Swapped brass fittings for stainless steel after a flange cracked on me

Used brass for years. Never had issues. Then last November on a job in Detroit, a 2 inch brass flange cracked during a pressure test. Water everywhere. Client was pissed. Switched to stainless steel 304 for all steam applications now. Costs more upfront. But no more cracks. Has anyone else had brass fail on high temp lines?

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2 Comments

jade2214mo ago

@henry_kelly54 a buddy of mine had a brass coupling split right in his face last month.

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henry_kelly544mo ago

87 degrees Celsius is actually right around the limit for brass on steam lines. Once you go over that temp continuous, dezincification kicks in and the metal gets brittle fast. You probably got lucky with your older setups but that Detroit job was textbook failure from heat cycling.

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