27
Heard a guy at the supply house say he never uses a level on big flanges
I was picking up some 4 inch schedule 80 at the yard in Tacoma last Tuesday, and this older guy was telling the counter guy he just 'eyeballs' the flange faces before he bolts up. I used to think that was pure madness and would always break out my 24 inch level. But he said on big, heavy flanges, the level can sit on high spots and give a false reading, and you're better off using a straightedge and feeler gauges across the face in four spots. I tried it yesterday on a steam header job, and he was right. The level showed level, but the straightedge showed a 1/16 inch gap on one side. Saved me from a leak down the line. How many of you check flanges this way instead of just trusting a level?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
elizabeth_gonzalez9d ago
Big, heavy flanges" is what got me. Reminds me of a time we had a vibration issue on a pump. Everyone was checking the base with levels, but it turned out the concrete pad itself had settled weird. We ended up using a laser.
3