Thomas C. Wilson

Thomas C. Wilson, LLC is a manufacturer of tube cleaning, tube expanding and tube testing tools for boilers and heat exchangers, based in Long Island City, New York. Its vacuum leak detector locates a leaking tube in a firetube boiler, condenser, chiller or shell-and-tube heat exchanger. It pulls a vacuum on one tube at a time and shows whether that tube holds.

BoilerSupplies.com carries the Thomas C. Wilson Vacuum Leak Detector, listed under tube plugs and tube cleaning accessories, and is extending the line with Thomas C. Wilson tube cleaning tools. The detector has to fit the tube it tests, so the tube outside diameter is the first thing to match, with the wall thickness behind it. Tube plugs from the same category close off a tube the detector has condemned until the tube can be replaced.

Key facts

• Thomas C. Wilson, LLC, based in Long Island City, New York, makes tube cleaning, tube expanding and tube testing tools.

• The Thomas C. Wilson Vacuum Leak Detector tests boiler and heat exchanger tubes one tube at a time.

• The Thomas C. Wilson Vacuum Leak Detector is used on firetube boilers, condensers, chillers and shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

• BoilerSupplies.com lists the detector under tube plugs and tube cleaning accessories.

• Thomas C. Wilson tube cleaning tools are being added to the BoilerSupplies.com line.

• In-stock small-pack orders placed before 2:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday, ship the same day.

How do you find a leaking tube in a firetube boiler?

Test the tubes one at a time with a vacuum leak detector such as the Thomas C. Wilson unit: seal the tube, pull a vacuum, and watch the gauge. A tube that holds vacuum is tight. A tube that loses it is the leaker, and it gets plugged or replaced. That beats filling and hydro-testing the whole shell to chase one weep, and it names the tube.

Do you call it a tube tester, a tube leak tester or a vacuum leak detector?

All three: tube tester, tube leak tester and tube leak detector all describe the same tool, a seal and a vacuum gauge that check a single tube. Technicians also call it a chiller tube tester or condenser tube tester after the equipment it is used on. The Thomas C. Wilson Vacuum Leak Detector on BoilerSupplies.com is that tool.

Can I use the Thomas C. Wilson Vacuum Leak Detector on a chiller or heat exchanger, not just a boiler?

Yes. The detector works on chiller condensers and evaporators, shell-and-tube heat exchangers and steam condensers as well as firetube boilers. The tube end has to be reachable from the tube sheet, and the detector has to fit the tube. Check the tube outside diameter and wall thickness against the detector before ordering.

What do you need from me to quote the right Thomas C. Wilson leak detector?

To quote a Thomas C. Wilson leak detector, BoilerSupplies.com needs the tube outside diameter, the tube wall thickness or gauge, and the type of equipment (firetube boiler, chiller, condenser or heat exchanger). Add the number of tubes you expect to test. If you are also cleaning the tubes, add the tube length and the type of deposit. Send those details and the matching tool is quoted.

Does BoilerSupplies.com carry tube cleaners for heat exchanger tube cleaning?

Thomas C. Wilson tube cleaning tools are being added to the BoilerSupplies.com line beside the vacuum leak detector, for cleaning heat exchanger and chiller tubes. Send the tube inside diameter, the tube length and the deposit you are removing (hard scale, mud or soft fouling) with the request.

The tube outside diameter, wall thickness and equipment type are what BoilerSupplies.com needs to quote the detector; send them through the site or call 1-770-957-9599 (toll free 1-800-780-3776).