[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Posted by Tony Conner on March 10, 2005 at 13:59:24:
In Reply to: Re: Commercial Boiler Headers posted by bobby7388 on March 08, 2005 at 19:56:12:
What you have to watch, when talking about things that cross jurisdictional boundries, is that every place has their own spins and interpretations. The ASME pressure piping codes address piping 1/2" and up. Here in Ontario, there's a dispensation that excludes compressed air lines 3/4" and under. There could very well be a similar spin where you are for piping over a given size to be welded - so I'm not saying that there isn't.
Everywhere I've been, there are local things like the compressed air piping exclusion, so people should always check what applies to them. It's really disappointing to get a couple of hundred feet of pipe hung, only to find out that "You can't do it that way that here". A type of plant or piping that would be Power Piping here, might be called Process Piping in another province or state. That's a big deal if it's welded. There are some heavy-duty inspection requirements for welds under the process piping code.
I actually possess the required provincial, national and ASME pressure piping code material. My shop has the Certificates Of Authorization for the 3 ASME pressure piping codes that are applicable in Ontario. B31.1, B31.3, and B31.5. The vast bulk of my work falls under the B31.1 Power Piping Code, so that's the one I'm most familiar with. But I don't have it memorized by any means. If there's a clause in there prohibiting 8" screwed pipe, please tell me where it is, so I can read it. I'm not being sarcastic - I'd really appreciate the info.
For a long time, I did what almost everybody else did/does, when it comes to piping codes - what they'd been told by word of mouth, or "what we normally do is...". When I started to read up on codes and design work I quickly found out that about half what was being passed around as "common knowledge" was at least partially wrong, and half of the incorrect info was REALLY wrong.
For anyone reading this who thinks that this stuff doesn't matter, here's a link to Wayne Kirsner's site. It's for the page where he's got some VERY impressive shots of valves that have failed due ugly waterhammer events.
http://www.kirsner.org/pages/forensicResAlt.html