Best Practices for Gasket Installation
29 April 2021There are a lot of tools and equipment pieces that maximise gaskets for sealing purposes. After all, gaskets can easily fill the space between two or more mating objects. Their primary function allows the tools and equipment pieces to maintain their operations and form factors intact and be protected from leakage-related issues and problems.
But the effectiveness of the gaskets can only be achieved if they are installed properly. Failure to install them properly can cause unwanted downtimes, loss in revenues, and concerns about safety and security. Fortunately, some practices can be followed to ensure the proper installation of gaskets.
Some of the best practices for gasket installation are the following:
Clean the Sealing Surface
Before the installation of new gaskets, the very first thing that must be done is the clean the surface where they will be installed. After the removal of the old gasket, you must clean and remove any foreign material and debris that can be found from the sealing surface. Cleaning the said surface can be done through a wire brush. You must avoid using a grinder, hammer and chisel, or any other abrasive materials in cleaning the surfaces as they might only cause more damages.
Check the Sealing Face
Once the sealing surface is cleaned, you must now check and examine the condition of your sealing face and the flange. During this step, you can now check and examine if the sealing face has some sort of dents, dings, mars, or pitting. As long as these elements are present, they can easily cause troubles along the way. Even the fasteners like bolts, nuts, and washers must be checked to know if they already have burrs, cracks, and defects. Replacing components that have damages would be the best thing to do.
Align the Flanges Correctly
Another practice that enables the proper installation of gaskets is to align the flanges correctly. The flanges must be parallel when installing the gasket so that the maximum load will stay consistent and uniform. You must not, however, overtighten the bolts to avoid causing damages to the flanges. Pry bars and screwdrivers must likewise be avoided when aligning the flanges. A professional help, ultimately, can be good if the system requires more than normal force in keeping the flanges together.
Check and Install the Gaskets
Once the flanges are aligned, you must now proceed with the installation of the gaskets. But before installing them, you must first check and assess the condition of the gaskets. The gaskets that you should only use must be free of defects and do not contain rips or tears. After assessing your gasket, you must now insert it between the flanges, ensuring that it is precisely centred. Release agents or joint compounds must not be used during difficult or horizontal installations to avoid encountering some problems.
After the gaskets are installed, the load-bearing surfaces must be lubricated effectively. The bolts must also be installed and tightened. If you need some gaskets for your applications, just contact us at Gasketech. We are a manufacturer and supplier of gaskets and sealing washers, extrusions, and mouldings that can be very useful for all industries.
Optimized by: Netwizard SEO
