What's the best?

Rich

I have been servicing a low preessure two pipe steam heating system.I am having some trouble with steam venting from the Shipco condensate return tank.Is it normal to have this steam coming from the vents. On some days it looks as if weather patterns are changing over the building that this system serves.What is the best way to check the f&t traps.So fare I have used a stethescope and or a screw driver to listen for irregularities.What type of noise should I be hearing.It seems that the listening technique is not working due to the vibrations from the boiler and the amount of steam traps.(Over 100!)installed so closely together.I've also used a infared laser gun that can read surface temperatures.I've tried this method,hoping to get a temperature differance between the inlet and outlet of the trap.But what should the temperature differance be.I guese I could use some advice on what the best way there is for testing a steam trap!Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Unknown

I can help you

I have only rarely got out a stethascope to test traps. I relied on an infrared gun. Great move.

The trick to using it is the timing. Start with a cold piping system. Traps that leak by are a big shortcut to the air and the steam pushing it. Once the steam gets into the return piping, everything close gets hot.

Mentally, try this. The key to the thing is in the goal. Picture the returns containing only the condensate from the mains and radiation. On a mild day, that won't be enough temperature in those cold pipes to make them very hot, with good traps. From experience, about 90°F to 150°F is what you could expect. 190-200 indicates steam blowing through a trap or three.

Picture closing all of the radiator valves. Even if they leak by a little, they won't heat enough to heat a trap closed. The radiation should be cool in the middle, at worse case. The only steam to reach the returns is through the traps on the mains. Check them out with the temp. gun.

The temp at the trap outlet can be high. Check a few feet away. You can deduce steam flow from trap outlet flow. Trap by trap, on cold piping, you can find them. Fix the doubtful ones. Then open a radiator into the now cool returns. You can see the rest, I'm sure. Just check each trap into a cool return.

It takes more than a little while. I learned on college buildings that were built every few years from 1911 to present and each had a different technology used in the steam and hot water heating systems. I'm hooked on these old beauties.

http://www.colby-sawyer.edu/

Noel

Steamhead

Also check the steam pressure

if it's too high, condensate will flash back into steam after it exits a perfectly good trap, because it has left a pressurized area (the radiator)and is going into an area at atmospheric pressure (the return lines and pump receiver).

Many steam systems out there are running at pressures that are entirely too high- wasting much fuel. This is especially true of old Vapor systems that were the victims of botched "modernizing" attempts. There are many such systems waiting for great steam men to rescue them- right, Noel ;-) ?

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Boilerpro

Right Steamhead! and Noel, BTW

Do your smaller hot water atmospheric gas boilers still have built in air separators?

Unknown

Right, Steamhead!

The Slant/Fin boilers have a built in tapping by the outlet for a compression tank or an air vent. I think another company has an air seperator that is built in, but if the vent doesn't vent, it is an air pocket that rusts.

You can plug ours if you want to. I don't think you can plug those built in scoops if you use another air scoop.

Noel