The furnace walk-through: what a look inside reveals

The walk-through during a shutdown is the most underrated instrument in maintenance: thermography from outside shows symptoms, the walk-through shows causes.

What we check while doing it

• Bath line and hearth area: aluminium and salt infiltration is visible from the inside long before anything becomes measurable outside. Corundum build-up shows where the lining is under load.
• Joint pattern and expansion joints: changes in the joint pattern are often the first sign of movement in the brickwork.
• Doors, burner areas and transitions: the classic weak points of every campaign.
• Documentation: every finding is recorded with a photo and its position and then assessed — act immediately, repair in the next window, or keep under observation.

The outcome

A prioritised action plan instead of nasty surprises: a plannable partial repair instead of an emergency. Combined with thermography during operation, this produces a complete picture of the plant — the basis for maintenance that shortens shutdowns instead of extending them.