Des Champs Technologies’ PLP-Series Air-Trap, winner in the Indoor Air Quality Category of the 2021 AHR Expo Innovation Awards Competition, offers a new concept in condensate trap design that permits condensate removal from AC or other condensing equipment while blocking airflow all year and requires only 2 7/8” height for positive 0-40” WC pressure. The trap can never “dry out” or freeze because it does not depend on water to seal, only fan pressure.
The innovative PLP trap is the first AC condensate trap to use air pressure developed by the AC fans to prevent conditioned air from entering or leaving the unit. For a hundred years the P-Trap, a carryover from use on toilets and sinks, has been used on AC equipment to prevent air loss. Unlike the P-Trap, the PLP was designed specifically for HVAC equipment and does not require standing water to prevent air leakage. AC equipment produces condensate mostly during summer. The remainder of the year little or no condensate is produced, and the P-traps are dry most of that time. When they do have water, the bottom of the trap is prone to develop sludge and growth. The PLP operates dry when no condensate is being produced and uses a levered, horizontal pancake designed float-valve with a mechanical advantage about a pivot point. This allows the PLP to require less than 3 inches of height for up to 40 inches WC pressure instead of the 8 to 60 inches required for a standard P-Trap.
Des Champs Technologies’ PLP-Series Air-Trap is designed and manufactured in the U.S.A. The Air-Trap is available at www.waterless-trap.com and other HVAC distributors.
