That time a weld cracked on a 36-inch steam line at the old paper mill in Kalamazoo

We were doing a full shutdown for new valve installs when I spotted a hairline crack on a main header weld from the 70s, so I called a stop and we had to cut out a six-foot section overnight. My foreman wanted to just grind and re-weld the spot, but I argued we needed to replace the whole piece due to metal fatigue (which the X-ray later proved right). How do you guys handle it when you see a potential problem that isn't in the work scope but could cause a bigger failure down the line?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ray1mo ago

Spotting that crack saved everyone a world of hurt later.

davis.gavin1mo ago

Wait, how big was the crack? That's actually terrifying.

jenniferwells20d ago

Honestly, how do we even know the crack was a real problem? Sometimes a small line in concrete is just a surface thing from the weather. I've seen driveways with hairline cracks that look scary but have been totally fine for ten years. Calling it a disaster feels like jumping at shadows.