Choosing between a new ladle lining or a full rebuild on our old B&P furnace
Our main 5-ton ladle at the plant was showing its age, with the lining getting thin in spots. The boss gave me the call: patch it with a new lining for about $2,500 in materials and a day of downtime, or go for a full tear-out and rebuild, which would cost over $8k and take us offline for three days. I went with the new lining, betting we could get another good run out of the old shell. Spent all yesterday with the crew, ramming in the new refractory by hand. Fired it up this morning and the heat retention is way better already, no hot spots on the shell. It was a gamble, but keeping production moving felt right. Anyone else had to make a similar call on equipment lately? How did it work out for you?