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Local inspector told me my weld prep was too aggressive, should have listened sooner
Ran into a situation about six months back where a city inspector in Pittsburgh flagged some boiler tube welds I did. He said I was taking too much material off during bevel prep and it would weaken the joint over time. I thought he was being too picky, figured I've been doing it this way for 15 years and never had a failure. Fast forward to a pressure test and two of those welds had microfractures near the root. Had to cut them out, redo the prep with a shallower angle, and it held fine on the retest. Cost me an extra day and a half of labor plus materials. Now I take his advice on prep angles seriously, even if it slows me down. Has anyone else had an inspector give you grief over something you thought was routine, only to find out they were right?
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jana50915d ago
Parker_hall5, I measure bevel depth with a gauge now after that same mistake cost me a joint.
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maryr4315d ago
Oh yeah, absolutely feel you there (and jana509 too). I had a flange job last year where I thought my bevel was perfect and the inspector gave me that look. Told myself I knew better, kept going, and ended up with a hairline crack that showed up during pressure testing. Had to cut the whole thing out and start fresh, which was a real kick in the pants. Sometimes you just gotta listen, you know?
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blairm7715d ago
That cracked flange story from @parker_hall5 sounds rough, and I feel your pain on that one. I had a similar thing with a boiler tube job where the inspector told me my bevel was too steep, and I brushed it off like you did. Cost me a full day of rework and had to eat the material cost on two tubes that failed during a hydro test. It stings when someone calls you out on something you've done for years, but man, sometimes they just know their stuff. Ever had to scrap a whole piece of work because you fought the inspector's call too hard?
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