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Condensate return line

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Willis
Willis Member Posts: 5
in Strictly Steam
Have a situation in an old school steam system. The 3" return line is clogging the condensate return pump with metal fragments and sludge. Any way we can remove this before reaching the pump? Inline strainer created its own problems.
Thanks

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  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
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    Sounds like it needs a serious flushing. How big is the system? How much makeup water does it use?

    Where are the metal fragments coming from?
  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra Member Posts: 1,948
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    You could try to build something like a sealed catch basin. Sounds like it would need frequent cleaning though.
  • Willis
    Willis Member Posts: 5
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    The system heats a large HS campus with 4000 students. Radiators and steam to water x changers. Copper and steel combinations for supply and return. Do not know how much make up water is used. Will suggest installing a water meter.
    Flushing the entire school system would be a challenge.
    The catch basin idea would definitely extend the service life of the pumps. Will visit the site for a better understanding of the system layout.
    Thanks

  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
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    Willis said:

    The system heats a large HS campus with 4000 students. Radiators and steam to water x changers. Copper and steel combinations for supply and return. Do not know how much make up water is used. Will suggest installing a water meter.

    Excellent idea IMO. A bit of lab analysis on the condensate might be worth doing, as well as understanding the incoming water chemistry.

    I'm imagining a sort of giant DirtMag -- or perhaps a cyclonic separator.
  • Willis
    Willis Member Posts: 5
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    I believe the dirt magnet or the cyclone separator is a great idea but a condensate system is not running constantly under pressure to create turbulence as in hydronics. I can say this. Someone installed a in line strainer and the screen with sludge and metal particles became clogged and stopped flow.
    What would happen with the dirt magnet and cyclone under those conditions?
    An associate recommended a Caleffi #NA546080AM.
    I contacted Caleffi and they would not recommend using their product under those conditions.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,282
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    Seems to me... that any sort of filter or stilling basin type of thing may require a good deal of maintenance.

    What bothers me is simple: where is the gunk coming from? Particularly metal fragments. These things don't just materialize from thin air (or thin steam). Something, or somethings, is failing somewhere in that system. You could wait until it really fails completely, at which point it will probably be painfully obvious. I would suggest that you do your darndest to find out where the stuff is coming from and fix it.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    SWEI
  • Willis
    Willis Member Posts: 5
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    To finalize the discussion. We went ahead and recommended a 3" duplex CI in line strainer. Our thought process was the customer will be able to service the line while still under pressure. Another associate had installed a simplex ( 4 year running) and seemed to work to the customers satisfaction.
    The debris within the system consisted of metal pipe shavings,rust and gunk. Multiple areas of piping were replaced over the years and are they still continuing the replacement when necessary.
    Thank you for your comments

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