Spent 4 hours chasing a phantom tube leak in a heat exchanger

I had this exchanger that kept sweating at the bottom tube sheet, swapped gaskets twice and even torqued the bolts to spec but it still dripped. Turned out a tiny pinhole in a tube about 3 rows back was spraying steam onto the sheet, not a gasket issue at all. Anyone else ever waste half a shift on something that was totally obvious in hindsight?

3 comments

3 Comments

milesbailey13d agoTop Commenter

Yeah @emery_white that loose bolt thing reminds me of the time I spent an hour looking for a short in a motor only to find a stray washer stuck between the contacts. Funny how the small stuff always gets you first, right?

emery_white13d ago

Man, my buddy spent a whole shift on a rattling blower that was just a loose bolt.

jennifer_jenkins13d agoOG Member

Ugh, "just a loose bolt" hits too close to home. Isn't it wild how the tiniest thing can eat up your whole day? Feel bad for your buddy.