Waterheaterexpansiontank installation diagram

Condensate in a system is destructive. It can cause valves to become wiredrawn and unable to hold temperatures as required. little beads of water in a steam line can eventually cut any small orifices the steam normally passes through. Wire-drawing will eventually cut enough of the metal in a valve seat that it prevents adequate closure, producing leakage in the system.

Ultrasonic detectors usually have a stethoscope module, which contains an ultrasonic transducer attached to a metal rod that acts as a “wave guide”. The wave guide is touched on the downstream side of a trap to determine trap condition such as mechanical movements or steam and condensate flow. Most ultrasonic detectors amplify the signals and translate them into the audible range where they are heard through headphones or seen as intensity increments on a meter. Some include frequency tuning to allow users to tune into desired trap sounds.

A water heater expansion tank, also known as a thermal expansion tank, is a small overflow tank that compensates for the thermal expansion of water inside a water heater. As the temperature of water increases, the water expands. Without relief, the pressure inside the water heater will increase, causing damage to valves, plumbing, or the water heater itself. Prior to the requirement of check valves, excess pressure would force water back into the municipal water lines. Regulations on backflow have necessitated the use of check valves or other similar devices to prevent contamination of the public water supply, but they have also placed greater stress on water heaters. Thermal expansion tanks solve this problem by accommodating overflow water that results from this added pressure.

There are also devices that are not really traps at all, but are more like an orifice meter.  When properly sized for the application, they can be a cheap alternative, although some steam is lost along with the condensate.

Before testing a steam trap, inspectors should be familiar with the particular function, review typical types of traps and know the various pressures within the system. This can help avoid misdiagnosis and allow proper interpretation of trap conditions.

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If you do not use hot water for an extended period, observe the water pressure coming out of the next fixture where use hot water. If the water surges out faster than normal and calms down shortly after, there is pressure buildup within your system, and the expansion tank may be at fault. Many other factors, such as faulty water pressure regulators, can cause pressure fluctuations within a system. Consequently, this method is unreliable in determining if an expansion tank is faulty. However, it is a warning sign that should prompt further investigation into the problem.

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Using a metal object to tap the exterior of the expansion tank can give you a clue that something is wrong, but it should not be used as a final determiner. In a properly functioning expansion tank, water will fill the bottom of the tank, and air will fill the top. Lightly tap the top and bottom of the tank with a metal object. The sounds these sides give off should be distinctly different from each other. If the sounds are similar, the tank may not be filling as it should.

Thermostatic traps detect the variation in temperature between steam and condensate at the same pressure. The sensing device operates the valve in response to changes in the condensate temperature and pressure.

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A thermal expansion tank will need to be replaced once every five to ten years. The best way to elongate the life of an expansion tank is to ensure the tank’s pressure matches the incoming water pressure. This preserves the life of the bladder and prevents leak issues with valves. Regardless of how well a tank is maintained, it will need to be replaced at around the ten-year mark.

A water heater, like many things, is only noticed when it is not working. In 2007 and 2008, videos of water heater explosions went viral, and many viewers became concerned about the safety of their home water heater. Around the same time, building codes were updated to accommodate the excess pressure inside these systems. One of these updates involves the use of expansion tanks with water heaters to relieve pressure caused by thermal expansion. Below you can find information about what water heater expansion tanks are, whether they are necessary, their pros and cons, and how to test for a faulty expansion tank.

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Steam traps that fail open cause a loss of performance and energy. However, when steam traps fail closed, they can cause worse problems. Not only will equipment become flooded with condensate and stop working, in cold climates during the winter season, the equipment could freeze. Frozen coils and equipment can lead to broken coils and equipment.

Waterhammer occurs as slugs of water are picked up at high speeds in a poorly designed steam main or in pipe coils or where there is a lift after a steam trap. In some systems, the flow may be at 120 feet per second, which is about 82 m.p.h. As the slug of condensate is carried along the steam line it reaches an obstruction, such as a bend or a valve, where it is suddenly stopped. The effect of this impact can be imagined. It is important to note that the damaging effect of waterhammer is due to steam velocity, not steam pressure. It can be as damaging in low pressure systems as it can in high. This can actually produce a safety hazard, as a valve or a strainer can be blown out by the force of waterhammer.

Excluding design problems, two of the most common causes of trap failure are oversizing and dirt. Oversizing causes traps to work too hard. In some cases this can result in blowing of live steam. As an example, an inverted bucket trap can lose its prime due to an abrupt change in pressure. This will cause the bucket to sink, forcing the valve open.

