Too Much Steam!?

[Trouble]

We have a gas fired boiler for the kettle and HLT, and when it is on a pipe behind the mash tun continuously emits steam, to the point that during the sparge the brewery begins raining.

This of course leads to hard water stains on all of the steel, and more importantly, nasty condensation stains and mold accumulation on the walls of the brewhouse.

Can anyone with a boiler tell me how I can alleviate this? Unfortunately the steam pipe is at ankle level, and thus cannot be continued on to vent outside. Is there some sort of condenser I can put on the end of the pipe? Does this mean something is wrong with the steam system? I was lead to believe that any visible steam means something is wrong.

Thanks!

[rudge75]

Sounds like it's time to replace the device that keeps your pipes from knocking. I had one of these on a system I worked on at another brewery. It looks like the same type of system you use to keep your household pipes from hammering - almost like an upsidedown paintball co2 cartridge.

Eventually these leak profusely from the small hole at the top, and need to be replaced. Get it done before you brew or turn on the boiler again - it's not safe to be working in that type of environment.

[Trouble]

Unfortunately it's not that probably, this pipe is just completely open on the end and steams straight out of it. It's not a leak, but just something that seems completely wrong.

[jfulton]

Is it the vent on your condensate return tank?

At a new install I encountered what you are talking about. All of the steam traps were installed upside down, letting all the steam straight through and out the condensate return tank vent, which is usually black pipe pointed toward the floor. This would be the only open ended pipe I can think of in the steam system.

[Trouble]

I think you're right. It is the vent pipe off of the return tank. How much steam should be coming out of that? Not a steady stream that is enough to make the brewhouse just short of a Turkish bath? I think lack of a good exhaust system is also another aspect of the problem.

[jfulton]

Your steam traps should be keeping all of the steam from getting to that point. You will see normal vapor like from a simmering pot, but it should not be the amount you're talking about. Shut your system down, let your pipes cool and check all of your steam traps. Undo the bolts on the plate and be careful not to damage the gasket when taking it apart or putting it back together. Even if they are installed correctly, there may be some junk clogging the condensate outlet. This is not unusual with new installs, you need to clean them every month or so till you get the junk out of the system. Good luck.

[lhall]

You have a steam trap that is stuck open. Try to isolate which one it is by only opening your steam inlet valves to each steam jacket on your tanks one at a time. Then take apart the one that is letting all the steam through. You can find diagrams online usually if it is something common to the US. Sometimes a good cleaning will reseat the valve.

[wheelhouse]

Steam

What is your steam pressure?

If your pressure is high going into the tank, this also may be flash steam, which would be normal and can be captured and utilized again. If you have low pressure steam heading in < 10 psi, I would agree that you have a malfunctioning trap.

"When condensate is discharged to atmosphere it is usually quite easy to tell whether the steam formed is flashed steam or live steam. If a strong jet or blast issues from the discharge line and is colorless at first, some live steam is present, a sign of a leaking trap, but if it is all white with no clear jet it is flash steam mixed with condensate, a normal phenomena."

Condensate should have the "lazy smoke" look of a hot cup of coffee on a cold day and it shouldn't rain on you...

You may also want to look into recapturing the condensate in a receiver, sending condensate back to the boiler and venting the receiver to the outside. Most regulations require this now. Often with 2 vent ports to the outside for redundancy.

[BrewinLou]

Yep, check your traps, you can expect a little steam coming out of the condensate tank b/c the water in there is very hot. But pouring out is bad.