🔍 Key Concepts

• Steam heating system flow path: boiler → supply line → convectors/radiators → steam trap → return line → drain or condensate tank • Purpose of a steam trap: to discharge condensate and air, but keep steam from passing into the return • Difference between normal condensate return and abnormal steam carryover into the return line

💭 Think About

• Think about what a leaking steam trap allows to pass into the return line that normally should be held back. • If live steam is getting into the return piping, what effect would that have on the tank or system that receives the condensate? • Which option describes a condition that would show up specifically in the return side of the system, not in the supply or the convectors themselves?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choice clearly indicates live steam entering the return/condensate system instead of just water. • Eliminate any options that mainly describe problems inside the convectors rather than in the return line or drain tank. • Ask yourself: in normal operation, what should be in the return piping—mostly condensate water or steam? Then, which choice shows an abnormal increase of the other?