Steam traps. new element kits, change to Tunstall inserts or new traps

You could check out an article by Henry Gifford entitled "How To make A 2 pipe steam system really work".

I have done this with a couple of projects and needed to do no trap work.

Orifice installation is about 1/5 th of the cost of traps.

I get my orifices from Tunstall thru a distributor. Drilled for 1/8" or less and then drill as needed.

This is the method used before there were rad traps. The only difference is that the inlet is not adjustable.

Keeps emitters from overheating.

IMO, It is worth a read, only 7-8 pages long.

Good reasoning and common sense apply by Henry.

There are a few other really big advantages to using orifices. One is that when the boiler is replaced usually you can go to a boiler only about 1/2 the capacity, saving capital costs and improving fuel efficiency and comfort ( nice long burns times most of the year). This is for a couple of reasons: 1) The pick up load is much lighter so the pick up factor can be reduced ( I think Gifford uses about 10 to 15%, I've found that works well), 2) In most systems the boiler will only see about 60% of the radiation, so the steaming capacity can be reduced.
The other is that in most systems with radiators, you can reset a modulating burner based on outdoor temperature. In warm weather, small flame, moderate weather, medium flame, and for the few design days, large flame. This provides a nearly constant flow of heat into the building at about the same rate it is losing it. You should see much better fuel efficiency and very comfortable heating. We've also step fired two smaller boilers in orifice systems using a two stage thermostat.

You don't have to if they're working or failed open, only if they have failed closed. You can just pull the ones where it still doesn't heat with the orifice plate then address it later if one does fail closed later but that is unlikely since they won't be operating anymore.

Might be useful to monitor your steam traps ... https://www.steamiq.com/

I somewhat agree. Somewhat. Orifices are wonderful, however, they are critically dependent on operating pressure differential. If you can guarantee that you, your successors, assigns, and heirs will always operate the system at the pressure differential within a rather narrow selected range, great.

If not... remember that the flow is proportional to the square root of the differential pressure.

Traps, on the other hand, so long as they are operated within their rated operating pressure range (typically 0 to 3 psi) will do their thing for a very very long time... decades. Maybe not a century, but I know of some which are pushing that.

Downside there is that if you do overpressure them, they will fail rather quickly.

woobagooba said:

Might be useful to monitor your steam traps ... https://www.steamiq.com/

There's gotta be a simpler and cheaper way of monitoring traps than using ultrasound. Maybe using thermal sensors or even a hall effect sensor and a magnet affixed to a moving part.

Or...save alot of valuable time, and rebuild them ALL when heating season is over. Once you do 3 or 4, you have your bucket with assorted wrenches and they go fast.  Mad Dog 🐕 

What @Mad Dog_2 said

Most large plants hospitals and colleges etc if they are on the ball with their trap maintenance just go through and rebuild all the traps every few years. If all the traps are the same MFG which they usually are especially on radiator traps you would be amazed at how fast a couple of guys can do a lot of traps in a day.

If the traps have never been done then the first time is a bit of a struggle getting them apart and you may need to replace a few. But, for the most part you can smoke through them pretty quick with the right tools and put a little Never Seize on the cap threads you will be happy the next time.

I just looked at some of my old radiator trap estimating sheets from the University of Massachusetts. Big Buildings with 250 or more radiator traps.

Some of them I allowed 3/4 of an hour/ trap to rebuild and some 1 hour /trap to rebuild.

Some of those jobs we got and some we lost so that is a pretty good ballpark.

Don't forget in that time frame you rebuild 1 trap and pick up your tools and move to the next trap.

Thats what most of the trap MFGs recommend. Going around and testing traps wastes a lot of time and money thet would be better spent just buying the parts and rebuilding them.