Decided between stick and TIG on a boiler patch job last week

I had a small spot on a 20-year-old boiler that needed patching. Couldn't decide if I should run stick or drag out the TIG setup. Stick was faster and I know it well, but TIG gives cleaner results on thin spots like this one. Went with TIG in the end because the owner wanted it to look decent. Took me about 45 minutes to set up and weld it out, and it turned out solid with no leaks. Has anyone else had luck patching older boilers with one process over the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandrat2418d ago

Respectfully I gotta push back on this one. Dragging out the TIG for a boiler patch on something that old is overkill in my book. Stick welding is faster and more forgiving on dirty, rusty metal that you can never fully clean out on a 20 year old boiler. You said it took 45 minutes just to set up the TIG, that's time you could have already had the stick done and been gone. Plus TIG on thin spots can burn through easy if you're not dead on with your heat control. I've patched dozens of old boilers with stick and never had a leak issue when I prep the area right. The owner wanting it to look decent is fine, but if it's in a basement or mechanical room who cares what it looks like as long as it holds.

karen_perry3818d ago

Oh man that reminds me of patching a boiler at my uncle's place a few years back, except I forgot to turn the water off and got soaked halfway through. Idk I guess it depends how much you trust the old metal holding up under the heat.