accumulating condensate to drain off while

preventing air from entering a draw-thru unit or

escaping a blow-thru unit. A cooling coils drain-
pan opening is located at the point in an airflow
system where the air pressure
either positive or negativeis the
greatest. It makes sense to prevent
an air leak at this location,
especially in view of the effort we
typically expend to seal and pressure-test system
ductwork. However, even if we were not concerned
about leaking air, draw-thru units would allow
little or no condensate drainage if not equipped
with a properly designed trap.
In short, the fundamental purpose of one
of these traps is to use a column of condensate in
such a way as to prevent air movement into or out
of the equipment casing, while still allowing the
condensate to drain away.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
An improperly constructed or missing trap can
cause the following problems.
No trap or trap outlet too low. For draw-thru units
in either of these situations, condensate accumulat-
ing in the pan will be subjected to a jet of incom-
ing air, which often results in spray being carried
over into the fan-inlet area. This sometimes is
referred to as geysering. For blow-thru units,
escaping air may be the most serious consequence,
but in the presence of copious condensation, a
turbulent air/water mix in the pan also may cause
some spillage or spraying of water downstream of
the coil.
Trap outlet too high. In draw-thru units with this
problem, an air seal will be maintained; however, if
the condensates net column height in the trap
(H in the accompanying figures) is less than the
equipments negative air pressure in inches of water
column, the condensate will be unable to drain
T
he condensate trap perhaps is the most
overlooked item in the design and installa-
tion of fan coils and air handlers with cool-
ing coils. Often, condensate traps are inadequately
described in contract documents
and, sometimes, are not described
at all, which leaves important details
to be determined by the installing
contractor. It is the designer, how-
ever, who is in the best position to make these
decisions because of his or her knowledge of
the pressures in the
air-distribution
system.
There are wide-
spread misconcep-
tions about how
condensate traps
work and how to
properly size them,
and often, little or
no thought is de-
voted to simple,
inexpensive details
that can make
them much easier
to inspect and
maintain.
REVIEW
The purpose of one of these traps is to allow
44 October 2001 HPAC Engineering
Ensuring easy inspection and maintenance
of these often-overlooked and
commonly misunderstood devices
for Cooling Coils
By RONALD F. BRUSHA
Mechanical Engineer
Glendale, Calif.
Ronald F. Brusha obtained a degree in mechanical
engineering from California State University at Los
Angeles in 1962. Most of his professional experience
has been as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. In 1992, he retired as chief of the
Construction Technical Support Section of the Los
Angeles District Office of the Corps.
Condensate drain pan
H/2
minimum
H = Fan inlet pressure
(in. W.C.) + 1 in.
H
Sea level
with fan off
FIGURE 1. Trap for draw-thru unit, fan off.
CONDENSATE
TRAPS
45 HPAC Engineering October 2001
away. This will cause the accumulating
condensate to overflow the pan into
the surrounding parts of the equipment
c a s i n g
( s o me -
times re-
ferred to
as flood-
back). In
a blow-
thru unit,
an outlet
as high as
the inlet
will work
d u r i n g
fan opera-
tion as
long as
the rest of
the trap is
properly
dimensioned. However, one school of
thought holds that it is best to specify
the outlet a little lower (at least
1
2 in.) than
the inlet. Providing this little extra head
at the trap inlet will assist in draining the
pan of residual condensate after the fan
is stopped. To discourage microbial
growth, it is best to keep the pan as dry
as possible during fan-off periods.
One trap shared by two or more fan-coil
units. If one of the fan-coil units sharing
a trap is shut down, the other(s) will blow
air into or draw air from the inactive
system, depending on whether the units
are of the draw-thru or blow-thru variety.
For this reason, each fan-coil unit should
have its own trap.
Dry trap. A
common prob-
lem in very arid
climates and dur-
ing periods when
cooling coils are
inactive, such as
winter, is evapora-
tion of the water
in traps. A liquid
seal can be main-
tained by either
continuous drip
or intermittent
trap priming.
Designers uncer-
tain whether or
not evaporation
occurs or who an-
ticipate that it does should specify either
a means of priming or trap features that
will allow priming to be easily added
later. A dry trap on
a draw-thru unit
can be the source
of objectionable
odors and noxious
fumes in a building.
