Can we talk about that stubborn tube leak on a boiler at the paper mill in Covington?

Ruby Reed · 2026-10-08T18:35:03.674618+00:00

So we were doing a shutdown on a recovery boiler at the mill in Covington, Virginia, and had a tube leak that kept showing up on the floor. I figured it was a quick fix, maybe roll a couple tubes and be done by lunch. That was on a Monday morning, and we did not get it sealed until Thursday afternoon. We must have rolled those tubes three different times, and every time we fired it back up, water showed up again. Turns out the leak was not even where we thought it was, it was a pinhole about 6 feet over that was running down and fooling us. I felt pretty dumb but the old guy on our crew just laughed and said that is how boilers teach you patience. We ended up cutting out that section and welding in a new piece, and it held fine after that. What are your tricks for finding a leak when the water keeps showing up somewhere else?

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Can we talk about that stubborn tube leak on a boiler at the paper mill in Covington? | Boilermakers - Hub Chatter