The boiler that went from a quiet hum to sounding like a bag of hammers in a week

We just finished a big job on an old fire-tube boiler at a plant in Toledo. When we fired it up after the rebuild, it was running smooth and quiet, just a low hum. Came back for the final sign-off seven days later and the thing was making this crazy banging noise, like someone was inside with a sledge. Turns out, the new guy on the night shift had been messing with the feedwater regulator, trying to 'speed things up', and threw the water level all out of whack. The rapid heating and cooling on the tubes was making them pop and bang. We had to drain it, reset everything, and give the guy a five minute talk on why you don't touch settings you don't understand. Ever had a simple fix get totally wrecked by someone else's 'help' before you could even finish the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

valw367d ago

Seriously? Couldn't it just be loose parts?

skyler_thomas6d ago

But what if it's not something loose? Sometimes a rattle is a sign of a bracket or shield coming undone, which can lead to bigger trouble. It's worth a quick look before you write it off.

tarag286d ago

Totally agree, it's almost always something simple rattling around. Had a weird noise in my car for weeks that sounded expensive. Turned out to be an old water bottle rolling under the passenger seat. Mechanics probably love when people jump to the worst case.

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