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Last week's job on the old power plant boiler in Gary showed me why we need to stop rushing the hydro test
We were under pressure to finish a section repair on a 1950s drum, and the foreman wanted to skip the full 24-hour hold time for the hydrostatic test. I pushed back hard, saying we had to follow the book, and we ended up finding a tiny weep at a weld after 18 hours. If we'd rushed it, that leak would have been buried under insulation for months. Who else has had a boss try to cut corners on pressure testing?
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cameron42614d ago
My buddy in Texas said they had a similar fight over a 10-hour hold on a refinery line. Management caved when the crew threatened to walk.
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williams9014d ago
What refinery was that at?
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morgan_butler6d ago
Ever notice how the rush is always about the schedule, never about the cost of the call-back? That weep you found would have meant ripping out all that fresh insulation later. The extra labor and materials for that second visit always blows past the time they "saved" skipping the hold. Makes you wonder if the bean counters even see the full picture.
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