Preventative Maintenance Checklist for Your Refractory Linings
We all know that it’s a good idea to perform routine maintenance on important machinery – both in our manufacturing facility and in our personal lives. You change the oil in your car, right? I know that not everybody changes their oil every 3,000 miles, but for those of you that were driving back in the 1970s and 1980s, did…Read More ›
The “Taillight Guarantee”
We use a term in the industry called “the taillight guarantee.” Any idea what it stands for? (Hint: It’s not positive.) The taillight guarantee means that your support ends when your refractory contractor’s truck pulls out of your lot at the end of the job. Sometimes it elicits chuckles, but many times we have to use the term when we’re…Read More ›
Refractories are NOT a Commodity
During my career as a refractory contractor, there’s been one question that I consistently hear from current and potential clients. It’s a question that both excites me and frustrates me at the same time: “Why is there such a big difference between your price and their price?” It’s true – at times our bids for new construction projects or large…Read More ›
5 Common Misconceptions About Refractories
For many industrial plant engineers and managers, selecting and installing refractories in a new construction project (or during maintenance of important heat processing equipment) are almost an afterthought. These engineers and managers are often overworked, and many don’t have any formal training on refractories. This often causes them to place refractory selection at the end of the Gantt chart or…Read More ›
How to Choose a Refractory Contractor
Choosing a refractory contractor isn’t always a simple job. Refractories can be more complex than most realize — there are refractories based on chemical composition, refractories based on method of manufacturing, refractories based on shape and size, and refractories based on process application.Read More ›