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Tightened a leaking steam flange with a washer trick I learned from a guy in Baton Rouge
I was working on a 150 psi line at a chemical plant in Lake Charles last winter and a old-timer showed me to stack two thin washers instead of one thick one to get a better seal on a warped flange face, has anyone else tried that on high-temp lines?
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craig.parker10d ago
Man, that's a solid tip! My buddy over in the refinery in Port Arthur tried something similar on a steam trap and it saved his butt. He said the problem was the flange face was all pitted and warped from years of heat cycles, and a single thick washer would just rock back and forth. He stacked two thin ones like you said and it sealed right up, no more leaking steam. He told me the thin washers just conform better to the uneven surface instead of sitting there cockeyed. I bet it works way better on high-temp lines where the metal moves a lot.
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noahwood10d ago
Knew a guy who did the same trick on a boiler flange.
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fionamurphy10d ago
That sounds rough dealing with pitted flanges. Did he have to re-torque it after a few heat cycles to get it to hold?
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