Removable Insulation Jackets for Wye Strainers

Wye strainers are important parts of the steam system.  As such, they must run effectively.  The wye strainer helps to filter unwanted materials from your steam system, and do so best when they are properly insulated.

About Wye Strainers

A Wye or “Y” strainer, not to be confused with a basket strainer, is a component in a circulation system that filters out unwanted solids or waste from the flow of the system. Named after the shape of the component, a ‘Y’ shaped tube, wye strainers can be fitted vertically or horizontally, as long as their filter is below the body of the pipe. You can find these components in use and termed as steam strainers, water strainers, gas strainers and more.

The ‘Y’ section of the component houses a strainer. The strainer, which runs abut of the parallel section of tubing, filters whatever substance flows through the strainer. It does this by allowing only enough space for the water, gas, or steam to pass through the body of the filter and onto the rest of the system, while stopping over-sized or unwanted matter from continuing through the system.

Insulating Wye Strainers

Their strange shape and the need to access and clean the filter means that wye filters are typically left bare in otherwise insulated industrial systems. This can lead to component failure, since the stresses of temperature ranges experienced outside of those felt by the rest of the system can be taxing on the materials the wye strainer is built out of. Additionally, uneven wear due to unequal distribution of heat energy can further damage or stress uninsulated components. Even if component damage is not a primary concern, wye strainers can be a source of energy inefficiency in an otherwise smartly insulated plant.  For better efficiency, it’s best to incorporate removable insulation.

Thermaxx Wye Strainer Insulation Jackets

By providing plant operators with the ability to remove Thermaxx’s proprietary covering, no functionality or access is lost to the wye strainer. Below are some additional features:

• The Right Fit: Our standard line of wye strainer jackets a are available in sizes of 2″-12″ for popular Keckley, Hoffman, Mueller, and Nibco models.  If needed, we can create custom jackets for your wye strainers to your exact specifications.
• Convenient:  Our jackets have velcro straps and d-ring closures for easy accessibility and seal flaps are used to connect the removable jacket to the adjacent insulation.  A hole at the bottom of the insulation jacket also allows for the wye strainer to be drained without removing the jacket.  If the jacket must be removed, however, it should take under 5 minutes to do so.
• Cost effective: The standard thickness of our wye strainer jackets is 1″-2″ and each can accommodate up to 600⁰ F. Our jackets provide a supreme level of energy efficiency, providing a measurable return on investment for plant owners who are looking to improve their bottom line.  Heat loss is magnified by the temperature and size of the component. Wye strainers are usually one of the largest surface areas, per components, on a steam system. A typical Wye Strainer jacket usually has a ROI, or payback, of less than 12 months!
• High Quality: Each insulation jacket is painstakingly made to meet your needs.  We back all of our products by a 5-year warranty to prove that we mean business!

Want to learn more? We’re happy to answer any questions you have about our wye strainer jackets or any of our Thermaxx Jacket solutions for your facility. Give us a call today at (203) 672-1021.