I think the 'just weld it' fix for a cracked firebox is a bad idea

Last Tuesday on a job in Cincinnati, we found a hairline crack in the back of a 20-year-old boiler firebox. The lead guy wanted to just run a bead over it and call it good. I pushed back hard and said we needed to cut out the whole section and put in a new plate. We ended up doing it my way, which took an extra day, but the inspection passed with zero notes. Anyone else had to argue for the right fix over the fast one?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily701d ago

Totally agree, matthewmartin. I've seen a welded patch on a pressure vessel blow out six months later and cause a HUGE mess.

matthewmartin2d ago

That reminds me of a house I saw where a quick patch on a foundation crack just made the whole thing worse later. Good call taking the extra time.

joel_hall172d ago

You're right, matthewmartin. It's like putting a band-aid on a broken arm. People do that with all sorts of problems just to save a few minutes now.