🔍 Key Concepts

• Steam traps are installed on the discharge side of steam-using equipment to remove unwanted fluids. • Difference between steam (vapor) and condensate (liquid water) in a steam system. • Normal direction of flow: steam goes to a heater, condensate flows from a heater back to the return line.

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: Does a steam trap mainly control steam going into a heater, steam leaving it, or the condensate that forms after the steam gives up its heat? • Think about what happens if condensate is not removed from a heater or steam line—what problem does that cause, and what device is used to prevent it? • Look at each option and ask: Is this on the steam supply side or the condensate removal side of the heater?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which side of the heater a steam trap is physically installed on in typical piping diagrams. • Confirm that the purpose of a steam trap is to remove condensate and non‑condensable gases without allowing live steam to escape unnecessarily. • Check whether a trap’s job is associated with flow to the heater (supply) or from the heater (drain/return).