Steam kettle trap

Fritz_Kleiner

Any advice on what type of steam trap is best for a Groen jacketed steam kettle. I have a commercial kitchen with 5 40gal kettles that have F&T traps which work well. And 1 tilting 5 gal kettle that has a inverted bucket trap. This one doesn't seem to work as well.

Steamhead

Might not be a bad idea to replace the bucket trap with an F&T. Bucket traps don't vent air that well, and if the air can't get out of the kettle, the steam can't get in.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Steamhead is right of course about the bucket trap

What kind of steam pressure are you running?

Most of the trap MFGS are all ok not much difference. I am partial to Watson-McDaniel but that is what our local pipe supplier sold.

If you need specific advice Tunstall in Chicopee, MA is good with traps (you can google them)

other than that

Sarco

Barnes & Jones

Hoffman

Armstrong

……….and the list goes on.

Fritz_Kleiner

Thanks. System runs at 13psi. 2 months ago had a textbook perfect boiler fail. LWCO was'nt maintained and boiler ran dry, cracked the cast sections. Finally got a new Burnham boiler installed, and on startup ran cleaner chemical through the system. This must have disloged some crud, because when I took the Watson McDaniel bucket trap apart the air hole in the bucket was clogged. I assume that was my problem. Waiting for new seals to try it out again.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Do you get all the condensate return back to the boiler? Or do you lose some in the process? How much make up water do you use?

cm6230

most I’ve seen use bucket traps. No problems. F&T I usually see off heat exchangers domestic or heating systems.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Buckets tend to get air bound unless there is another air removal device.

Fritz_Kleiner

Not sure how much make up water is being used. I do have a lot of water hammer when the system starts up. Some of the pipe work is original from 1920, and I suspect some places have lost the original pitch back to the boiler. Wondering if there should be a vacuum breaker on the end of the supply/ steam line? Right now there is only one on the condensate line.

retiredguy

You will not get the perfect answer to your question, here. What you need is to have a commercial boiler service tech come to your job to look at the overall system, how the whole steam system is piped and controlled. There a lot of very knowledgeable steam people here but none have seen your system, the boilers, or the delivery system. What you need to correct your problem is anybody's guess and it just a guess. Call for a service tech and get the right answers

Fritz_Kleiner

Ok thanks.