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Don't Wait Until
It's Too Late to Plan for an Emergency
A public water company
used pre-emergency planning to minimize its downtime after a flood. When
it became apparent there was a high probability its facilities would be
flooded, the company arranged for repair crews to be on call and
replacement parts to be stored in a nearby safe area. After the flood
waters subsided, restoration work began immediately, while other companies
were scrambling.
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College Learns
Lesson About Poor Equipment Maintenance
Two new 50-ton reciprocating
compressors were installed for about six months when they broke down. A
pinhole in one of the evaporator tubes had allowed water into the FreonÒ
system. The rest of the cooling equipment was more than 20 years old with
no record of maintenance. There were no written maintenance procedures and
no training records.
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Poor Lighting,
Sloppy Storage Result in Chiller Breakdown
Since air
conditioning was extremely important to its business, a large department
store had frequent scheduled maintenance performed on its equipment. A
contractor spent a week completely tearing down the chiller to perform
testing and preventive work. Then the unit completely seized
up just 45 minutes after restarting.
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What Do You Expect from an Infrared
Survey?
Infrared
thermography is an effective tool to help avoid electrical breakdown
claims. But it’s not enough to say you want to have your
electrical system surveyed, and then do it. You need a plan that presents
not only your end results, but also how you expect to get there.
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Don't Let
Equipment Be the Cause of Slips, Trips and Falls
When Hartford Steam
Boiler inspectors visit client
locations, they may find conditions that could cause employees or
customers to slip, trip or fall. Here are some of the
common hazards that HSB’s risk control professionals encounter in
the workplace. Prevent these conditions and you can help control the risk
of injury and loss.
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Experienced
Personnel Should Maintain Your Fire
Protection System
A new
transformer is not immune to problems. In fact, it has a higher potential
for problems due to design flaws or manufacturing quality control. New
equipment monitoring including a routine oil-sampling program is critical
for early fault detection and the operating life of a transformer.
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Even New
Transformers Need Oil and Gas Testing
A new
transformer is not immune to problems. In fact, it has a higher potential
for problems due to design flaws or manufacturing quality control. New
equipment monitoring including a routine oil-sampling program is critical
for early fault detection and the operating life of a transformer.
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Transformer Loss Shows Need
for Review
A large transformer failed under full load conditions. The cause of the
fault was overheating several days before. A review of the incident revealed an unlikely
chain of events during the startup. Here are some recommendations that may help avoid
similar losses.
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The
Proper Use and Maintenance of Water Softeners
Hartford Steam Boiler investigates many claims in which scale build-up
leads to leaks in boiler tubes. In one incident, the insured blamed a water treatment
company for faulty treatment. But a review found that the insured had altered the
feedwater train through the softeners.
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There's No Such Thing as "Maintenance-Free"
If you have an interest in keeping a machine operational for an
extended period of time, then maintenance is not the place to cut corners. When you're
looking at equipment from a life-cycle perspective, there is no such thing as
"maintenance-free."
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Preventative Maintenance Could Have Saved Thousands
Comprehensive Electrical Preventive Maintenance (EPM) is an essential
part of a facility’s overall maintenance program. EPM must be routinely performed to
ensure electrical equipment is operating properly and within manufacturer’s
guidelines in order to provide safe, reliable, and efficient operation.
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Don't Tolerate Poor Repair Service
The breakdown of a university's steam turbine generator highlights an
important lesson. If you don't agree with the recommendations of the repair firm or OEM,
get a second opinion. Technologies on repairs continue to change. Only after you believe
you have exhausted all viable avenues of repair, should long-lead replacements be
considered.
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A Simple Timer Can Prevent Short Cycling in Cooling
Systems
A leading cause of loss in air conditioning and refrigeration is
compressor failure. The cause of many such failures is short cycling, meaning that
the compressor is called back into operation after having been stopped for only a brief
period of time. The least costly way to help prevent this problem is to install a delay
timer in the compressor starting circuit.
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Good Maintenance Includes Written Procedures and Records
The loss of two new compressors at a community college can help teach an important lesson.
Don’t forget to check the entire system when replacing individual pieces of
equipment, and keep written maintenance records to make the task easier.
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The Human Factor in Equipment Failures
Outside factors can defeat any system. That's why pre-planning and appropriate action by
operations personnel are important. Serious damage resulted in the fire suppression system
of a 27-story office building because of a lack of communications and a slow response.
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Warning: Disabling That Alarm Can Be Costly
Warning devices are an important feature of any type of equipment or system. Correct
procedures must be followed to ensure that alarms and back-up systems are operating
properly and not disabled or circumvented when performing maintenance or repairs..
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It Won’t Work If You Forget To Plug It In
The following claim shows that even state-of-the-art equipment is of little use unless
basic steps are taken to make sure the system is operating properly.
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Fuel Savings Wiped Out By Costly Boiler
Repairs
Hartford Steam Boiler paid $60,000 to repair a boiler at a school when
efforts to lower fuel costs led to equipment failure. Installed in 1958, the boiler
provided many years of trouble-free service. Problems began when additions and renovations
were completed in the mid-1980s. Frequent tube leaks had to be re-welded. Eventually the
lower tube sheet of the firetube scotch marine (FTSM) hot water heating boiler had to be
replaced.
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When Failure Analysis of Broken Parts is Not
Enough
Hartford Steam Boiler paid $600,000 as part of steam turbine
claim because the inspections and investigative work after a failure did not find all of
the broken parts. In this particular incident, the last blade stage of the low-pressure
turbine encountered a water induction incident as a result of a high condenser hotwell
level. The turbine blades were fastened by tie wires and some of the blades and tie wires
were damaged during the incident.
Full Story
Use Extra Care When Plugging Boiler Tubes
Incomplete Boiler Repairs Can Drain Profits Plugging rather
than replacing tubes is common practice when repairing commercial and industrial boilers.
But a recent claim paid by Hartford Steam Boiler points out the importance of making sure
all water is drained between the plugs.
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Story
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