Third time I had to re-torch a tube sheet this week

Same header leak kept popping up on a 40 year old firetube boiler at the paper mill in Richmond. Turns out the old tube sheet was warped worse than I thought and my first two attempts just didn't hold. Any of you guys use a different technique for seating tubes in a warped sheet?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.christopher10d ago

Used to think you could just hammer them in tighter but that warped sheet taught me different real quick.

troychen10d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though @baker.christopher? I mean, you only warp a sheet once before you learn to ease up on the hammering, right? A little practice and you're good to go, your mileage may vary but it's not the end of the world.

casey81810d ago

Yo, have you ever tried to fix a warped sheet by just clamping it down and hoping for the best? I did that once with a 16 gauge piece and it was like watching a potato chip slowly fight back. The ends curled up so bad I could have used it as a sled. I spent the next hour with a rubber mallet and a torch trying to flatten it out, but it was too late. The whole thing had that permanent twisty look, like it was mad at me for even trying.