We caught up with one of our utility clients earlier this week and he made us aware of an issue he’d experienced with some fuel hoses.
And it could have been more than an “issue” – it could have been “catastrophic”.
The thing is, it could have been so easily avoided.
Here’s what he said:
“Just a quick comment on past experience with other engines we have had overhauled elsewhere.
We have had engine ancillaries such as Fuel Oil & Lube Oil filter housings fail due to fatigue. This set fire to one of our engines, which had just recently been overhauled. Some fuel hoses were re-used as they were difficult to obtain, this failed and we narrowly missed another fire.”
For me, cutting corners by not carrying out a “proper” overhaul is creating an unnecessary risk that could cause more downtime, costs and potential injury or even a fatality.
And for what? The cost of replacing the hoses.
I know this client would have expected the hoses to be changed and would have uplifted the purchase order to cover this, but the overhauler was either looking to increase profit, or they were just not proficient in carrying out this type of work.
Even if the hoses are no longer available, there are many credible companies who can make hoses to original samples, so that’s no excuse either.
The biggest problem you could face would be if the original fitting types had been discontinued, in which case these can be changed, as long as the client is notified.
Here’s a hose we had made as part of a recently overhauled Twin-disc gearbox:
As long as you are working with the right company, who understands the use and application of the hose to work alongside a sample, there shouldn’t be an issue.
P.S. This was our customers closing statement: “I know you guys will ensure everything is looked at in great detail but these were just a few things that I could not foresee.”
