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A trick for stubborn flange gaskets on a 12-inch steam line
Had a flange on a high-pressure steam line that just wouldn't seal right, even with a new spiral-wound gasket. We were about to cut and re-weld the whole fitting. An old guy at the yard told me to try a thin coat of high-temp copper anti-seize on both faces of the gasket before torquing. We did it, heated the system slowly over 8 hours, and it held at 250 psi without a single leak. I've used it on three jobs since and it's saved a ton of rework. Anyone else have a go-to for sealing up finicky high-temp joints?
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clark.kelly4d ago
That copper trick seems risky for a high pressure steam line. I mean, anti seize can squeeze out and leave you with less gasket contact. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather chase the flange faces flat if the seal is being stubborn.
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