Winter Is Here: Get Ready to Turn Up the Heat!

Its heating season again, and a steam trap that isn’t working correctly is costing you money. A facility with no active steam trap testing program will, on average, have a 40% trap failure rate. The following chart indicates the cost of one failed steam trap per year.

Cost of Steam Leaks — Dollars per Year at 100 psig

Orifice Diameter (inches)	*Pounds per Year Loss	**$10 per 1,000 Pounds	**$12 per 1,000 Pounds
1/16	95,139	$951	$1,141
1/8	380,557	$3,805	$4,566
1/4	1,522,229	$15,222	$18,270
1/2	6,088,918	$60,889	$73,068.91
Cost multiplier for other steam pressures	15 psig — .26 200 psig — 1.87	50 psig — .56 300 psig — 2.74	150 psig — 1.43 600 psig — 5.35

*Continuous operation using Napiers formula: PPH=24.24 x Pabs x D^2
**Cost to create 1,000 pounds of steam

The Macomb Group experts recommend you do a “Steam Trap Survey” on your system so you aren’t throwing money away. Contact us today and we’ll bring in the professionals from Spirax Sarco to do a steam trap survey and give you accurate feedback that you can use to make sure your steam system is working the way it was designed. Call The Macomb Group experts toll-free at 888-756-4110 or contact Ian Thomas in the heating division at ithomas@macombgroup.com.

About Chuck: Chuck has been a PVF industry icon for over 42 dog years. He has never been one to lie down on the job — he has done everything from fetching will call orders to chasing down trucks to make sure his deliveries are on time. So, remember: If you’ve got a problem and you’re feeling stuck, don’t get discouraged, you can always ask Chuck!