Spent 4 hours fixing a suction leak that was just a loose bolt

I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out why my dredge was losing suction on the Mississippi River job near Baton Rouge. Turns out a single bolt on the suction pipe flange was finger-tight and letting air in the whole time. Has anyone else dealt with a simple fix that took way too long to find?

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3 Comments

charles_kelly433mo ago

Found a mouse nest in my truck's air filter yesterday.

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diana203mo ago

Mice think they are paying rent by building nests in the expensive parts. At least your truck wasn't making a funny noise yet, just trying to breathe through a straw made of chewed up dryer lint and acorns. Charles's air filter is now a bed and breakfast with free room service for the local rodent population.

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terry_carter153mo ago

Read that article about how over 60% of equipment failures are actually just loose connections or bad seals. Makes you wonder how many hours we waste chasing ghosts when it's something that simple. At least you found it before it turned into a real problem on the job site.

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