That weird trick for getting a tight seal on pressure vessel heads I picked up at the union hall

I was sitting in the corner at the union hall last Tuesday morning, waiting for the dispatch meeting to start, and I overheard this old-timer talking about how he preheats his gaskets in a five-gallon bucket of hot water before installing them. He said it makes the rubber or whatever material more pliable (you know, so it squishes into the grooves better) and he's been doing it for like 15 years. I had a job the next day where I was wrestling with a stubborn head on a 48-inch vessel at a chemical plant over on the east side, and I figured I'd give it a shot. I tossed the gasket in a bucket of tap-hot water for about 10 minutes, dried it off quick, and it seated way easier than any other time I've tried. No fighting to get the bolts started, no pinching the gasket out of place. Has anyone else tried this trick, or do you have another method for getting stubborn heads to seal up without cussing the whole time?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_murphy5d ago

Yeah that hot water trick is solid, I've done the same with silicone gaskets on heat exchangers and it saves a ton of headache. Another thing I'll do is hit the head face with a torch for a minute or two before seating, just enough to warm the metal so the gasket doesn't cool down and stiffen up right away.

rosel833d ago

Torch might overheat the gasket, easy to warp it. Stick with hot water.