Pro tip: A cold snap in Denver taught me to check the torque on every single bleed air clamp

We had a plane come in after a night at minus 10 degrees, and the pilot reported a cabin heat issue. Found three bleed air duct clamps on the number two engine that had worked loose, just enough for a leak. The thermal cycling from that deep cold must have done it. Now I run a wrench over every clamp in that system during winter inspections, not just a visual. Anyone else in a cold climate add this to their routine?

4 comments

4 Comments

tara6421mo ago

My old car's hoses always shrink in winter.

the_evan1mo ago

That reminds me of the time my dad's truck had a hose crack in the cold. He spent a whole weekend trying to patch it up.

sandra_bennett591mo ago

Shrinking hoses, the car's subtle way of asking for retirement.

jade51711h ago

Ever have that happen with a heater hose on a car? I chased a weird cabin smell for a week one winter, and it was just a slightly loose clamp letting a tiny bit of coolant steam out. That thermal cycling really does a number on stuff.