Unplugging Condensate lines

Unknown

There really isn't any other way.

You can give a quote that you can stand behind. It will work for years. It is believable when you quote it. It gives the expected results.

Been there.

Noel

Keith A. Laird, PE

Unplugging plugged Condensate lines

We have a major school client (300 plus buildings), most of which are low pressure steam. The "young" buildings are late 1930s vintage, and a lot of the elementary schools are circa 1890-1912. These buildings are typically a two pipe Mills system with (fortunately) very little buried returns. Unfortunately, they have been running no water treatment

When we do a boiler replacement design, we specify replacement of all traps with Barnes and Jones kits,and replace the control valves on the radiators with Danfoss valves.

Only problem is, plugged condensate lines are getting to be an change order issue. As the specs now stand, contractor is not responsible for unplugging returns. Client wants us to write a procedure for contractor to clean out returns as part of his work.

I'm open to suggestions as to how to do this without spending a fortune. The two ideas I had were as follows.

1.Take the trap internals out, run the steam pressure up to 15 psig, and hope to blow the crud out with steam pressure. I don't think this will work, as most of these buildings have been running for years with hammered (i.e. failed open) thermostatic traps, which means that the condensate side is already at 8-10 psig, and the crud didn't blow out, so 15 probably isn't going to work.

2. Second option would be to hook up a hydroblaster to each radiator while the control valve and trap internals are out, and try and blow the lines clear with water pressure. This concerns me because I know that the rust is the only thing keeping the some of the joints, pipe and fittings from leaking, and the pressure will probably blow the rust out of the joints before we blow it out of the pipes. In any event, it would be a wet mess.

Chemical cleaning is probably not an option, as the work needs to be done while school is occupied, and the teachers union goes to MOPP IV when somebody opens a bottle of household ammonia.

Any ideas?

ta finnegan

Options

I agree with the previous post that the best way is to replace them.

In working with steam systems for 25 years, we have tried everything from the sublime to the absurd. Nothing works better than replacement. Nobody wants to hear this, but it makes the most sense for all the work you have already done, isn't it worth making sure that it will work in the future?

It may be a hard pill to swallow, but if the system proves problematic, and the school is angry, someone will be paying dearly with service calls and legal fees.

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