Checking Steam Traps

Norman Bagi

I run a building in Manhattan, and we have too much steam in our return lines. The problem of course is too many faulty steam traps (old 2 pipe system, gravity return, never maintained since 1923)
Do you know of a temperature sensor that will work (better than most) to check the inlet and outlet temperatures of the traps?
What is the best method, distances from inlet and outlet? What temperatures I should expect to see from a faulty vs. a working trap? 2-degrees, 10-degrees, 20-degrees?


We most likely will have to do an entire replacement, but I need a benchmark to go to my board with.

Fred Harwood

traps

If no maintenance has been done in 70 years, replace all traps. Those few that have not failed, soon will.

As for checking traps, provided that the steam pressure is below two psi, you should see 5 to 10 degrees of drop across the trap, depending upon several factors.

You can use a crayon designed for the purpose (someone on the wall may know where to get one) or a hand-held infrared thermometer such as a Stanley. They are common now, but must be pointed at black or colored, not shiny, surfaces to read accurately.

Robert O'Connor_7

common return?

Is there a common return riser? if so, why not install a intermediate trap before it joins with the basement horizontal return main.. I worked for Newark Housing (not too proud of that)many years ago,, but they refused to buy ANYTHING, but was supposed to make it work anyway. I would reuse old bucket traps and install them on the problem risers, so as not to get live steam in the returns. This place was so bad, they didn't want to fix or replace any of the hundreds of condensate pumps that went bad, this adding insult to injury was right after one of the complexes just received a new 3 million dollar boiler house. All that $$$ wasted. They fed the three new boilers with a 1&1/4 make up. As far as i was aware the valve was NEVER closed.. BOC