Debate: Do you fix a torch leak on the spot or just swap hoses and deal with it later?

I was on a job in Cleveland last month when my cutting torch started hissing at the connection. I stopped to swap the O-ring, lost 20 minutes, but my partner said he'd just tape it and finish the weld. What do you guys do when a leak shows up mid-job?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden46628d ago

Man, "nearly took my eyebrows off" is the exact kind of wake-up call you don't need. Glad you walked away from that one. Swapping the O-ring is the right call, even if it costs you 20 minutes.

evan_campbell2mo ago

Oh man, taping a torch leak is asking for trouble. I did that once on a job in Pittsburgh, and the tape blew out twenty seconds after I lit the tip. Nearly took my eyebrows off. I'd rather lose the time swapping the O-ring than explain to the safety guy why I smell like propane.

piperwhite2mo ago

Ripping a torch leak is playing with fire, literally. At least if you blow your eyebrows off you've got a good story for the ER.