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  • Help with manway issue

    We purchase a 20 bbl, 2 bar brite tank from a reputable american made company. We have had a couple major issues with it. It is currently back at their warehouse getting one problem resolved. The other problem is the manway on the door would take brute strength to close and open. (we would have to kick it and beat it with a mallet to get it open after use) They have replaced the gasket and added a new wing nut and longer handles to the door and it is easier to open now. The big issue is the top and bottom seal first and once you begin to twist the sides close after. The door is not the exact shape of the manway hole itself. They had another company manufacture the door and that company has said it is supposed to bend. I have reached out to an engineer from another company and said that is not correct and it should scare me. Any knowledge on this is appreciated. This is what the manufacturer of the door said:

    "Lid on these profiled manways is not radiused, so it will seal on the longer ends. It springs / bends in the middle when you tight the nut and that force keeps ends of the lid tight to the frame. Besides bent lid won’t be any wider. From the picture it looks like the frame is deformed."

    It sounds like they are blaming each other but never the less I really don't want to take this tank back with the door bending unless someone really has heard of this.

  • #2
    It sounds to me like the company that made the tank managed to warp the manway frame while welding it in. This is easier to do than to avoid. If the manway manufacturer says the door should fit flat, that is the way it should be. None of our dozen or so require warping the door to seal, and we have several different makes. Seems that your manway gaskets will wear prematurely, and at ~$100 a pop to replace, that is a problem.
    Timm Turrentine

    Brewerywright,
    Terminal Gravity Brewing,
    Enterprise. Oregon.

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    • #3
      Manway

      This unfortunately is a typical problem with poorly made doors. Technically they are correct about the spring in the door, but if the door frame and door marry up properly it should never happen. We have made several gaskets over the years with soft material and wide sealing faces to make up for this type of thing. I'm sure your first choice is to get the mechanical problem fixed but if you don't get any resolution there I am happy to help to try and seal it the way it is.

      Cheers!
      Dwight Clark
      brewerygaskets.com

      Originally posted by srooch2 View Post
      We purchase a 20 bbl, 2 bar brite tank from a reputable american made company. We have had a couple major issues with it. It is currently back at their warehouse getting one problem resolved. The other problem is the manway on the door would take brute strength to close and open. (we would have to kick it and beat it with a mallet to get it open after use) They have replaced the gasket and added a new wing nut and longer handles to the door and it is easier to open now. The big issue is the top and bottom seal first and once you begin to twist the sides close after. The door is not the exact shape of the manway hole itself. They had another company manufacture the door and that company has said it is supposed to bend. I have reached out to an engineer from another company and said that is not correct and it should scare me. Any knowledge on this is appreciated. This is what the manufacturer of the door said:

      "Lid on these profiled manways is not radiused, so it will seal on the longer ends. It springs / bends in the middle when you tight the nut and that force keeps ends of the lid tight to the frame. Besides bent lid won’t be any wider. From the picture it looks like the frame is deformed."

      It sounds like they are blaming each other but never the less I really don't want to take this tank back with the door bending unless someone really has heard of this.
      Jet Gasket & Seal Co
      Brewerygaskets.com
      (702) 448-6787

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
        It sounds to me like the company that made the tank managed to warp the manway frame while welding it in. This is easier to do than to avoid. If the manway manufacturer says the door should fit flat, that is the way it should be. None of our dozen or so require warping the door to seal, and we have several different makes.
        I think Timm is right on this one. The manway frames are often much thicker than the shells they are being welded to and welding too hot can easily cause warping. Without a picture or seeing it, it is only a guess, but I have seen this happen to other equipment pieces in the past. Welding 304/316 is not easy, especially with varying thickness. Using the wrong filler rods can also contribute to problems making the welder want to crank up the amperage.

        It could also just be a malformed door. I have used at least 6 different reputed North American companies tanks (7-120 bbl) and never had one that was that difficult to open/close and none needed to flex to seal. In fact I could typically spin the wingnut with one finger until it touched the gasket and would usually hold liquid without leaking. Another half turn and they were/are tight enough until spunding pressure pushes the door tighter. Then I give em another check. Do you only have one of these tanks? Do the others have the same issue?

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        • #5
          This is the only tank we have from them, we have no other issues with any other tanks. I've never seen this on any tank.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by srooch2 View Post
            This is the only tank we have from them, we have no other issues with any other tanks. I've never seen this on any tank.
            I would be inclined to send it back altogether and purchase from a different manufacturer or request an entirely different tank. I hate when you get those finger pointing responses. It's not like you really care whether it was the door manufacturer or the tank builder. It should work as expected and per the industry norm.

            A brewery here recently purchased 6 brand new tanks from a relatively new supplier and had to have 4 repaired due to leaks in the tank walls. I would have just returned them at that point. I had a problem on a new 120 where the insulation was not properly filled and it sucked the outer shell into a dimple. Was told I collapsed the tank by vacuum until I could empty and take pictures of the inside. Then I got them to come address the issue. Had to drill a hole in the bottom and stick a straw up there to backfill with some expanding foam. Point is sometimes these things happen, some are much worse than others. You have to decide if you want to deal with that manway door for the next 15+ years.

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            • #7
              Timm is right.
              Last edited by nationramps; 04-10-2018, 12:12 PM.
              canadian trucking companies

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