Spent 5 days tracking a pressure drop that was a loose bolt

I was working on a boiler at a grain elevator east of Sioux Falls. The steam pressure kept dropping about 3 psi every 6 hours, and I chased it through every valve and fitting. Checked the gaskets, the relief valve, even pulled the sight glass. On day 4 I finally noticed a tiny weep around a 3/4 inch bolt on the manway door. Quarter turn with a wrench and it held steady since. Has anyone else had a leak hide in plain sight like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_hayes23h ago

Had a buddy spend two whole days chasing a leak that was just a loose pipe thread.

kaiharris21h agoTop Commenter

Tightening that by hand then a quarter turn with a wrench saved me the same headache @eva_hayes.