I finally blew a boiler test because of a damn o-ring I skipped

Last Tuesday on a job in Hammond, I was pressure testing a 150 psi boiler and everything looked good until water started spraying from a flange I swore I tightened. Turns out I forgot to replace the o-ring on a drain valve I took apart earlier. Just used the old one thinking it was fine. Big mistake. Water shot out like a firehose and soaked my whole toolbox. Had to drain the system, swap the o-ring, and re-test. Lost almost 3 hours on a job I could've finished by lunch. Anyone else ever skip a cheap part and pay for it in time?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_fisher281mo ago

Why didn't I learn that lesson the first three times it happened?

nina1801mo ago

@julia_fisher28 same, used to think old o-rings were fine until this changed my mind.