Shoutout to the apprentice who overtorqued the flange bolts on that tank job yesterday

We spent three hours yesterday trying to break loose a 6-inch flange on a water tank in Gary because the new kid cranked every bolt to 200 ft-lbs with an impact gun, and I had to cut half of them off with a torch, anyone else deal with guys who think tighter is always better?

2 comments

2 Comments

milar461mo ago

Did the apprentice think he was building a bridge to withstand a hurricane or just fastening a water tank? I've seen that same mentality on a few jobs, where the guy figures if a little torque is good, a lot must be better. Next time you see him, hand him a torque wrench and show him the spec sheet, maybe even draw a little picture of what happens when bolts get stretched past their limit. Cutting them off with a torch is a rite of passage, I guess, but three hours is a long time to spend on someone else's mistake.

smith.jordan1mo ago

Cranked my own bolts to "gut feel" once, still finding bits of that tank in my driveway.