(At a military air
base in the desert, a
draw-thru air han-
dler was located
near a flight line.
While the units
fresh-air intake was
located well away
from any source of
contaminated air,
the floor
drain for
the trap
was not, and building occu-
pants were sickened by
the fumes of burned jet fuel
inducted through the dry
trap. Priming the trap solved
the problem.) Priming water
should be applied to the
downstream side of the trap,
and care should be taken to
assure adherence to plumbing
codes regarding air gaps for
protecting potable-water
sources.
DRAW-THRU TRAPS
Figure 1 shows the necessary
dimensions of a trap on a draw-thru unit
and the
maximum
level of
conden-
sate that
can exist
in such a
trap with
the fan
off. The
r e c o m-
me nde d
safety fac-
tor of 1 in.
added to
the casing
pressure is
a reason-
able bal-
ance between the need to account
for unanticipated increases in that
(negative) pressure and the practical need
to keep the total trap depth (L) to a
minimum, especially on pad-mounted
equipment. Many traps are improperly
installed because dimension L was not
taken into account in mounting the air
handler high enough to accommodate
the trap.
Figure 2 shows the position of the
condensate columns when the fan starts,
while Figure 3 shows the water levels
when enough condensate has accumu-
lated in the trap to begin draining away.
BLOW-THRU TRAPS
Figure 4 shows the required dimen-
sions of traps on blow-thru units and the
maximum level of condensate that can
exist in such traps with the fan off. Here
again, the 1-in. safety factor is a practical
recommendation for accounting for
an increase in casing pressure caused by a
situation beyond the designers control
(e.g., filter loading, higher installed
duct losses, etc.). In most systems, 1 in. of
water gauge is a significant percentage of
the casing air pressure. Of course, the
designer can increase the calculated
equipment pressure as necessary.
Figure 5 shows the condensate-
column levels when the fan starts. After
the fan starts, additional condensate
coming from the pan drains away. Again,
it is important to take into account the
total trap depthdimension Lto
ensure an adequate mounting height for
the air handler.
C O N D E N S A T E T R A P S
Condensate drain pan
H/2
minimum
Fan inlet pressure
(negative)
H = Fan inlet pressure
(in. W.C.) + 1 in.
Initial sea levels
when fan starts
H
FIGURE 2. Trap for draw-thru unit, fan just started.
Condensate drain pan
H/2
minimum
Sea level when
condensate
begins to drain off
H = Fan inlet pressure
(in. W.C.) + 1 in.
Fan inlet pressure
(negative)
H
FIGURE 3. Trap for draw-thru unit, condensate
beginning to drain away.
Condensate drain pan
Recommendation:
1/2-in. minimum
H = Fan outlet pressure
(in. W.C.) + 1/2 in.
(minimum)
Maximum sea level
with fan off
FIGURE 4. Trap for blow-thru unit, fan off.
46 October 2001 HPAC Engineering
RECOMMENDATION
A trap with two tees and plugs, as
shown in Figure 6, allows easy access for
inspection, cleaning, and, if necessary,
priming. Although the plugs
can be wrench-tight, a hand-
tight condition usually prevents
air leakage on the inlet
side, and one does not
have to have a wrench to
inspect the trap. The
purpose of the plug on
the outlet side is to keep
dirt, small animals, and
insects out of the trap.
Traps commonly are con-
structed of either copper
or plastic pipe. Although
Figure 6 shows a draw-
thru trap, tees and plugs
can, of course, also be
used for traps on blow-
thru units.
Under the pressure of
design deadlines, it often is diffi-
cult to pay the attention to detail
that all projects deserve. In the matter of
condensate traps, however, a couple of
simple, standard drawings in a designers
CADD repertoire, with fill-in-the-blank
dimensions, will go a long way toward
demonstrating completeness of design
and preventing problems.
C O N D E N S A T E T R A P S
H = Fan outlet pressure
(in. W.C.) + 1/2 in.
(minimum)
Sea level
with fan on
Fan outlet pressure
Recommendation:
1/2-in. minimum
Condensate drain pan
FIGURE 5. Trap for blow-thru unit, fan running and
condensate beginning to drain away.
Slope
to drain
Hand-tight plug
From
coil pan
Hand-tight plug
Water seal
FIGURE 6. Recommended use of tees and plugs.