To check a thermal expansion tank’s pressure, you can use the same pressure gauge that you use on your car’s tires. Follow these steps to discover the pressure within the tank.

The typical range of the RF signal is approximately 1,200 feet in outdoor applications where the transmitter is located within the receiver’s line of sight. In facilities where the signal must travel through walls or floors, the range varies. The typical range of the signal is approximately 300 feet. If the receiver is out of range of a transmitter, repeaters can be placed between the transmitter and the receiver to “repeat” the signal from one device to the next.

Most traps fail in the open mode. When this occurs, at times, a boiler may begin to work harder to produce the necessary energy to perform a task which, in turn, can create high back pressure to the condensate system. This inhibits the discharge capacities of some traps, which may be beyond their rating, and cause a system inefficiency. While most traps operate with back pressure, they’ll do so only at a percentage of their rating, affecting everything down the line of the failed trap. Steam quality and product is affected.

Water heater expansion tanks are so beneficial to your home’s plumbing system that they are now required by code. Thermal expansion tanks provide the following advantages to your water heater system.

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Visual inspection depends on a release valve situated downstream of certain traps. An inspector opens these valves and looks to see if the trap is discharging condensate or steam. Thermal inspection relies on upstream/downstream temperature variations in a trap. It includes pyrometry, infrared, heat bands (wrapped around a trap, they change color as temperature increases), and heat sticks (which melt at various temperatures). Acoustic techniques require an inspector to listen to and detect steam trap operations and malfunction. This method included various forms of listening devices such as doctors’ stethoscopes, screwdrivers, mechanical stethoscopes and ultrasonic detection instruments.

STEAMGARD® uses a nozzle to remove condensate. THERE ARE NO MOVING PARTS. According to STEAMGARD, this design is a new standard, and is classic in the way it redefines condensate removal.   “Sizing” of steam traps has to allow for intermittent operation, and they use “safety factors”. Thus, the discharge orifice is often TEN or more times larger than necessary. When the trap fails or leaks, you lose a lot of steam. The size of the Nozzle in STEAMGARD® devices is much smaller.  The nozzle design eliminates wear and allows us to design for “two phase flow”. When condensate is present it throttles the steam flow. Both steam and condensate try to flow through the nozzle. The steam’s momentum is almost all in its speed, while the condensate is much more dense. The liquid phase impedes the steam forcing it to slowdown from roughly MACH 1 to the speed of a car. Steam flows a fraction of a lb/hr are normal. Perfectly functioning steam traps are advertised to have steam flows of 2 lb/hr. Failed trap losses can run to hundreds of pound per hour. STEAMGARD® cannot fail open due to its design.

Dirt is always being created in a steam system. Excessive build-up can cause plugging or prevent a valve from closing. Dirt is generally produced from pipe scale or from over-treating of chemicals in a boiler.

A closed trap produces condensate back-up into the steam space. The equipment will not produce the intended heat. As an example, if there are four coils in a dryer and only three are operating, it will take longer for the dryer to dry a product, which will have a negative effect on production.

All thermal expansion tanks contain an air valve called the Schrader valve that looks similar to the air valve on a tire. Bleed a small amount of air out of the Schrader valve. If air comes out, the tank is operating correctly. However, if water leaks out of the valve, the tank’s bladder has ruptured. A ruptured bladder cannot be repaired, so the tank must be replaced. At this stage, it is recommended to check the tank’s pressure to ensure that the bladder or other tank components are not at risk of damage.

If your current water heater is not equipped with an expansion tank, the addition of a water heater expansion tank can benefit your system. High pressure in a water heater can lead to problems such as leaks, ruptures, and corrosion within your system, all of which can be expensive to fix. While a water heater expansion tank is an added cost, it can save you money in the long run by preventing these problems.

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SteamEye® automatically updates SteamStar™, Armstrong’s Web-based application, providing instant validation for continuous trap monitoring.

SteamEye technology is constantly on – constantly reporting the status of your steam traps for optimum energy system management and savings. It can be installed on traps in service without shutting off the steam, and its remote, wireless operation addresses the labor costs and safety issues associated with manual monitoring.

Water heater expansion tanks can fail easily. As a result, it is a good idea to test if your tank is working if you believe something is off in your system. You can perform simple tests that indicate high water pressure in a system, or you can test the pressure inside the tank itself.

If you do not have a water heater expansion tank in your home because the system was installed before they were required, you may wonder if an expansion tank should be installed in your current system. While water heater expansion tanks are extremely advantageous, they do possess a couple of disadvantages.

