Disection and repair of a Axeman-Anderson 260m

The problem was not the gasket,, but the 'wet bolts' the studs threaded into the boiler end plate were threaded with pipe threads and installed with sealant.. but the expansion and contration of the boiler from heat cycles tended to loosen the studs, then the nuts and studs leaked, then the gasket got loose and leaked..

The new instalation has the bolts clamping the gasket 'dry'.. only the gasket is 'wet'.. and with a new piece of gasket material and a very thin layer of RTV, it will never leak..

I sealed my studs with RTV, and sealed the rusted/sandblasted boiler surface with my favorite RTV, sealed the stud's threads and nuts and washers.. all nice and neat.. and not a drop after several hot/cold, a summer shutdown and fall re-light...

A nice molded recessed rubber 'O-Ring would be nice,, but the production rate is low, the production cost high, and I would not want to be paying $100+ for a fancy O-ring...

Greg L

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LoschStoker wrote:AA got the coil flange build out idea from Orbie Pepley of Shippensburg,PA.
He's been doing it that way for 30 years.

I have a hard time Believing this since I've seen Orbie's work on AA units and it's not the greatest.

I don't think Orbie is doing the flanges at the A-A factory, they just used his idea of the extermal flange.

Yanche wrote:And any junior in a "B" grade mechanical engineering school can design a better gasket system than squeezing a piece of rubber between two flat plates!

yeah and almost all of the boilers today use that old method.

Meanwhile all you have to do is take a close look at any number of items on the AAs to see areas for improvement. Of course how many products do you know of that can literally be handed down through 4 generations!?

LsFarm wrote:A nice molded recessed rubber 'O-Ring would be nice,, but the production rate is low, the production cost high, and I would not want to be paying $100+ for a fancy O-ring...

There's no need for custom gaskets. Supper dupper O-ring material comes like rope. You cut the length you need and glue it together. I'm just trying to point out that just like the RTV vs. traditional pipe dope there's much better ways to do things. It doesn't have to be expensive. The plumbing industry is stuck in ancient times, unlike for example the electronics industry. Good and bad on both sides, ancient or new.