The way some guys are still using 6010 rods for root passes on stainless is just asking for trouble

I mean, I get it, it's fast and cheap, but the carbon transfer from a mild steel rod into 304L is a real problem, especially on high pressure steam lines. I saw a job in Kansas City where they had to cut out and redo 40 feet of pipe because of cracking after just six months. Has anyone else had to fight with a foreman who insists on sticking with the old way just to save a few bucks on consumables?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_uma1mo ago

My old shop in Tulsa ran 6010 on stainless steam lines for twenty years with zero callbacks.

kevin_adams1mo ago

Wow, that's wild to hear, @the_uma. Everyone's focused on the weld metal, but nobody's talking about the steam chemistry. If that plant's feedwater was treated just right, staying super clean and not too acidic, it could've acted like a perfect corrosion buffer for two decades. That specific environment might've protected those welds in a way a different plant's steam never would. It's less about the rod being "right" and more about getting stupid lucky with the whole system's balance. Your old shop dodged a bullet by never seeing a harsh, corrosive service.

loganthompson1mo ago

Actually, the feedwater treatment wouldn't buffer the steam side. The corrosion risk is on the condensate return, where oxygen pitting happens. A plant with good oxygen scavenger and amine treatment in the boiler water could protect carbon steel, but that 6010 weld on stainless would still be a major galvanic cell. Luck played a part, but that line probably saw very low conductivity make-up water and stayed mostly dry.