Spent 4 hours chasing a leak in a feedwater heater bundle today

We had a tube leak on a feedwater heater at the plant, and I figured I'd find it in maybe an hour. Got the hydro test rigged up and started pressurizing, but the leak was so tiny it barely showed up. Ended up using a dye test I borrowed from a buddy in the weld shop, and even that took three passes to catch it. The actual leak was at the baffle plate, a spot I'd passed over twice because it looked clean. Four hours total, and it was a pinhole you could barely see. Has anyone else had a small leak eat up a whole shift like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_baker619d ago

Man, dye tests can be finicky, try pressurizing with warm water next time to make tiny leaks more visible.

nathankim9d agoTop Commenter

Warm water trick works way better than cold for spotting those tiny leaks. Dye can be picky but pressurizing with heat helps it show up faster. Good call on that one, gonna try it next time my system's acting up.

jake7479d ago

Why not try adding a drop of dish soap to the warm water too, @emma_baker61? It breaks the surface tension and helps the bubbles form right on the leak spot. That combo has saved me hours of hunting for pinhole leaks in tight spots before.