Spence Engineering Company, headquartered in Walden, New York, was a manufacturer of steam traps, pressure reducing valves, temperature regulators, and steam system control equipment supplying both industrial and naval markets. Spence steam traps and pressure-reducing valves were used in the auxiliary steam systems of Navy surface ships — in the steam distribution systems serving heating coils, laundry equipment, galley equipment, and other steam-heated auxiliary loads throughout the ship.

Asbestos in Spence Steam Trap Components

Spence steam traps and pressure regulators used asbestos packing and gaskets as standard sealing materials:

  • Steam trap body gaskets — float and thermostatic steam traps, disc steam traps, and inverted bucket steam traps in Spence’s product line used asbestos body gaskets sealing the steam trap body covers and strainer caps. Steam trap maintenance — including strainer cleaning, float and seat inspection, and trap replacement — disturbed these asbestos body gaskets
  • Pressure reducing valve stem packing — Spence pressure reducing valves (PRVs) in auxiliary steam system service used asbestos stem packing in the valve stuffing box for steam isolation in pressure-reducing service throughout the auxiliary steam distribution system
  • Temperature regulator internal components — Spence temperature regulators used in steam-heated system temperature control had asbestos-containing body gaskets and internal sealing materials disturbed during regulator servicing
  • Strainer gaskets — the integral strainers protecting steam traps from debris used asbestos body gaskets at the strainer cover

Steam Trap Maintenance in Navy Engineering Departments

Steam trap maintenance was a routine engineering department maintenance task aboard steam-powered surface ships:

  • Trap inspection and testing — Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Technicians performed regular steam trap inspection using trap testers to identify failed-open and failed-closed traps throughout the auxiliary steam distribution system
  • Trap replacement — failed steam traps were replaced as a routine maintenance task, involving removal and installation of steam trap assemblies with disturbance of the body gaskets and associated asbestos sealing materials at each replacement
  • Strainer cleaning — steam trap strainer cleaning — performed by draining, opening the strainer body, cleaning the screen, and reassembling — disturbed asbestos strainer body gaskets at each cleaning interval

Steam traps from Spence and other manufacturers were present throughout the auxiliary steam distribution systems of Navy surface ships — destroyers, cruisers, carriers, and auxiliary vessels — wherever steam heating and auxiliary steam service was distributed through the ship. The large number of steam traps in a ship’s auxiliary steam system meant that steam trap maintenance was a frequent task distributed across the engineering department’s maintenance cycle.

VA Claims

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from steam system maintenance in Navy engineering plants. Engineering ratings who performed steam trap maintenance involving Spence and other steam trap manufacturers’ products with asbestos-containing gaskets and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.