How Often Should Steam Traps, Valves, and Strainers Be Inspected or Serviced?

As a manufacturer, we see a clear pattern: plants that treat steam traps, valves, and strainers as “set and forget” end up paying for it in energy loss, downtime, and safety risk. Those that follow a simple inspection program get better performance and fewer surprises.

At Colton Industries, our goal is to make that program straightforward for you and your team.

The short answer

Most facilities benefit from:

• Annual steam trap surveys (more often for critical areas)
  
• Valve inspections during scheduled shutdowns or when symptoms appear
  
• Strainer cleaning frequencies based on actual dirt load, checked and adjusted over time
  

Why a maintenance schedule is non-negotiable

Even well-built Colton products are working components: they open, close, cycle, and handle debris every day.

Without regular care, you can see:

• Increased fuel and energy costs from leaking traps and valves
  
• Water hammer and equipment damage
  
• Unexpected shutdowns caused by plugged strainers or failed isolation valves
  

A simple, consistent plan prevents small issues from becoming big expenses.

Steam traps: how often should they be tested?

For most North American steam systems, we recommend:

• At least once per year: test every steam trap in the system.
  
• Semi-annually or quarterly: for critical lines where failure would impact production, safety, or compliance.
  

A Colton/Steam Specialty steam trap survey typically includes:

• Visual checks for proper installation and orientation
  
• Condition checks of strainers and blowdowns upstream of traps
  
• Testing with ultrasonic, temperature, or other diagnostic tools
  
• A report identifying failed-open traps (wasting steam) and failed-closed traps (causing waterlogging)
  

Customers often see measurable energy savings after the first survey and repair cycle.

Valves: align inspections with outages and real-world symptoms

Valves are best inspected when the system can be safely isolated and depressurized:

• Scheduled shutdowns and turnarounds are the natural time to open, inspect, and repair critical valves.
  
• Unusual behavior (sticking, leaking, vibration, unstable control) should always trigger a review.
  

Your team—or our field partners—can:

• Check for leakage across seats
  
• Test operation, stroke, and response time
  
• Inspect packing, gaskets, and body condition
  
• Prioritize repair or replacement for high-criticality valves
  

The goal is simple: your valves should operate smoothly and seal when they’re supposed to.

Strainers: let dirt load set the schedule

Strainers don’t adhere to a fixed calendar; they respond to how dirty the system is.

We recommend:

1. Start with frequent checks after startup or system changes.
   
2. Monitor differential pressure across strainers where gauges are installed.
   
3. Track how long it takes for pressure drop to reach your threshold.
   
4. Set a cleaning interval that prevents excessive pressure drop and nuisance alarms.
   

Where downtime is difficult, consider configurations (like duplex strainers) that allow cleaning one side without stopping the process.

Signs your current maintenance interval is too long

It may be time to tighten up your schedule if you’re seeing:

• Regular water hammer or banging in steam lines
  
• Heat exchangers that don’t pull their weight anymore
  
• Strainers that are completely packed each time you open them
  
• Valves that no longer shut off fully or respond smoothly
  

These are red flags that your system is asking for attention.

Building a simple program with Colton and Steam Specialty

You don’t need complex software to get started. Many of our customers begin with:

• An asset list of all steam traps, critical valves, and strainers
  
• A basic criticality ranking (high / medium / low)
  
• A calendar for:
  
  • High criticality: quarterly or semi-annual checks
    
  • Medium: annual checks
    
  • Low: every 1–2 years or when adjacent work is planned
    

From there, data from each inspection helps refine your schedule and informs which Colton products to standardize on for reliability.

The payoff

When you blend good equipment with good maintenance, you get:

• Reduced energy waste
  
• Fewer unexpected outages
  
• Safer operation for your staff
  
• Longer service life from your investment
  

If you’d like help designing or tuning a program, our team and our Steam Specialty partners are ready to support you.