Page 214 - Boiler_Operators_Handbook,_Second_Edition

Maintenance 199

That’s because those devices are in operation and only screw. The fireman and I were both amazed that once we
experienced, knowledgeable individuals (like a boiler operated it the strainer handle could be turned with one
operator) should be allowed to touch them because im- finger.
proper action could shut down the plant. These include There’s one other thing I’ve learned about oil
cleaning burners, operating soot blowers, and cleaning strainers. The day you decide that it isn’t necessary to
oil strainers to name a few. clean it because it’s always clean when you open it…
Speaking of cleaning oil strainers… The typical du- that’s the day it will plug up.
plex oil strainer (Figure 6-1) is one of those devices that
is in service when cleaned. If you open the wrong side
(you shouldn’t because the handle is supposed to be INSTRUCTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS
over the side in service) the plant could be shut down.
Another situation involves switching the strainer in ser- Read the manual first and every time before you
vice. It must be done carefully and slowly because it’s perform any maintenance unless you know the book by
always possible that the cover wasn’t replaced properly heart. Then prepare a checklist that helps you make sure
and the strainer could leak. you follow the instructions. It’s awfully easy to forget a
One of those strainers involved my first lesson in step or get them out of sequence with component failure
reading instruction manuals. I had just joined a ship as being a result. If you don’t have the manual then contact
Second Assistant Engineer and entered the boiler room the manufacturer to get one. They may charge an abso-
to find the new fireman using a helper to change the lutely atrocious amount (you have to consider their cost
strainer. You know what I mean by a “helper,” a long in producing one copy compared to several hundred
piece of pipe stuck over the end of the handle. I chided during the period they manufactured and sold your
him for doing that, advising that he could break the equipment) but even as much as $300 can save ten times
handle. After trying everything I had been taught about that amount in damage to the equipment.
them I finally relented and helped him operate the help- A checklist will help insure that all the steps are
er to switch the strainer. On the next watch he reported executed in the prescribed order and can save a lot of
it was even tighter than the day before. Noticing that the time. Just jumping in and doing it may seem faster until
handle was bending precariously I told him to wait until you have to tear it back down again because a part was
I had time to look at the manual. left out or an adjustment wasn’t made; it’s even longer
A visit to the chief engineer’s office later that day if you’re documenting every step because there was a
produced the manual and revealed that there was a little failure and the equipment is severely damaged.
jacking screw under the strainer that both lifted the plug You should check instructions despite your skill
valve so the strainer could be changed and tightened it and knowledge. I recall one contractor that was ada-
back down. On the evening watch I looked under the mant about the rotation of a fuel oil pump when I told
strainer and, sure enough, there was that little jacking him it was running backwards. He insisted I didn’t
know what I was talking about. When I persisted long
enough he finally grabbed the instructions (which were
still enclosed in the envelope wired to the lifting eye on
the pump motor) yanked them open, flipped through
the pages and prepared to point at the graphic while
thrusting the paper in front of me. Almost as quickly he
drew back and checked the diagram; he was wrong. He
had created several days of delays, damaged the piping
on the pumps, and possibly the pumps, simply because
he refused to take a few minutes to look at the instruc-
tions.
Specifications define requirements and anything
more complicated than a faucet or a toilet ballcock should
be compared to the specifications to ensure you have the
right type and grade of material. That includes things
supposedly simple, like bolts and nuts. I have encoun-
Figure 6-1. Duplex oil strainer tered several situations where the wrong bolts or nuts