The Steamboating Forum

Good morning all. Can anyone out there give me an idea of how much it will cost to preform a hydrostatic test on a steam boiler, 13 two inch tubes, 19" in diameter, 35" in length?
Thank you.

If one is going to dabble in steam, they need to know how to do this themselves and it is not difficult to do. Simply fill the boiler completely full of water, no air at all and then attach a pump like or similar to the one in the pic and take it up to 1 1/2 times the intended or designed for working pressure.

Remove the relief valve and make sure the boilers operating pressure gauge can handle the test pressure.



-Ron

It's a pretty straightforward procedure. plug, or cap all outlets except where you're pumping water in (provide a valve at boiler in case your check valves leak), and your pressure gauge. Full to the VERY top with warm water, getting all air out. Slowly pump up to test pressure. Hold at test pressure for at least 1/2 hour.. Check for leaks with GOOD flashlight around tubes, tube sheets, etc..

Just received a PM from him and he has decided to use Compressed Nitrogen, Here is my reply

Whoa! Do not use any gas for this test!. Use only water as it will not compress.

I wouldn't do it with compressed gas first for a number of reasons.

A hydro static test with room temperature/warm water using a hand pump 1.25-1.5x MAWP(Max Allowable Work Pressure) as described is the basic and safe first step way to check a boiler.

However, Nitrogen is inert and in all likelihood it will be fine, but I just don't see the need to invent a new way to test a boiler...

-CB

Quote: "Nitrogen is inert and in all likelihood it will be fine"

No gas that can be compressed and store energy should be used at all, ever. Air, steam, Nitrogen, CO2 etc are all gases that when stored under pressure can cause an explosion if the vessel fails test.

Only WATER as Wes and I pointed out should be used as it cannot be compressed. A failure in the vessel would result in no explosion at all. That is why water and only water is used and all air evacuated i.e. 100% full of water. Any air over the top of the water during a hydrostatic test can compress and store energy.

-Ron

DetroiTug wrote:Quote: "Nitrogen is inert and in all likelihood it will be fine"

No gas that can be compressed and store energy should be used at all, ever.

As I said ... "I wouldn't do it with compressed gas first for a number of reasons."
-CB

It was implied that using a gas for a hydrostatic test would be permissible as an alternative to using a pump. No mention was made if it was just gas or gas over water, regardless neither is correct or safe.

DetroiTug wrote:It was implied that using a gas for a hydrostatic test would be permissible as an alternative to using a pump. No mention was made if it was just gas or gas over water, regardless neither is correct or safe.

Please refrain from implying anything I post here.

To quote myself - this is what you should do to test a boiler:

cyberbadger wrote:A hydro static test with room temperature/warm water using a hand pump 1.25-1.5x MAWP(Max Allowable Work Pressure) as described is the basic and safe first step way to check a boiler.

-CB

Here is the rest of your post:

"However, Nitrogen is inert and in all likelihood it will be fine, but I just don't see the need to invent a new way to test a boiler..."

Seemed to imply that using a gas to pressure test a vessel would be "fine". A statement like that needs clarification when it could result in someone reading it that doesn't understand and getting badly injured or killed.

I'll not comment on this anymore, seems you like to argue, I don't. Ask my ex-wife.