O
29

Tried preheating a furnace with the manway open, never again

My helper and I were working on a boiler rebuild down in Baton Rouge last week. Old timer told me to crack the manway for a few minutes before buttoning it up to let moisture out. I left it open too long and it cooled the refractory way too fast. Got hairline cracks all through the bottom. Had to rip it out and redo it. Cost us an extra day and a half. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
elizabethwhite
Thermal shock from open manways is nasty stuff. Those hairline cracks can spread like crazy once the furnace cycles a few times. Better to catch them now than have a full blowout later.
8
mark_smith59
Cracks that small usually don't affect the structural integrity.
1