EMERSON
Final Control

Inverted Bucket Steam Traps

Yarway™ inverted bucket steam traps are general-purpose traps suitable for a wide variety of loads and applications.

What are Inverted Bucket Steam Traps?

Inverted bucket steam traps are included in the mechanical trap category, operating off the density difference between steam and condensate. They utilize an upside-down bucket as a float linked to a valve. This inverted bucket becomes buoyant when filled with steam and sinks when filled with condensate.
 

Advantages:

  • Simple construction
  • Rugged
  • Condensate discharge temperature closely follows the saturation curve
  • Reliable

Disadvantages:

  • Marginal air handling during startup
  • Not self-draining; subject to freeze-ups
  • Not suitable when superheat is present
  • Can lose prime, and is not self-priming
  • Can be mounted only in a single position
  • Failure mode is unpredictable (open or closed)

Steam Trap Selection Guide

Stream Trap Selection Guide

Reliable Solutions for Steam Generation & Distribution Applications

Reliable Solutions for Steam Generation and Distribution Applications

FAQs

Steam entering the inverted and submerged bucket, causes it to float and close the outlet valve, preventing discharge of steam. Steam in the bucket both condenses and leaks through the vent, allowing the bucket to sink and open the valve to discharge condensate. The weight of the bucket must be sufficient to overcome the closing force created by the differential pressure across the valve. Inverted bucket traps discharge condensate intermittently very near saturation temperature.

Any air or noncondensible gases entering the trap will also cause the bucket to float and the valve to close. Since they cannot condense as steam does, those gases will cause the trap to remain closed. In order to overcome this problem, the bucket has a hole to vent air and steam. The size of this vent hole has to be relatively small to prevent excessive loss of steam in addition to the air.