Appreciation post: Found a stat about tube sheet failure that blew my mind

Was reading through some old boiler inspection reports from a job we did in Baton Rouge last year. Found out that over 60 percent of tube sheet failures come from improper welding procedures during repairs. I always figured it was mostly corrosion or age, not the actual repair work causing issues down the line. Made me think back to a job where the old foreman kept harping on preheat and interpass temps for tube sheet welds. Now I get why he was so picky about it, he was trying to keep us from creating problems years later. Has anyone else seen numbers on failure rates from repair welding vs other causes?

2 comments

2 Comments

baker.simon1d ago

Bet that stat came from a guy selling welding gear.

matthew7031d ago

Actually, the American Welding Society did a survey back in 2019 that found 63% of certified welders are over 40 years old. But here's the thing nobody talks about - the welding industry has the same problem as pretty much every other trade right now. The pipeline of new welders coming in just isn't keeping up with the old guys retiring. I've got three buddies who run shops within 30 miles of me, and they've been trying to hire for months with no luck. The interesting part is that most of these young kids don't even know welding pays decent money, like 60k starting with good benefits. So yeah, the shortage is real, but it's more about nobody telling high schoolers this is a solid career path.