Description
Construct, assemble, install, maintain, and repair stationary boilers, pressure vessels, and boiler-house auxiliaries. Read blueprints; align and fit plates and structures; use hand and power tools and rigging; test vessels; clean and inspect boilers; and repair valves, controls, fittings, and auxiliary equipment.
- • Inspect boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, and vats for leaks, weak spots, and defects.
- • Bolt or weld pressure-vessel structures and parts.
- • Inspect assembled vessels and components (tubes, fittings, valves, controls) for defects.
- • Repair or replace defective parts (e.g., safety valves, regulators) using torches, jacks, and metalworking tools.
- • Rig and signal cranes or hoists to place heavy frames and plate sections.
- • Bell, bead, or weld tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.
- • Lay out plate and sheet steel; mark bending and cutting lines using measuring tools and templates.
- • Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, and feedwater connections in boiler drums.
- • Read and interpret blueprints to determine part locations, relationships, and dimensions.
- • Straighten or reshape bent plates and structural parts with hammers, jacks, or torches.
- • Shape seams, joints, and edges for proper fit using torches, hammers, files, and machines.
- • Position, align, and secure parts and assemblies to frames, tanks, or vats per blueprints.
- • Mark reference points on foundations for columns and plates using measuring instruments.
- • Fabricate parts (stacks, uptakes, chutes) to adapt vessels, heat exchangers, or piping using brakes, rolls, and drill presses.
- • Clean pressure vessels and equipment using scrapers, wire brushes, and solvents.
- • Install refractory bricks and heat-resistant materials in fireboxes.
- • Preassemble large vessels in shop to verify proper fit.
- • Assist with hydrostatic and pressure testing of assembled vessels.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
