R-Stamp Boiler and Pressure Vessel Repair in California
R stamp code repairs and alterations on boilers and pressure vessels under McKenna’s National Board R certificate, on McKenna equipment and other brands.
Code-built boilers and vessels
Code repairs and alterations
Factory-authorized Tech Center
Factory-authorized Burner Tech Center
Fifth generation, family-owned
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McKenna Boiler Works, Inc. makes code repairs and alterations on boilers and pressure vessels across California under its National Board R certificate, following the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC). An inspector authorizes the work before it starts and accepts it when it’s done, and the R form is registered with the National Board. McKenna also holds ASME S, H, M, and U certificates and maintains a written quality control manual for its code work. Repairs are made on McKenna boilers and other brands. Call (323) 987-1816 or email info@mckennaboiler.com.
Code repairs
What R-stamp repairs cover.
In California, a repair or alteration to the pressure parts of a boiler or pressure vessel has to be made under the NBIC by an organization the state accepts, such as an ASME or National Board certificate holder working within its scope, with a qualified inspector involved from the start.
McKenna’s R certificate covers repairs and alterations. We do the work, the inspector signs off, and the paperwork is filed so your permit to operate stays in order. The National Board issues the R certificate and stamp. People often call it an ASME R stamp because the repairs keep boilers built to the ASME code in compliance.
- Tube replacement and retubes on firetube and watertube boilers, when the job requires an R stamp repair. In most cases, replacing rolled and beaded tubes is not an R stamp repair; check with your Authorized Inspector.
- Weld repairs to shells, furnaces, heads, and tubesheets
- Nozzle, opening, and connection repairs
- Alterations, including reratings where the design allows
- Pressure vessel repairs on tanks, receivers, and blowdown vessels
- Repairs called out on your annual inspection report
Know the difference
Repair or alteration?
The National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) splits code work into two kinds. Which one your job falls under decides the paperwork, whether engineering is needed, and what the inspector has to see.
Repair
Puts a boiler or pressure vessel back in safe operating condition without changing its original design. The pressure, temperature, and materials on the nameplate stay the same.
Common repairs
- Weld repairs of cracks, leaks, or corroded areas
- Replacing a pressure part with one built to the original design
- Tube and tubesheet weld repairs
- Building up thinned metal with weld
Paperwork: National Board R-1 Report of Repair, accepted by the Authorized Inspector.
Alteration
Changes what the boiler or vessel was built to do, compared with its original data report. Engineering calculations are done before any work starts.
Common alterations
- Rerating to a higher pressure or temperature
- Adding a new nozzle or opening
- Adding heating surface that raises output
- Replacing a pressure part with a different material or design
Paperwork: National Board R-2 Report of Alteration, accepted by the Authorized Inspector. A rerating also gets a new nameplate.
Rule of thumb: if the work puts the boiler back the way it was built, it is a repair. If it changes what the boiler was built to do, it is an alteration. Not sure which you need? Send us the inspector’s report and we will tell you.
How a job runs
How a code repair runs.
01
Inspect and scope
We look at the damage, often with your inspection report in hand, and write up the repair.
02
Inspector authorizes
The inspector reviews the repair plan and authorizes it before any work starts.
03
Repair to code
Welding procedures and welders qualified to ASME Section IX, working under our written quality control manual.
04
Accept, stamp, and file
The inspector accepts the work, the boiler is stamped, and the R form is registered with the National Board.
Why McKenna
Why plants use McKenna for code repairs.
We build to code every day
McKenna holds ASME S, H, M, and U certificates and builds code boilers and vessels in its own shop.
Other brands
We make code repairs on McKenna boilers and other brands under our National Board R certificate.
On site or in our shop
Repairs at your plant, or in our Oceanside shop when the work is better done there.
One company start to finish
We scope the repair, make it, file the R form, and put the boiler back in service.
Project photos
In the field
Code repairs on site.
Nozzle and tubesheet repairs done in the plant under our National Board R certificate, with the Authorized Inspector involved from scope to final acceptance.
