Posted by Roger Link on April 27, 2000 at 04:53:31:
In Reply to: steam traps posted by bruce on April 26, 2000 at 18:18:51:
: when do you know a steam trap is not working or going bad
We routinely measure the temperature of the piping immediately before and after the trap. There should be at least a 20-30 degree difference from the inlet (hot side) and outlet. If the trap is constantly cold then the trap is locked closed. If it is constantly hot...ie, same temperature on the inlet and outlet, the trap is stuck open. Another method is to listen to the to the operation of the trap to see if it is opening and closing. This takes some practice in recognizing the sounds of different types of traps. There are trap testers available that cost as much as $4000 but having an outside service company to test all traps and submit a detaled report of the results can be very economical. There are also some federal and perhaps state funds available to help pay for this expense as the energy savings can be great.