Now that you know your expansion tank’s pressure, you may need to lower or raise the pressure inside. To lower pressure within the tank, allow small amounts of air to escape, checking the pressure inside the tank after each interval. Once the pressure matches the desired PSI, you are finished.

Thermodynamic Traps use volumetrics and pressure differences that occur when water changes state into gas. These changes act upon the valve directly.

With proper installation and calibration, a water heater expansion tank is a reliable safety feature of any water heater. Even if an expansion tank fails, failure within the tank is less expensive and problematic than failure within a home’s plumbing. Consequently, the benefits of thermal expansion tanks outweigh their negatives.

If manual trap surveys are more feasible in certain areas, use SteamStar as a stand-alone application. Either way validates the cost.

Expansion tanks are required by code in all new water heater installations in closed systems. A closed water system uses check valves, backflow prevention devices, pressure-reducing valves, or other devices on the supply line to prevent water from being sucked back into the municipal water supply. In 1992, the EPA required municipal water suppliers to protect their lines from backflow contamination. This means homes must incorporate check valves to prevent water from backing up into the supply lines. As a result, these homes are closed-loop systems, so all new water heater installations must incorporate a thermal expansion tank alongside the water heater.

The overall cost of a water expansion tank installation, including the cost of the tank, averages a little over $200. The ease of access to your system affects the labor cost of installation, as well as the size of the expansion tank being installed. An expansion tank can be installed without a professional, but you risk additional costs if you install the tank incorrectly.

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When steam traps cause a back-up of condensate in a steam main, the condensate is carried along with the steam. It lowers steam quality and increases the potential for waterhammer. Not only will energy be wasted, equipment can be destroyed.

Steam traps can be monitored ‘manually’ with periodic inspections. However, even an ‘aggressive’ program may only check each trap once or twice per year. Paybacks on failed steam trap replacement is often measured in months. The faster a failed trap is discovered the quicker it can be replaced/repaired. Automated monitoring with instant failure reporting minimizes the discovery time and eliminates the labor required to manually check the traps.

The purpose of a Steam Trap is to keep steam in the system while removing condensate (water) and air.  Air can reduce the heat transfer ability of steam and cause corrosion.  Condensate / Water substantially reduces heat transfer and the ability of a steam device to do work.  When a steam trap fails, it allows steam to blow-through along with the condensate.  This loss of steam can represent a substantial energy loss.  A basic component of all industrial energy audits in plants with steam, is a stream trap inspection and repair/replacement program.

There are several types and manufacturers of steam traps.  The most common is the Mechanical Trap.  Mechanical traps operate by using the difference in density between steam and condensate.  The Inverted Bucket is the most common mechanical trap.  The float resembles a bucket (4).

The size of your water heater expansion tank should be based on the capacity of your tank and your home’s water pressure. The capacity of your water heater will be printed on the tank’s exterior, and your home’s water pressure can be measured with a pressure gauge. An expansion tank that is too large for the system will not adversely impact its performance. If you are unsure if one size of expansion tank will be large enough for your system, you can size up without fear of negative effects.

To raise the pressure inside a water heater expansion tank, you will need a small tire hand pump. Ensure that you do not use a motorized pump, as it may increase the pressure too rapidly, causing the bladder to rupture. Pump small amounts of air into the tank at a time. Measure frequently to ensure the pressure does not rise above the desired PSI and stop immediately once the appropriate pressure is reached.

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A float (4) within the trap detects the variance in weight between a gas and a liquid in the chamber (1).  Condensate comes through the inlet (3) and the mechanical action (2) drains it out the drain (5)

The ideal listening device will allow users to listen to the sounds of steam trap operations while ignoring most ambient pipe sounds. This is where ultrasonic listening devices excel. Since they are sensitive to high frequency (short wave) signals, they tend to ignore most stray pipe signals. Also, they are very directional in their pick-up. For this reason, they will allow users to hear and see on meters the exact operations of steam traps.

When a water heater expansion tank is installed, its pressure must be set to match the incoming water pressure. Expansion tanks are pre-charged to about 40 PSI, but the pressure must be adjusted based on the home’s water pressure. If the pressure within the tank is too high or too low, it can cause the tank to fail. Should this happen, the rest of your plumbing system risks being damaged by high water pressure. You should check the pressure on your expansion tank at least once each year. Throughout the life of the tank, the pressure inside should remain consistent with the pressure it was initially charged with upon installation.

SteamEye® uses a radio frequency (RF) wireless transmitter mounted at the inlet of any type of steam trap to detect temperature and ultrasonic fluctuations in steam flow. A central receiver then alerts system operators of trap failure.