Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

APM Steam to Offer Steam Trap Surveys to Colleges and Universities

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/21/24

American Plant Maintenance (APM Steam) recently announced the launch of steam trap survey services, which a news release reports can document the operational status of and provide repair recommendations for steam traps in a facility’s steam system. The survey can increase operational integrity, energy efficiency, and safety in a steam distribution system. The process creates a full inventory of steam traps, uncovers any issues that prevent the delivery of heat and removal of condensation, and can identify failing traps, according to the news release.

The surveys use ultrasound and temperature differentials to test and document the traps’ operational status. Evaluated elements include isolation valves, inlet strainers, strainer blowdown valves, outlet check valves, trap station bypasses, test valves, and sight glass flow indicators. It also evaluates safety features that allow technicians to perform maintenance without exposure to live steam flow.

The final data offers “a complete trap inventory and extensive system information in a detailed report outlining findings and recommendations, a synopsis of results, and a return-on-investment calculation that compares replacement costs with losses associated with failed traps. The report also includes trap application problems and specific recommendations for trap and trap station improvements,” according to the news release.

The survey also provides a return-on-investment calculation incorporating the cost of the survey, any necessary replacement steam traps, and the estimated cost of labor to install them. These costs are presented alongside the potential financial losses of traps found to be failing or leaking. Finally, it details trap application problems and any specific recommendations for trap and trap station improvements.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.