Why?

A Question for All Inspectors

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Technical Articles

Why? A Question for All Inspectors

Lee Doran
National Board Consultant
Fall 1993
Category: Operations
Summary: The following article is a part of National Board Classic Series and it was published in the National
Board BULLETIN. (3 printed pages)
"Why?" is the question that is always on the mind of the curious boiler inspector.
The inspector, whether from the jurisdiction, insurance company or the operator/maintainer, must always ask
this question. The inspector's job is not finished when corrective action is recommended to correct an obvious
problem discovered during an inspection; there is more. The inspector must ask, "Why did this happen?"
Review the following hypothetical situation as an example.
An inspector discovers cracks in the fireside of a mud-leg in a firebox-type steam boiler and recommends a
repair by welding. In this case, if the question, "Why did the plate crack?" is not asked, only the symptom is
corrected and the cause of the problem is not detected. If the question is asked, further investigation may
reveal that the mud-legs are packed with scale, insulating the plate from boiler water. Of course it would be
required that the boiler be cleaned of scale before the weld repairs are made.
If a second question, "Why is there scale?" is not addressed, then another symptom would be corrected
without affecting the root of the problem. When the cause of the scaling is investigated, it would most likely be
discovered that the boiler is using excessive make-up water. Again, why? After pressing further, the
investigation reveals that the condensate return pipe is leaking. It would be recommended that the leaking
pipe be replaced.
The investigation continues, only to uncover that the pipe leaked because of internal corrosion. It is now
recommended that the services of a water treatment specialist be acquired. The specialist determines the
boiler water requires treatment not only for preventing scale in the boiler, but also treatment of the
condensate and pre-boilers systems to inhibit corrosion.
The inspector recommends that the boiler water treatment program be closely monitored and adjusted as
necessary.
If the inspector had stopped asking, "Why?" at any point during the investigation, only the symptoms would
have been corrected and the problems would be recurring.
Inspections routinely evolve into investigations with symptoms of a problem providing the clues to the
inspector. Only by asking, "Why?" at each step of the investigation will the inspector identify the root cause of
the problem and be able to recommend the proper and complete corrective action.
Editor's note: Some ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requirements may have changed because of
advances in material technology and/or actual experience. The reader is cautioned to refer to the latest
edition and addenda of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for current requirements.

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A Boiler: The Explosive Potential of a

Bomb
Acoustic Emission Examination of
Metal Pressure Vessels
Anatomy of a Catastrophic Boiler
Accident
Austenitic Stainless Steel
Auto-Refrigeration
Basic Weld Inspection - Part 1
Basic Weld Inspection - Part 2
Black Liquor Recovery Boilers - An
Introduction
Boiler Efficiency and Steam Quality:
The Challenge of Creating Quality
Steam Using Existing Boiler
Efficiencies
Boiler Logs Can Reduce Accidents
Boiler/Burner Combustion Air Supply
Requirements and Maintenance
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Preventable With Complete
Inspection
Combustion Air Requirements:The
Forgotten Element In Boiler Rooms
Creep and Creep Failures
Description of Construction and
Inspection Procedure for Steam
Locomotive and Fire Tube Boilers
Ensuring Safe Operation Of Vessels
With Quick-Opening Closures
Environmental Heat Exchangers
Factors Affecting Inservice Cracking
of Weld Zone in Corrosive Service
Failure Avoidance in Welded
Fabrication
Finite Element Analysis of Pressure
Vessels
Fuel Ash Corrosion
Fuel Firing Apparatus - Natural Gas
Grain Boundaries
Heat Treatment - What Is It?
How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 1
How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2
How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 3
Identifying Pressure Vessel Nozzle
Problems
Inspection, Repair, and Alteration of
Yankee Dryers
Inspection, What Better Place to
Begin
Laminations Led to Incident
Lay-up of Heating Boilers
Liquid Penetrant Examination
Low Voltage Short Circuiting-GMAW
Low Water Cut-Off Technology
Low-Water Cutoff: A Maintenance
Must
Magnetic Particle Examination

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Maintaining Proper Boiler Inspections

Through Proper Relationships
Microstructural Degradation
Miracle Fluid?
Organizing A Vessel, Tank, and
Piping Inspection Program
Paper Machine Failure Investigation:
Inspection Requirements Should Be
Changed For Dryer Can
Pipe Support Performance as It
Applies to Power Plant Safety and
Reliability
Polymer Use for Boilers and
Pressure Vessels
Pressure Vessel Fatigue
Pressure Vessels: Analyzing Change
Preventing Corrosion Under
Insulation
Preventing Steam/Condensate
System Accidents
Proper Boiler Care Makes Good
Business Sense:Safety Precautions
for Drycleaning Businesses
Putting a Stop to Steam Kettle Failure
Quick Actuating Closures
Quick-Actuating Door Failures
Real-Time Radioscopic Examination
Recommendations For A Safe Boiler
Room
Recovering Boiler Systems After A
Flood
Rendering Plants Require Safety
Repair or Alteration of Pressure
Vessels
Residential Water Heater Safety
School Boiler Maintenance
Programs: How Safe Are The
Children?
Secondary Low-Water Fuel Cutoff
Probe: Is It as Safe as You Think?
Short-Term High Temperature
Failures
Specification of Rupture Disk Burst
Pressure
Steam Traps Affect Boiler Plant
Efficiency
Steps to Safety: Guide for Restarting
Boilers after Summer Lay-Up
Stress Corrosion Cracking of Steel in
Liquefied Ammonia Service - A
Recapitulation
Suggested Daily Boiler Log Program
Suggested Maintenance Log
Program
System Design, Specifications,
Operation, and Inspection of
Deaerators
Tack Welding
Temperature And Pressure Relief
Valves Often Overlooked
Temperature Considerations for
Pressure Relief Valve Application

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The Authorized Inspector s

Responsibility for Dimensional
Inspection
The Effects of Erosion-Corrosion on
Power Plant Piping
The Forgotten Boiler That Suddenly
Isn't
The Trend of Boiler/Pressure Vessel
Incidents: On the Decline?
The Use of Pressure Vessels for
Human Occupancy in Clinical
Hyberbaric Medicine
Thermally Induced Stress Cycling
(Thermal Shock) in Firetube Boilers
Top Ten Boiler and Combustion
Safety Issues to Avoid
Typical Improper Repairs of Safety
Valves
Wasted Superheat Converted to Hot,
Sanitary Water
Water Maintenance Essential to
Prevent Boiler Scaling
Water Still Flashes to Steam at 212
Welding Consideration for Pressure
Relief Valves
Welding Symbols: A Useful System
or Undecipherable Hieroglyphics?
What Should You Do Before Starting
Boilers After Summer Lay-Up?
Why? A Question for All Inspectors

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