Flange Tightening Tool

[Recaredo Latreche]

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varous ways have been posted to so this like leaving tranny/driveshaft in car, putting in vise, etc. using a homemade brace has been posted i am sure, but i don't recall pictures. thanks to jim gerock who was over helping me sunday for the idea...

took a foot or two of 1in angle iron, drilled two holes in one end the same spacing as the output flange and driveshaft, used grinder to grind curve to fit around center shaft and voila! a tool to allows one person to remove and torque the tranny out put flange and remove that darned nut holding the two parts of the shaft together so you can change the center bearing.

Must be some strange 2002 driveline vibes going on (ha), but I thought of this EXACT same design last weekend when I noticed a slight leak from my output flange as I think I put the seal in just a tad too far.

And to remove the 30mm nut on the output shaft of your 5 speed transmission, you can get the GearWrench 30mm deep socket part number 80826 from your local Advanced Auto Parts store. It is not advertised as a thin wall, but it works just fine. Cost about 11 bucks with tax and it is a 1/2 drive socket.

We aligned the motor-pump to within tolerance, then aligned the pipe flanges to pump flanges using squares, to assure parallel and angular flange alignment, proper axial spacing for gasket, and verify flange bolts have free movement. The threaded rods were used to do this step.

Before remeasuring the shaft alignment, we turned the inclinometer values off in the EVO. Typically, this is used when measurements are taken using the Clock Measurement Method, or when machines are installed on an incline.

We took the three measurements WITHOUT rotating the shafts or moving the lasers. This gave us a zero values for the shaft alignment. NOTE: This is not the true shaft alignment, which was previously completed, but serves to zero the two laser heads to each other.

Leaving the laser heads in place, we went to the 3:00 bolt, and snugged it to roughly the same amount. Doing so moved the pump back in the opposite direction almost back to zero. We then rotated the lasers to the 12:00 position, re-zeroed the lasers, and repeated this process for the 12:00 and 6:00 flange bolts. A similar movement was noted.

Snugging the remaining flange bolts caused very little movement of the shafts. The flange bolts were then tightened to specifications. A similar response was noted when tightening the discharge flange bolts. Rechecking the shaft alignment after tightening bolts showed the alignment is still within tolerance.

To a new bolting apprentice, this may seem straightforward enough. But simply applying full torque to your first bolt and then moving onto the adjacent one is the wrong approach! The order in which you tighten the bolts and the load applied has a huge effect on the integrity of the joint.

To complete a flange joint securely, it is essential to control the stress variation in the flange joint components. In the case of the gasket, this needs to be compressed evenly across the flange face. If you were to tighten adjacent bolts when those opposite remain loose the result will be uneven compression and possible damage to the gasket.

The flanges must be brought together slowly and be parallel. In practice, this means starting by using the correct bolt tightening pattern at partial load, and then carrying out several more bolt passes, increasing the load each time.

In fig 2 the situation is the reverse. Numbering should be done by a technician with the relevant experience. The crew members who do the tightening then simply follow the right numerical sequence (bolts 1,2,3,4 etc).

There are other acceptable patterns which have been developed throughout years. Each has different advantages and care should be taken when selecting the right approach for your application. The right choice will depend upon the industry, gasket used and the manpower and equipment available to complete the job. Refer to ASME PCC-1 2019 for diagrams.

Simpler to follow than the legacy pattern. This pattern follows a square quadrant sequence and is used on flanges with 16 bolts or more. The advantage of this is after 4 bolts are completed it is always the next loose bolt in any given quadrant that will always be the next to be tightened.

Allows 4 tools to be used, always maintaining even spacing around the flange. Brings parallel closure in less time than using a single tool in a cross pattern. Multi-bolt tightening works best on large flanges where hydraulic tools are connected to a common pressure source.

To a novice, this all may seem more complex and overwhelming. But by following the correct procedures and taking the extra time will help avoid potentially dangerous and time-consuming maintenance in the future. Using a well-designed hydraulic torque wrench will make the process efficient and trouble free. These are available from Enerpac as square drive hydraulic torque wrenches and low-profile hydraulic torque wrenches.

