Hot take: I was wrong about using a full bead on every single flange joint.

For years I thought more sealant meant a better seal, especially on low pressure steam lines. The moment that changed was last month on a retrofit at the old Miller plant in Dayton. I watched a veteran, Frank, use a tiny 1/16 inch bead on a 12 inch flange, saying 'It just needs to fill the gap, not the county.' He was right, the joint held perfectly and I wasn't cleaning up a huge, wasteful mess. Anyone else find they were overdoing it on the sealant?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathang678d ago

Fill the gap, not the county" is a funny line, but is this really some huge revelation? A lot of guys have been doing it that way forever. I get that a big mess is annoying, but if the joint with a fat bead holds, who cares? It's not like the extra sealant costs more than your time to clean it up. Seems like a personal preference thing, not a right or wrong deal.

the_jenny8d agoMost Upvoted

Ever notice how the messiest caulk jobs are always in the fanciest houses? My buddy hired a "pro" who used a whole tube on a bathroom window, @nathang67. It held water fine but looked like a toddler did it, and the cleanup after was brutal. That extra time fixing someone else's sloppy work definitely costs more than the goop. Maybe the real trick is making it hold AND not look like crap.