How Not to do Steam/Condensate Piping

Over the years, we’ve encountered a lot of “unique” piping configurations, however in a recent plant audit we found one that even surprised us. The image below is a perfect example of how to INCORRECTLY pipe the condensate side of a steam coil. Here is a list of the problems regarding how the piping for the steam coil was installed: 1.There is no vertical drop in the piping between the coil and steam trap 2.The air vent is piped with the opposite flow direction 3.The vacuum breaker installation direction leaves the atmospheric side of the vacuum breaker susceptible to dirt 4.The condensate piping is thin-wall copper, with no mechanical joints (threaded or flanged joints) Did you see any more? Leave us a comment below. Any one of these issues would diminish the steam coils performance and/or service life. The combination of all of these resulted in a dramatic difference. It’s rare for us to get such a good photo of bad piping like this since the mechanical rooms are usually dark and our contractors usually pipe steam applications properly. If you ever need assistance to assure that installation of your steam equipment is done properly, Campbell-Sevey can usually provide a sketch with details if requested.
How Not to do Steam/Condensate Piping