This article is intended to provide a basic overview only. Please refer ASME PCC-1 2019 to determine the correct procedure for your particular application.

It is important to note that the bolting sequence is just one of the many important things to get right to ensure joint integrity. There are many other factors to consider such as gasket selection, bolt lubrication, bolt selection, and the condition of the flange sealing surface.

Be aware that flanges can be damaged during transport and installation, but these can be machined on-site to ASME specifications using a flange facing machine.

Tightening bolts on the base of a toilet is the one thing about toilet installation that has me the most nervous. They say not to over-tighten, but how tight is too tight before the porcelain is subject to cracking? Do I tighten until I can't tighten anymore? Do I tighten it just before I think it's at its tightest?

I start by hand tightening as much as I can, then I tighten a little on each side and check if the toilet moves. If it does then I tighten a bit more, check and repeat until there's no movement. You're trying to avoid bowl movement, so that it doesn't shift or fall over, not to hold the floor up by the toilet bolts.

Best practice is to hand tighten nuts, sit on toilet to assist with setting wax ring, tighten nuts to a point of being snug and alternate tightening nuts, then sit back on toilet and if toilet moves, tighten slightly. Check if toilet is level, shim to level, and flush toilet. If leaks, repeat process of sitting on toilet and slightly tighten nuts in an alternating fashion.

My grandfather was a master plumber for more than 50 years. I asked him one time how tight to make a sink faucet shutoff valve connection. His answer is a classic ... "Tight enough so it don't leak". There is a lot of wisdom in this. The answer for the toilet is the same thing, not too tight but tight enough.

The toilet can wiggle for two reasons: bolts not tight or floor not even (hello old houses!). After tightening the bolts a little bit and making sure you really set that toilet on the ring, see if you need to shim one or two gaps. In my case, i too was worried about cranking down hard on the bolts. The shims stabilized the toilet nic

When you put the toilet in place, with the wax sealing ring between the toilet flange on the floor and the toilet itself, the toilet will be held off the floor a bit by the wax ring. Sit on the toilet backwards (facing the tank - so you can see and reach the nuts) to squish the ring in place sealing the toilet to the flange on the floor. Tighten the nuts on the closet bolts (that attach to the flange) such that the toilet is flat on the floor without rocking.

Tighten it down a bit on one side then the other, then do it again. Rinse and repeat, until the toilet is flat on the floor. If you tighten it too much, you can pull the closet bolt out through the flange, ruining the flange or breaking the porcelain.

Most toilets are made of vitreous china. Vitreous china is a glass based enamel coating / glazing technique that is added to porcelain to make it more durable, denser, and shinier. It is also what fine dinner ware, plates, dishes and cups are made of.

Once you do start to deform the washer, you have to toss the, "hand tighten, then 1/4 turn with a wrench," out the window (not that I've ever found that sentiment to be satisfactory). I've never cracked a toilet by over tightening its bolts. The washers that come with a bolt kit are intentionally flimsy.

My preferred finishing touch is, once it's sung, grout it in place (keeps hair from getting stuck in the grove, and other yuckiness) and then I guarantee, it will not rock. My preferred tool, is my little six inch adjustable wrench. I don't choke up on it, but I know when to say when.

You should never grout or silicone your toilet in place. If for some reason you have a leak at the connection between the flange and wax ring it will collect under the bowl and by the time you notice it, it will may have ruined the floor under it not to mention the condensation that is being created in that pocket which you created by sealing it. Also, the mess you will have to clean up when you eventually replace that toilet. I would much rather remove hair and "yuckiness" then grout or silicone with more "yuckiness" attached to the silicone or grout and or run the risk of damaging the floor to remove it... as far as tightening goes, hand tighten, go one full turn with perfered tool, sit on the bowl, slightly lift your left leg and right leg to see if the toilet rocks if it does turn bolts a half turn, rinse repeat till no Rocking occurs, assuming you have a fresh nice flange. 534 Water closets installed. $

A dishing tool, such as the WAG-4 or WAG-5, is the most accurate method for checking wheels for centering. Before using a dishing tool, begin by checking the trueness or straightness of the wheel. If the wheel is badly out of true, the dishing tool will not be as accurate. Correct any lateral errors before beginning the dishing process.

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