Fall is officially here! Some of you have used the heat in your homes already. Some probably wish we had some heat around here too!
Prior to start up our boilers are thoroughly inspected by both our insurance company and the state of Minnesota. This years inspection turned up a maintenance issue that we have to address before the boilers can be filled and fired (started). What the inspector found were stay-bolts that require replacement. So, what is a stay-bolt? Stay-bolts are most commonly found in locomotive boilers. They are needed because of the irregular shape of the pressure retaining surfaces in that type of boiler. Stay-bolts are usually installed in the area around the firebox portion of a locomotive boiler and can number into the hundreds. It is quite common to install them into threaded holes to join the inner and outer sheets surrounding the firebox, although in modern times many of them may be welded in place. Either way, without stay-bolts to give strength to the irregularly shaped portions of the boiler, an explosion would be a certainty.
(Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Stay_bolt_are_found_in_what_boiler#ixzz1Z5fkIFLJ)
Thankfully we have Jeff Lund back here to work with Chad on identifying the questionable stay-bolts. Below is a picture of the stay-bolts that have been flagged with orange paint for replacement. Each bolt is about 5' long and runs through the entire boiler. The old bolts will be torched out and new rods welded in. After all that fun, we'll have to re-insulate both boilers. Then...we'll have some heat!
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