La. Admin. Code tit. 55 § V-5028

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section V-5028 - Water Columns

A. The water column shall be so mounted that it will maintain its correct position relative to the normal waterline under operating conditions.

B. The minimum size of pipes connecting the water column to a boiler shall be 1 inch. For pressures of 400 psig or over, lower water column connections to drums shall be provided with shields, sleeves or other suitable means to reduce the effect of temperature differentials in the shells or heads. Water glass fittings or gage cocks may be connected directly to the boiler.

C. The steam and water connections to a water column or a water gage glass shall be such that they are readily accessible for internal inspection and cleaning. Some acceptable methods of meeting this requirement are by providing a cross or fitting with a back outlet at each right-angle turn to permit inspection and cleaning in both directions, or by using pipe bends or fittings of a type which does not leave an internal shoulder or pocket in the pipe connection and with a radius of curvature which will permit the passage of a rotary cleaner. Screwed plug closures using threaded connections as allowed by Section I of the ASME Code are acceptable means of access for this inspection and cleaning. For boilers with all drum safety valves set at or above 400 psig, socket-welded plugs may be used for this purpose in lieu of screwed plugs. The water column shall be fitted with a connection for a drain cock or drain valve to install a pipe of at least 3/4 inch pipe size to the ash pit or other safe point of discharge. If the water connection to the water column has a rising bend or pocket which cannot be drained by means of the water column drain, an additional drain shall be placed on this connection in order that it may be blown off to clear any sediment from the pipe.

D. The design and material of a water column shall comply with the requirements of Section I of the ASME Code. Water columns made of cast-iron in accordance with SA-278 may be used for maximum boiler pressures not exceeding 250 psig. Water columns made of ductile iron in accordance with SA-395 may be used for maximum boiler pressures not exceeding 350 psig. For higher pressures, steel construction shall be used.

E. Shutoff valves shall not be used in the pipe connections between a boiler and a water column or between a boiler and the shutoff valves required for the gage glass, unless they are either outside-screw-and-yoke or lever-lifting type gate valves or stopcocks with lever permanently fastened thereto and marked in line with their passage, or of such other through-flow construction as to prevent stoppage by deposits of sediment, and to indicate by the position of the operating mechanisms whether they are in open or closed position; and such valves or cocks shall be locked or sealed open. Where stopcocks are used, they shall be of a type with the plug held in place by a guard or gland.

F. No outlet connections, except for control devices (such as damper regulators and feed water regulators), drains, steam gages, or apparatus of such form as does not permit the escape of an appreciable amount of steam or water there from shall be placed on the pipes connecting a water column or gage glass to a boiler.

La. Admin. Code tit. 55, § V-5028

Promulgated by the Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal, LR 33:1358 (July 2007).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 23:531 and R.S. 51:1424.