August 2016

The Popularity of Garlock Gaskets

Everyone has favorites – favorite teams, favorite food, and some of our customers have a favorite gasket material manufacturer. At Hennig Gasket we want to give customers the gasketing solution that meets their needs, which is why we stock material from all the leading manufacturers.

“Leading” is key. We’re not going to sell you a material or product that will disappoint, so we’re particular who we deal with. The materials we stock and distribute come from established manufacturers with long track records and deep understanding of sealing and gasketing. One of those manufacturers, and certainly one of the best known, (customers ask for it by name,) is Garlock.  Hennig Gasket is a stocking distributor of all Garlock Gasket Material.

About Garlock

Part of EnPro Industries, who specialize in engineered industrial products, Garlock is in the business of sealing fluids and protecting pipelines. They manufacture around the world, including in the US, and their products are used in industries ranging from food and pharmaceuticals to petrochemicals.

Technology-Driven

Garlock prides itself on the quality of application engineering (AE) support provided, and backs that up with extensive testing and product development capabilities. They continually invest in their production facilities and use R&D to ensure a steady flow of new product innovations.

Non-Asbestos Sheet Gasket Material

We carry two lines of Garlock compressed gasket material: Blue-gard and the Garlock 9000 series. The Blue-gard sheet materials consist of aramid heat-resistant synthetic fibers, fillers, and an elastomeric binder. This can be SBR, NBR, EPDM or neoprene. The 9000 series materials are similar but replace the aramid with carbon fibers. The 9800, 9850 and 9900 all handle continuous maximum temperature of 650°F.

Why Garlock?

When replacing a gasket it’s usually a safe strategy to make the new gasket the same as the old. As Garlock gasket material is among the most widely used, it makes sense to stay with that, unless it wasn’t performing.

Global reach means Garlock gasket material is available around the world. That’s useful for multinational manufacturers wanting to standardize on their gaskets: they just have to ask for Garlock.

Garlock are undisputed experts in sealing technology and have AE facilities second-to-none. When a joint proves particularly difficult to seal they have experts who can usually find a solution.

You don’t stay in business a long time without being dependable, (and at Hennig we’ve 90 years experience to back that up!) Garlock has been around a long time too, and we believe that speaks to their reliability and customer focus.

If You Want Garlock Gasket Material …

… we’ve got it. We know Garlock is a favorite of many of our customers, and they make a quality product. That’s why we’re happy to offer Garlock gaskets and gasket materials.

Eight Tips for Maximizing the Life of Boiler Seals

Taking a boiler out of service is both expensive and disruptive. It can leave a building without heat, hot water, or steam for days, meaning lost production and unhappy customers or tenants. That’s why it pays to schedule boiler maintenance some time out, preferably for shutdowns or holiday periods. Many facilities make this an annual event, so the manhole and handhole boiler gaskets as well as the seals used in pipe flanges need to last at least that long.

  1. Don’t assume any rubbery material will do the job. It won’t. Buy good quality boiler seals from a reputable supplier. (Look for those made from EPDM as they hold up well to steam.)
  2. Clean the surfaces to be sealed thoroughly. The new seal should contact only the metal surfaces, not scale, corrosion, or scraps of old seal. Take care to avoid scratching the metal surfaces though as that will create a leak path.
  3. Avoid using any adhesives, sealants or anti-seize compounds on the seal or flanges. These can lower friction and allow the seal to move as the joint is tightened.
  4. Center the seal in the flange. This ensures clamping loads are distributed evenly across the surface. Not doing so creates areas of high and low load that reduce gasket life and let leaks form.
  5. Minimize the surface area of the seal exposed to atmosphere. Hot air leads to oxidation of the seal material, quickly reducing it’s life. If necessary, add shields to protect against hot air.
  6. Don’t overtighten the joint. This accelerates the process of the material taking a compression set and will lead to premature failure.
  7. Excessive heat and pressure shorten seal life. Temperatures and pressure above 380°F and 180 Bar should be avoided.
  8. Never reuse old gaskets. The material will have taken a compression set.

It’s worth investing time and money in buying quality boiler seals and fitting them carefully. When the job’s done properly the seals should function as intended for at least twelve months. That reduces the chance of premature failure, which would almost certainly require an unplanned, and expensive, shutdown.