Got a stubborn flange leak on a 3-inch steam line in an old plant

I mean, we all know the drill. It was a 3-inch steam line flange in this old plant in Toledo, and it was weeping bad. The gasket was new, bolts were torqued to spec, but it just wouldn't seal. My partner wanted to just crank the bolts down harder, which is a terrible idea. I remembered this old timer I worked with years ago telling me to try a thin coat of high-temp anti-seize on the gasket faces, not the threads. I was skeptical, but we cleaned everything spotless, put a whisper-thin layer of that copper stuff on, and re-torqued in the proper star pattern. Leak stopped cold. It's not in any manual, but it worked. Has anyone else tried something weird like that on a high-pressure flange that just wouldn't behave?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_patel29d ago

We used a graphite spray once and it sealed right up.

taylor_patel29d ago

Huh, really? That stuff is usually for making things slide, not stick. Wild that it worked.

oliver85529d ago

Yeah, that copper anti-seize trick is a good one for those old warped faces. Had a similar fight with a 4-inch condensate return flange last winter. We ended up using two full-face graphite gaskets stacked together, which you're really not supposed to do. Boss thought we were crazy but it held the 150 psi no problem. Sometimes the old rules just don't cut it lol.