Blowthrough Detection
A blowthrough (or failed-open) steam trap is one that has failed and is continuously passing steam instead of only releasing condensate. This wastes steam 24/7 until the trap is repaired and can represent significant energy and cost losses.
What Gets Detected
The Shoplogix IMS platform detects two categories of blowthrough:
| Condition | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Suspected Blowthrough | Continuous, sustained temperature rise pattern consistent with a trap that has failed open and is passing steam continuously |
| Intermittent Blowthrough — Heavy/Medium/Light | Repeating pattern of excessive steam passage during short intervals; the trap is passing steam at times when it should be closed |
How Detection Works
The platform analyzes the condensate temperature timeseries from your Eversensor. A blowthrough signature is characterized by:
- A rapid, sustained rise in condensate temperature
- Temperature maintaining an elevated level rather than cycling normally
- The pattern repeating or persisting over time (for intermittent blowthrough)
The detection algorithm compares short-term and long-term temperature patterns to identify the characteristic "up and to the right" signature of a failed-open trap. This runs automatically on a scheduled basis — no manual trigger required.
Severity Levels for Intermittent Blowthrough
When intermittent blowthrough is detected, the platform classifies it by severity:
| Condition | What It Indicates |
|---|---|
| Intermittent Blowthrough — Heavy | Frequent, high-volume intermittent blowthrough — highest steam loss |
| Intermittent Blowthrough — Medium | Moderate frequency and volume |
| Intermittent Blowthrough — Light | Infrequent, lower-volume — monitor and plan inspection |
All three levels trigger alerts to subscribed users and appear in the Steam Trap dashboard in Shoplogix IMS.
Responding to a Blowthrough Detection
- Check the cost impact — each failing trap shows an estimated steam loss value. This helps prioritize which traps to repair first when you have multiple failures.
- Confirm with a field inspection — the platform detection is probabilistic. A technician should confirm the failure mode before repair.
- Record a ground truth measurement — after inspection, you can enter a verified measurement in Insights. Ground truth data helps calibrate and improve future detection. See Ground Truth & Field Measurements.
- Repair the trap — once repaired, the trap condition should return to Good automatically as the temperature returns to normal.
Notifications
Blowthrough events trigger email alerts to users subscribed to blowthrough notifications. For delivery to your own systems, set up a webhook subscription.
Cost Impact
Blowthrough failures typically have the highest per-trap cost impact because steam passes continuously. The platform calculates estimated dollar value and CO₂ impact from the orifice size and inlet pressure you've configured.
See Cost of Steam Analytics for details.