If you brought the boiler into our shop, here's what we would tell you:
- The fact that it is an "S"-stamp boiler and built to the code means that we do not have to re-verify the materials. This should have already been done as part of the Code process.
- Located somewhere near the "S"-stamp itself should be a vessel identification number. Depending on the age, there may also be a National Board number (and would probably start with the letters "NB"). The manufacturer name and this number together should be unique for this boiler, and will help you in obtaining any documentation.
- Regardless of what numbers are there, the ASME/NB should have on file a completed P-2 form, which is a data sheet for the boiler indicating material specs, number of tubes, firebox type, heating surface area, steaming capacity, and several other bits of information. You can make requests to the ASME/NB for a copy of the P-2 and other paperwork that is part of the file.
- The "R"-Stamp merely tells us the fact that it was repaired to meet requirements in the National Boiler Inspection Code (NBIC). The repair may or may not have been done by the original manufacturer of the boiler, but at a minimum would have been completed by a shop authorized to use an R-Stamp. The "R"-stamp itself is verification alone that the repair was made properly, as such, there may or may not be detailed paperwork for the repair, however, if there were significant changes or alterations to the boiler, these would likely be documented. (Form R-2, for example, accomplishes this.)
The mere fact that the stamps exist on the boiler should be evidence enough that the design, calculations, material specs, and construction (and subsequent repair, in this case), were are completed in compliance with either the ASME Code (for the "S"-Stamp) or NBIC ("R"-Stamp).
And why is that? Even though my shop is given the unique "S" and "R" stamps (the physical stamps themselves), it does not mean I can just take them and go stamp any piece of metal I want. I do not own the stamps, I simply have a privilege to use them, but only when authorized to do so, and I must be authorized each and every time I use them. So even though I have the stamps in hand, and I follow all the standards of the Code and build a nice, new boiler, it will not bear an S-stamp until my Authorized Inspector (who has followed the entire tells me (authorizes me) to put the "S"-stamp on the boiler.
Attachment:
File comment: A miniature boiler bearing Wasatch Railroad Contractors' (dba WEMCO) data and an ASME S-Stamp. Note the National Board number beginning with "NB". This is a good reference number for any paperwork. The Manufacturer's Serial Number is at the bottom left.
S-stamp_example.jpg [ 141.03 KiB | Viewed 2450 times ]
S-stamp_example.jpg [ 141.03 KiB | Viewed 2450 times ]