ways of doing this. On some systems you can use a cross over trap (it works the same as a radiator trap)  instead of an F&T trap.



Radiator Traps- Here's some info that maybe of help to you.

Testing traps - Use an  Infrared thermometer. I use a Ryobi  Model # RP4030 available from Home Depot.  With the system working, measure the temperature on the input and out put side of the trap. If there is very little difference in temp you have a bad trap. A good trap with give a 10 to 15 + degree difference.

The best way to open the traps is to use an impact wrench. (Thanks to Gerry Gill for this tip !)



Source for complete traps & parts:

State Supply

http://www.statesupply.com/steamTraps.jsp



Rebuild parts for Steam Traps (Thermostatic,  F&T)

Barnes & Jones

http://www.barnesandjones.com/



Tunstall

http://www.tunstall-inc.com/tunstallsteam.html



You are lucky to have a really great system and once you get it straightened out you will be very happy with it.

- Rod