Using your lathe to repair/bandaid a boiler?

[bobs64ford352]

Haven't posted in awhile, but I had a fun little project come across my lathe a couple weeks ago.  Nothing hard or fancy about it, but my neighbor works for a place that had a tube blow out on their package boiler that heats their building.  When they contacted the company to get it repaired they were told it could be 4 months before they could get someone out to look at it and they can plug the tube in the meantime.  He told them their options, which included wood plugs and my neighbor knows I turn.  I actually went to school and work in the power industry so I know about plugging boiler and condenser tubes, although in my world wooden ones probably wouldn't hold up too long.  He requested them to be some form of softwood, 8" long, 3" diameter for ~3/8" at the large end and then taper down to 2.5".  I just used some rough non PT 4x4's I had laying around.  The tubes were about 2-7/8"ID.  After talking with him I also made a couple that were only tapered down to 2.75"  thinking maybe it was too much taper on the first ones.  I caught up with him after they got them in and he said they didn't seal 100%, but it was enough that the leak was almost non existent and they are now planning on going longer than they expected before making repairs.  You basically wrap the plug in a wet rag and drive it in and I guess the rag stays wet keeping the wood from burning.  My dad was a welder for a large construction company and mainly did high pressure piping.  He said he's seen 1000's of plugs of different varieties and materials and put many of them in (welded ones).  He gave some tips to give my neighbor, which included don't bash it in with everything you have, which was his plan.  As a boiler guy I was having a hard time hearing how the boiler was operated; non existent chemistry, inspections and apparently no boiler guy, just the guy that plows running it
.

[Bill Holt]

Many years ago, I did the same thing, only much, much smaller.  The plug was still there when the system was replaced 15 years later.

[Arlin Eastman]

Good fix and SOOOOOO nice seeing you back buddy

[bobs64ford352]

Good fix and SOOOOOO nice seeing you back buddy

Hey Arlin, thanks, yeah I don't come on as much as I used to.  I need to get it back in my routine.

Bob