Inspection template in the LeanSuite app
Last reviewed
Steam trap survey
A steam trap survey goes trap by trap through an area or line to find the ones that have failed open, failed closed or are leaking. This template has 8 questions: the tag and location match the trap register, the trap discharges as it should (no constant blow-through and no blockage), the temperature before and after looks right, joints, strainers and valves are tight, and insulation is intact. The record starts with the area and how many traps were checked.
Maintenance or an energy lead runs it, usually with a temperature gun and an ultrasonic listener, on the dates your energy plan sets. A trap stuck open sends live steam into the condensate line, which you pay for and never use; a trap stuck closed backs water up into the heater or press, so it heats slowly or the line hammers. The result section makes sure failed traps are tagged, listed and turned into work orders, because a survey that ends as a spreadsheet saves nothing.
What it is for, as built: Survey of steam traps to find failed or leaking units.
The full question list
The 8 questions in the inspection
Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.
Trap check
- 1Trap tag and location match the register
- 2Trap discharges correctly (no continuous blow-through, no blocked trap)
- 3Temperature before and after the trap looks right
- 4No leaks at joints, strainers or valves
- 5Insulation is intact
Result
- 6Failed traps were tagged and listed
- 7Work orders were raised for failed traps
- 8Survey is recorded and signed
Worked example, illustrative
A filled-in example
One section as it might be filled in on the floor, with every other section of the inspection answered Yes. The place and finding are made up to show how the inspection reads and scores.
Result: fail, 75% against a pass mark of 90
- 8 questions, all of them count.
- 2 answered No, so 6 of 8 are Yes: 6 ÷ 8 = 75%.
- 75% is under 90, so the inspection fails.
What happened next: Trap tagged and listed. Maintenance planner raised a work order to replace T-407 and reinsulate the line within the week.
Scored here as one point per question with N/A left out. In the app each answer carries the points set on the template, so change them after you clone it if your plant weighs some checks more.
Steam Trap Survey
Inspection, as needed
- Area or line
- Line 4 dryer section
- Number of traps checked
- 18
Trap check
- Trap tag and location match the registerYes
- Trap discharges correctly (no continuous blow-through, no blocked trap)No
- Temperature before and after the trap looks rightYes
- No leaks at joints, strainers or valvesYes
- Insulation is intactNo
Comment: Trap T-407 blowing through continuously, outlet as hot as the inlet, and two metres of insulation missing from the line past it. Other 17 traps cycling normally.
Photo attached to each No
When to use it
- When it is due on your audit programme, or after a change or a problem.
- The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.
- Each record starts with: Area or line, Number of traps checked.
How it is scored
The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.
Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.
Read and print
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FAQ
Steam trap survey: common questions
On the dates your energy plan sets, often yearly for the whole site and more often for high pressure lines or process-critical traps. Do a targeted survey after a line is recommissioned, after boiler load changes, when a heater or press starts heating slowly, when the condensate line hammers, or when fuel use climbs with no change in production.
Maintenance or the energy lead runs it with a temperature gun and an ultrasonic listener, trap by trap against the register. They need to know each trap type and what its normal discharge sounds like, since a thermodynamic trap cycling is not a failure. Failed traps go to the maintenance planner, who raises the work orders and signs the survey off.
A failed trap costs money either way: stuck open it blows live steam into the condensate line, stuck closed it backs water up into the heater or press. Tag each failed trap, list it and raise a work order with an owner and a date. A leaking joint or missing insulation goes on the same order. In this template every No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, and an inspection that scores under its pass mark of 90 is a fail.
Keep the area, the number of traps checked, each trap tag with its result and the temperature readings, and the work orders raised. Keep what was found when the trap was opened. Over successive surveys the register shows which traps fail repeatedly, which usually means an undersized trap or the wrong type for that line. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.
8 questions in 2 sections: trap check and result. Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A.
Use this template in LeanSuite
It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Steam Trap Survey”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.
Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.