Drip or Crossover? See pics

tim smith

Hey all, would you consider these to be drip traps or crossover or combo of both. These are in lower level of building but above water line of boiler, not by much.
Thanks
Tim

JUGHNE

It seems they would actually do both.

I worked on a down feed system where some steam drops that fed only one rad that had been disconnected.

Others previously had went to great expense to change out about 30 rad traps,
but ignored the drop drip trap with no rad......don't need that anymore..... .

So when checking those traps they still had the 1932 date stamped on the element.
Steam into the dry/wet return was the result with everything that goes with that.

The "dry return" was actually a partially wet return vented thru a cond pump.

Where the runouts for steam rads were capped, I put Big Mouth air vents on a 4' riser for these.
Things improved.
Had to figure out which ones were closest to the end of multiple attic steam mains.

It was a different system after that.

tim smith

Jughne, thanks for reply, I kind of thought they were for both also. With the one below in the one photo of course being the radiator trap. We just finished all the radiator trap and valve rebuilds, over a 100. Now I want to get the cross overs done. Would you rebuild them with Barnes and jones cage units or replace them. Of course the furthest away may benefit from using Big mouths maybe? Input on that?
Thanks
Tim

mattmia2

It is all really just semantics, but isn't a drip a connection from a main to a return below the water line that is water sealed and a crossover a connection from a main to a return above the water line that uses a trap to prevent steam from getting in to the return(that may only vent air from the main or may also drain condensate from the main depending on how it is positioned)?

EBEBRATT-Ed

Just rebuild them with B&J or Tunstall elements.

To me they are drip traps because condensate will collect there. Crossovers are usually from the top of the steam main to a return main and handle air. But it's really a moot point. All the traps need to be working for the system to work correctly.

tim smith

Matt, that is kind of my question. I would think they are one in the same on above the water line to a dry return? Just trying to figure out.
Thanks
Tim

mattmia2

My copy of TLOSH is at home. I would be inclined to call it a drip if it can't vent air. I can see where there are enough combinations that the line gets murky.

tim smith

Matt, I would say it vents air and drips out the steam line until it closes from temps, correct?

Steamhead

tim smith said:

Matt, I would say it vents air and drips out the steam line until it closes from temps, correct?

Correct. In this application it does both.

JUGHNE

And in the case of the schoolhouse I worked on, these were the only means of venting air from the entire system. Either thru the drip trap and/or thru the rad trap.

And because of the dry, sometimes wet, return piping, the BM vents were added as close to the ends of the mains as possible.

Steam reached the EOM within minutes.

FWIW, the drip traps were repaired with B&J cage units.

The rad heaters were orificed on steam inlet and trap guts removed.

tim smith

THANKS ALL.