February is the ideal time to do steam trap condition monitoring and plan to take the appropriate corrective action, especially steam traps on building heating systems in North America and Europe.  ATS’ steam trap condition monitoring program enables significant operating cost reduction and also contributes to greenhouse gas reduction and reduced global heating, the value of which has already been presented. (See our previous blog post Building Steam Trap Condition Monitoring). The cost, energy, and greenhouse gas emission savings are achieved when leaking steam traps are identified and fixed or replaced.

Industrial steam traps can be evaluated at any time.  A process that requires steam, requires it all throughout the year.  But building heating systems are typically only used during the colder, winter months.  Building heating system steam traps can only be evaluated when the systems are in use.

The advantage to looking at this now is that we are rapidly approaching spring, summer, and early autumn when these systems are no longer required.  These warmer days provide the best opportunity for system maintenance and repair without having to take the whole system, or a branch of it, out of service which can quickly result in occupant discomfort or breach of contract when leased spaces fall below promised temperatures.

Remember these three important steam trap condition monitoring considerations:

• 1 in 5 steam traps fail every year, on average;
• Steam trap condition monitoring, as with all condition monitoring, provides the opportunity to plan and schedule work that needs to be done when it is most convenient and hopefully least disruptive; and
• The ongoing savings that result are real and cascading in both economic and environmental terms.

Remember that with all of the inefficiencies that are inherent in steam production and distribution systems, the cost and environmental savings always exceed that which is simply calculated when doing the math associated with just the steam lost through the failed trap itself.

Instead of just burning money and greenwashing away your carbon footprint, how about reaching out to ATS to help reduce your building heat-related fuel costs and benefit planet Earth?

The best time is NOW!

Give us a call at 866.398.9778 or email us at info@ats-inc.org to schedule your heating system steam trap condition monitoring service visit while it’s still cold outside so that we can get you the best data to help you improve your fuel efficiency and lower your fuel cost and carbon footprint.  We’ll come to your site and do a STEAM TRAP SURVEY to find your failed steam traps.

We’ll find them, you fix or replace them.  The planet and your stakeholders will thank you.