Visit EBE Engineering at ACHEMA 2024

Site Surveys

Due to the cyclic nature of mechanical steam traps they are inherently wear parts. The more that they operate the higher the wear and shorter the working life. To ensure that steam operating plant maintains optimum performance, it is necessary to carry out periodic testing. This is routinely performed as a ‘steam trap survey’. 

A typical steam trap survey comprises several different and separate activities:

• An inventory of all the steam traps present (carried out on site) which details the working condition of the traps.
 A steam trap report, typically a list of your steam traps will be established. This list is normally available in digital format but also on paper if requested. 
 Some analysis of the state of your steam traps will be undertaken. This will give an indication of what steam losses you are currently experiencing. 

An EBE Survey also covers these areas. However, as steam trap manufacturers we focus on your whole steam system. Our interest is to optimise the performance of your plant.  Highlighting areas where you can save energy and recommending actions required to bring your system into compliance with any existing best practice requirements.

We begin the audit from the boiler house and follow the associated steam lines to establish how the steam and condensate systems are connected. Rather than a ‘shopping list’ of good and failed traps in a local area, we develop an understanding of ‘closed feedback loops’ where steam lines and condensate lines operate together. This enables us to analyse what processes are linked together through common pipework. Rather than a scatter gun approach we aim to systemise our analysis to best advise our customers on how processes interact. Deciding on replacing all steam traps in a specific area for example could effectively ‘close’ a specific steam and condensate loop. By installing ECOFLOW venturi orifice traps in such closed loops will remove all future problems by eliminating the failures associated with conventional mechanical steam traps. 

As a specialist venturi orifice steam trap manufacturer, we have no portfolio of valves, steam pumps, condensate receivers or other ancillary equipment to supply. It is our experience that many devices are fitted to steam and condensate systems that have either limited or no value in improving whole system performance. Our customers appreciate our detailed steam system knowledge and the experience we can bring to our analysis. Meaning an EBE System survey supplies a quick payback and suggested system improvements every time.


Found on a customer’s notice board:

Eight Reasons why you need a steam trap survey

  1. A goblin with a 20 kg sledgehammer has taken residence in your steam system. Five years ago the noise used to bother you … now you don't even hear it. 
  2. You put on a raincoat, boots and grab an umbrella before you walk out into the plant. 
  3. The salesman who sells you the fuel to run your boiler (and his organisation) is always commenting that he wishes all his customers were like you. Meanwhile you are paying 20-40% more for your energy. 
  4. Mechanical contractors love you. Since no corporate or plant specifications exist, they can be as creative as they'd like with your system and chequebook. 
  5. Whenever the subject comes up of how many steam traps there are in the plant, an argument breaks out. The plant engineer thinks there are 100, the maintenance manager thinks there are over 500 and the operators do not even know what a steam trap looks like. 
  6. Some one gives the plant operator a screwdriver and tells him he's now in charge of testing the steam traps. 
  7. The decision-makers in the plant think the best steam traps are the ones with the prettiest colours. 
  8. The operators are pleased to have so many un-insulated areas in the piping system so they can warm their lunch. 

The trap benefits from:

Improved production efficiency without downtime due to failed steam traps

Elimination of expensive steam leaks

Reduction in maintenance - with a full ten year performance guarantee on all Venturi orifice steam traps

Increasingly the first choice for blue chip and forward thinking businesses.