This is an old Groen from 1964. Set up for house steam. I was showing my trainee around this rather large kitchen when I came across this leaker. I can't recall ever seeing a jacketed kettle leaking like this before. It's leaking right where the Groen tag used to be. Just thought I'd share it with ya'll.
Leaking Kettle
VanMan812
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
This is an old Groen from 1964. Set up for house steam. I was showing my trainee around this rather large kitchen when I came across this leaker. I can't recall ever seeing a jacketed kettle leaking like this before. It's leaking right where the Groen tag used to be. Just thought I'd share it with ya'll.
Joined
·
200 Posts
JBWeld?
Had a Cleveland KET12T leaking at a popular, national interstate-side restaurant chain that sells rocking chairs out there on their front porch(es). Their "regular" fix-it guy had touched it. Then they called us (my former service company) because it still leaked.
I took the bottom round cover off to observe two self-tapping screws drilled in there to terminate the crack in the jacket...and all of it slathered with copious amounts of red silicone sealant.
UH...that didn't work.
I disabled the kettle, tagged it out and told the manager it's DONE cooking green beans, collard greens and all. Subsequently, their new replacement kettle (another KET12T) for me to install showed up within a week.
Ruptured steam-pressurized vessels...especially ones that can push 50 psi...makes me nervous.
I took the bottom round cover off to observe two self-tapping screws drilled in there to terminate the crack in the jacket...and all of it slathered with copious amounts of red silicone sealant.
UH...that didn't work.
I disabled the kettle, tagged it out and told the manager it's DONE cooking green beans, collard greens and all. Subsequently, their new replacement kettle (another KET12T) for me to install showed up within a week.
Ruptured steam-pressurized vessels...especially ones that can push 50 psi...makes me nervous.
Joined
·
14,697 Posts
I just replaced the heat element in a Kett12 , that sob is 700 bucks , holy ripoff
Well, you ARE a trained & qualified welder. I get that.Just weld it shut, repassivate and run a unitized wheel over it. Good to go!
However, I wouldn't want to incur the liability for whatever may ensue from welding a fifty year old kettle in which you cannot be certain of the integrity of metal surfaces WITHIN the jacket (corrosion maybe?).
In-house like you and me? Heck, we can indeed get away with allotta sh...uh -things like that which service companies won't pursue. Someone else told us to do it, so someone else takes the hit if it fails.
A food equipment service company will go with factory specs, OEM parts (within reason) and, if a repair can't meet those standards and is beyond economic repair, they will let a customer know that it's time for a new unit.
Their disclaimer for avoiding such repairs like welding, modifying and other things...is that they didn't build it, they ain't gonna redesign/modify it, cover up for its poor design, attempt to circumvent failure due to its age...or WHATEVER ELSE.
Their intent is to avoid a lawsuit for making repairs that didn't get blessed by the manufacturer, the ridiculous list organizations who propose the standards...or by the actual government entity which enforces those standards.
OH...and most of us food service guys? We're horrible welders. MYSELF? I'm only good at BLAST-welding. Then I throw it on the concrete floor to see if it sticks. :angel: It's NOT pretty...
That's ALL. Seeya over at the other place. :grin2:
Joined
·
5,350 Posts
I agree with the above statements above that it probably isn't worth the liability to try to fix it. You best bet would be to refer the customer to a good boilermaker who does stainless welding and is NSF certified. Yeah, good luck with that.
I've welded a fair amount of stainless sinks, hinges, frames, panels, brackets, etc. Your never gonna see any of it in the Wall of Pride but it always gets the job done. These guys will never have us fix it though. They won't do it themselves either. Lots of corners cut in at this facility.
I didn't look at it for more than a few minutes so I don't know if it's leaking anywhere else. The location of this leak was clearly weakened by decades of acidic sauces and what not getting stuck behind the Groen badge and eating away at the kettle.
I didn't look at it for more than a few minutes so I don't know if it's leaking anywhere else. The location of this leak was clearly weakened by decades of acidic sauces and what not getting stuck behind the Groen badge and eating away at the kettle.
Weell. I would not weld on the part where the steam chamber is, don't care if I can make it look good or not, that would require emptying the kettle and filling the jacket with Argon and then welding it, no thanks If its just the "regular" kettle surface, no problem
I have for one, had to reconfigure and readjust a lot of factory specs that were simply just illogical. Brand new oven shows up, 8 months in I am getting alarms from the burners like they are trying to sing a christmas carol, "certified and trained" tech shows up... "Hey, Im oliver, just curious, have you worked on one of these?"
"aah.. No, never even seen this model before" Well that's inspiring.
Turns out I knew more about it than he did but either way, ended up personally calibrating the burners to the correct emission ratings because they were messed up from the factory. So I don't really care too much about factory or manufacturer as long as I know its right, and if I don't know for sure that it's right, I get the manufactuerrs blessings just in case I am wrong
The thing that I make a point to do, is to get the OK from the manufacturer before doing it.
See ya on the other side Ectofix Funny to run into you here.
If its just the "regular" kettle surface, no problem I have for one, had to reconfigure and readjust a lot of factory specs that were simply just illogical. Brand new oven shows up, 8 months in I am getting alarms from the burners like they are trying to sing a christmas carol, "certified and trained" tech shows up... "Hey, Im oliver, just curious, have you worked on one of these?"
"aah.. No, never even seen this model before" Well that's inspiring.
Turns out I knew more about it than he did but either way, ended up personally calibrating the burners to the correct emission ratings because they were messed up from the factory. So I don't really care too much about factory or manufacturer as long as I know its right, and if I don't know for sure that it's right, I get the manufactuerrs blessings just in case I am wrong
The thing that I make a point to do, is to get the OK from the manufacturer before doing it.
See ya on the other side Ectofix
Funny to run into you here.1 - 14 of 14 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
