Question: It is clear from the picture that this steam trap has been here a long time. What may not be so obvious is that this trap is installed wrong. Do you know what’s incorrect?

Answer:

This trap is a ‘Float and Thermostatic type. It must be installed so that the bolted-on flat plate is in a vertical position. When it is horizontal as in this installation, the float is not a float but a pendulum (See the sectional illustration to the right).

When steam traps are improperly installed, they cannot function properly and therefore either do not remove the condensate, let steam blow through, or both.

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