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I finally got that old economizer header to seal after fighting it for three days straight.
The flange face was warped just enough that every gasket blew, so I had to machine it flat on site with a portable rig. Anyone have a better trick for a warped 8-inch steam header?
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matthew_wilson2220d ago
Yeah, machining it flat is the right call when it's that bad. I've had some luck with a double layer of spiral wound gaskets on a slightly warped face as a last resort. Nothing else really holds up to steam cycles like getting that surface true again.
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the_david20d ago
That double gasket trick Matthew mentioned is a solid band-aid. I've used it on a 6-inch condensate line that had a 0.015" bow in it. The key is using a full face flange so the gaskets have room to seat properly without overloading the bolts. You still get some creep over a few months, but it can buy you time until a shutdown. What bolt torque sequence do you use when you stack them like that?
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