"Joe" wrote in message
...
Not that this is an answer to your question, but it is with great
sadness that I learned (a couple of weeks ago) that South Carolina is
preparing legislation that will require inspection and licensing of
steam boilers. Who wouldda thought that it hadn't been done decades ago!

The inspection and licensing of boiler is one of the bits of government
meddling I agree with. Even a small boiler explosion would leave most of the
Bagdad firecrackers for dead in terms of energy released. A small boiler
exploded in a laundry in Tasmania about 30 years ago and killed about a
dozen people. It was a new boiler that had been sealed up for hydrostatic
testing. The commissioning engineer got sick and another was sent to replace
him. He didn't know that the safety's had gags on them and that the burner
control line was blanked off, They believe that it blew at about 5 or 6
times its rated pressure. Ripped the boiler plate about 2 feet from the back
end. Didn't go on a weld. They are pretty fussy about oiler here in Aus
now.