Can we talk about how bad some of these pre-fab boiler supports are?

I got called to a job in Portland last month where the support brackets on a new install were already bending under the weight. The boss said it would save us time, but I spent two extra hours shimming and welding reinforcement plates. Has anyone else had to rework factory brackets that were supposed to be ready to go?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles5081mo ago

Man tell me about it. I had a set of prefab brackets for a commercial gas boiler setup last spring and they were already bowing before we even filled the system. Ended up cutting the whole lot off and welding my own supports from scratch. Took an extra day but at least I knew it wouldn't sag and crack a heat exchanger a year down the road. If a bracket can't hold the static weight of an empty boiler, it wasn't ready to go in the first place.

john_johnson751mo agoMost Upvoted

You ever try fabbing up brackets from heavy wall angle iron instead of flat stock? I had a similar issue with a rooftop unit a few years back, the prefab stuff just wasn't cutting it. Switched to 3/8 inch angle, welded gussets on the corners, and never had a problem since. Took a bit more time on the front end, but it beat going back six months later to fix a sagging mess. Sometimes you just gotta trust your own work over what ships in the box.