The Right Hose for the Job?
Hello! Long time lurker first time poster. Im wanting to switch my career path to wastewater and have recently had the opportunity to work in an area at my current company that uses wastewater water infrastructure and a comparable process. Ive signed an NDA so I can only disclose so much.
I have a question about operational safety and Im looking for some outside perspective to help me decide if Im overreacting to the current situation.
At my current job we use an ~8000gallon cone bottom tank to collect liquified solids after a separation process. The tank is recirculating from the bottom cone back to the top. The recirc path passes through a heat exchanger to keep the product chilled. After our collection process, the product is transferred out to a different tank and then we clean the storage tank after the transfer is complete.
To clean, we couple the recirc line at the top of the tank to the sprayball that showers the tank from top to bottom. We then add about 300gallons of 165F water and use a cleaning solution. This cleaning solution is recirculated for 30 min from the cone bottom, to the pump, heat exchanger, and back up to the sprayball.
The hose at the bottom of the tank to the pump is 2” Spiralite 115. The same hose is used from the pump to the heat exchanger.
The ~3’ length of 2” Spiralite 115 between the pump and heat exchanger visibly swells when recirculating 165F water. Upon checking the manufacturer specs it appears this tubing is rated up to 130F. No one knows how much pressure is in that line.
I started looking into this because the previous old, crusty, oxidized, yellow/brown piece of Spiralite 115 that was there split and shot at arch of 165F water that was ~6’ high and 14’ long across our working area. The broken Spiralite 115 hose was replaced with a new piece of Spiralite 115.
I got the safety guy involved and documented the near miss. There has been no follow up meeting. I emailed the director of operations about that and informed him that the replacement hose probably isn't right for the job. I have yet to receive a reply and Ive followed up once. The department manager and team lead were responsible for the repair.
I called the director of operations and spoke with him privately. I told him I was uncomfortable working with that tank. He asked me to help resolve the issue but gave me no authority or money. I pointed out that we already have a 3’ piece of continental rubber coated 250 psi hose that we could use. The problem is that continental hose doest “fit the area well” according to the department lead.
Am I overreacting when Im thinking that this feels like safety 4th? That temperature of water can cause 2nd degree burns in seconds. They keep asking me to clean the tank and I hate working near that hose after watching the last one fail. I feel like that could have been a life changing injury.
I get why they like using the Spiralite tubing, its clear, flexible and cheap. However, to me it seems like the wrong hose for the job.
This is a private for profit company and the experience has been great. I feel with my 10yrs experience in an environmental testing lab and three years working with this company Im a strong candidate for a wastewater position. I've been taking my time researching, learning on the job, and studying a book for the test. Im now concerned that I might be putting myself in a hazardous situation and should submit my two weeks notice. The money has been great and I dont want to quit my job before I find a new one.
Please advise. Ive signed an NDA so I can only say so much, but feel free to ask question.
tldr: hose rated for 130F has pressurized 165F water during operations. Hose failed once and was replaced with same material. Is this extremely unsafe?