A systematic shop inspection must be given to each pump to ensure completed workmanship, and to prevent the use of defective parts, improper materials, or the careless leaving of foreign matter in any part of the cylinders or chests.

Several instances have occurred in which chisels, bolts, or core irons have been found in steam chests or steam cylinders. This has resulted in a serious crippling of the pump and in some cases requiring repairs to be made before the pump could be used for fire purposes.

THE STEAM END.

8. Steam Cylinders.

a. These must be of hard close iron with metal so distributed as to ensure sound castings and freedom of shrink cracks. The following are the minimum thicknesses acceptable:

14″Diam.7⁄8″thick
16″„15⁄16″„
18″„1″„
20″„11⁄8″„

b. The inside face of the steam cylinder heads and the two faces of the piston must be smooth surfaces, fair and true so that if the piston should hit the heads it will strike uniformly all around, thus reducing to a minimum the chances of cramping the piston rod or injuring the pump.

c. All flanged joints for steam must be fair and true and must be steam tight under 80 lbs. pressure if only a packing of oiled paper 1⁄100 inch thick covered with graphite were used. Jenkins, “Rainbow” or equivalent packing of not exceeding 1⁄32 inch original thickness is acceptable. Oiled paper is not acceptable as a final packing, as it burns out.

For size of steam and exhaust pipes, standard flanges and bolting, [see Art. 39].