Rant: 3 hours under a tank on my back in Gary, IN over a 2" nozzle

I'm not sure if it's just me getting older or the work itself, but these tight spots hit different now. Last month I had to swap a pressure relief nozzle on a feed water heater, and the access was maybe 18 inches. I was on my back with a ratchet strap holding my neck up, and the old gasket just crumbled into pieces I couldn't reach. Took me almost 3 hours to fish out every last bit with a magnet on a stick, and my forearms still ache when I think about it. Anyone else notice the prep work takes longer than the actual weld these days, or is it just my luck with bad layouts?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencerw7213d ago

Man thats brutal. Was the tank still hot when you were under there or did you get to wait for it to cool down? Ive done similar jobs where the heat off the metal just cooks you the whole time and 3 hours feels like an entire shift. Also what kind of magnet setup were you using to get the gasket pieces out, cause Ive been through that exact same nightmare and a regular pickup tool just doesnt cut it in tight spots like that.

the_mia12d ago

Nah it cooled down but my mood was still hot enough to weld with after that mess.