Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

How do I remove this steam trap?

Options
Stardance
Stardance Member Posts: 23
in THE MAIN WALL
Need instructions or advice on how to remove this steam trap from the radiator? The hole in the floor for the condensate line has no wiggle room and the radiator seems immovable.


Comments

  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,385
    Options
    Long pry bar and some wood to protect the radiator, pipes and the floor. If you want to move the radiator did you undo the union at the valve too? Is the new trap going to line up correctly ?

    I know these videos are for valves but the concepts are the same. There are more videos too.

    https://youtu.be/Fr9hFxuxWss

    https://youtu.be/odLe_3fVpq0


    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
    Options
    First question -- why do you need to remove the trap body? Have you tried to see if you can get a new element for it? There aren't all that many traps that you can't...

    OK Assuming that there is a reason to replace the trap body. Having gotten the union undone (your second picture) you may be able to swing that end of the radiator out from the wall enough to get adequate room to turn the trap body. Be sure and put a backup wrench on the riser coming through the floor, though -- the last thing you want to do is loosen that.

    To replace he trap body, though, you also need to replace the spud in the radiator with a new matching one. That is going to be a whole lot easier if you undo the valve union at the other end and move the radiator out of the way, and then lay it on its side to attack the old spud...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Stardance
    Stardance Member Posts: 23
    Options
    @109A_5 and @Jamie Thanks for the advice and videos. I've sent emails with pics to a couple suppliers but haven't heard whether they have a cage or diaphragm to replace the old ones like this pic below. So, it's been suggested that I remove a trap and send it to a supplier. The cap says Inland Supply Co and there aren't any threads in the cap or the drain hole to attach anything.




  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,286
    Options
    Send a note with the picture directly to Tunstall Corporation, 118 Exchange St., Chicopee, MA, 01013, 800.423.5578. They can probably identify it and fit a new capsule for you -- they're pretty good at that.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • 109A_5
    109A_5 Member Posts: 1,385
    Options
    Hello @Stardance, I'd be scared to send it anywhere, in fear of never seeing it again. I'm thinking that flange at the top of the spring looking bellows assembly is captive between the body of the trap and the cap when assembled, no threads required. Replacement cage units may need a new cap.

    Presently I would not cut it off (as shown in the one video) unless you are going to replace the whole trap.

    I would put the bellows assembly in a pan of water on the stove and heat it up and see if it expands.

    That seat in the bottom of the trap looks a little odd, maybe cleaning up the needle and seat and it will work again.

    National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
    Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
    One Pipe System
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,524
    Options
    Is it just one trap or many??

    If you only have a few traps, it will be cheaper and less hassle to just change them out then source old nonexistent parts.

    If you have a building full of them than maybe that changes things
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,061
    Options
    I worked on a residential 2 pipe steam system that was pretty well abandoned and they were heating the house with their heat pump.

    The traps had no guts inside, the adjustable inlet valves were non functional or leaking beyond repair.
    The air venting system (into the chimney) devices were long gone.
    The near boiler piping should not have worked but did.

    To avoid the grief of rebuilding/replacing traps, I used inlet valve orifice control.
    This is about 20% the cost of trap replacement and no spud removal.
    Copper orifices are drilled to a calculated size and inserted into the steam inlet unions.

    The system ran quietly and quickly delivered heat.
    IIRC, it is running on a vapor stat at maybe 6-12 ounces.
    mattmia2

Categories