Debate: Old timer told me to always preheat my rods - is he right or wrong?

I had this old boiler foreman, Mike, who swore you had to bake your 7018 rods at 300 degrees for 2 hours before every single job. Said cold rods soak up moisture and give you hydrogen cracks every time. But I worked with another crew last month on a tank job in Houston and they just pulled rods straight from the box, no preheat at all, and their X-ray pass rate was like 95%. So who's actually right here? Mike's been in the trade since the 80s and his welds look perfect, but the other guys are getting results too. Has anyone else gotten conflicting advice on rod storage from different old heads?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy_miller6d ago

Moisture ain't always visible until it blows up.

sean1196d ago

Man oh man, you hit the nail on the head with that one, @nancy_miller. I had a pipe in my crawlspace that was dripping for months and I had no clue until the ceiling in my hallway started sagging and bubbling up like a balloon. Sometimes you just don't catch it until it's a full blown mess.