Dept. Bull. 1136, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture PLATE 8 
A BUCKET STEAM TRAP 
This type frequently is also called an open-float trap. Condensate enters from the heating system 
through the inlet a, flowing first to the bottom of the trap and then rising around b which at that 
time acts as a float. When the water has risen high enough, it overflows into b, which now func- 
tions as a bucket, eventually filling 6 sufficiently to tilt the bucket downward into the position 
shown. In such tilting the valve c is drawn away from its seat and consequently the pressure in 
the system forces the water upward through the pipe d, past the opening at c, and out through the 
outlet e. After a sufficient amount of water has been blown out, the returning buoyancy of the 
emptying bucket causes it to float upward, closing the valve c. This type of trap can be so bal- 
anced that the level of the water in the bucket never drops low enough to allow steam to escape. 
The by-pass or blow-off f provides a ready means of blowing out air or of assisting in the removal of 
excessive amounts of condensate, especially when the system is first started up; the by-pass in 
some makes is placed near the bottom of the trap, opposite the drain plug, discharging directly 
into the air so as to certainly avoid back pressure in the outlet e from the traps of other kilns. 
