When was the first time.......(Cosmo)

bob_50

job I ever had in this business was working for a man named Bob McDufee. I didn't know the coal bin from the oil tank. The first thing he told me was NEVER stand in front of a burner or combustion chamber door when a burner is lighting. He said to hold the door open with a screwdriver and peek from the side. 40 years serviceing burners and never got burned(knock on wood)

Cosmo_3

growing up as a pyromaniac

I just had a fond memory

I was 10 years old, and I helped my old man rip out the old hot water gravity system boiler in our house one Saturday (can't remember the brand) and my dad showed me what the flame from a burner looked like. He just pulled out the old pedestal burner from the chamber and started the burner out there in the open. I still get tears in my eyes just remembering about what a beautiful sight that was!

Then he looked me in the eye and said that if I EVER, EVER tried to do that myself he would burn my fingers off!!! Oh well.

Ten years later I did, but he never knew.

Aah the memories.....




Cosmo Valavanis

Mad Dog_2

When I was still young and stupid...............................

I watched a pool heater light off......good thing I had glasses on.....could've used a pair of eyebrow shields too.....I was first generation in the biz...so I learned the hard way....at not so young an age. Mad Dog

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S Ebels

Got to admit

I've done the same thing. Swung the burner door open on a 675,000 Rondomat this winter and lit 'er off just to watch it. Makes me grin. High fire was about 2 1/2 ft long! YeeHaa!!!!

Christian Egli_2

It builds character, fire proof character.

Older brothers always get the whiny young one in trouble. So, my brother and I were playing in the yard, a large yard, it was a hot summer, everything had already dried up. Well, what better time to build a camp fire?

Of course, poking the fire is always most fun until it starts growing wild, in no time, half the grass was gone, the lawn was well on its way to becoming a charred black... We had some buckets of water, and a hose but that wasn't a big splash. The prospects for the lawn were getting darker by the second, now of the two hysterical kids, one decided to get some paternal attention while the other would worry about the yard. What a plan.

Man, and what a panic. My father was totally unconcerned about our little fire, he was intensely busy in a conversation with a customer. Would the whole lawn have to disappear? It seemed to us a half burnt lawn would qualify us for a half spanking. In those circumstances, you see your whole life flashing before your eyes. I got back to my brother, helpless, and before we got all this sorted out, we finally had extinguished the original fire. We were hoping the cloud of steam would attract some attention because the lawn was still merrily consuming itself towards the back.

Now that there was just a sliver of grass left, my father finally came to check on us... astonishingly he seemed very pleased with us (because I think this saved him from mowing the lawn for a while) He told us that we had had a good idea!?! and that we should let the lawn go until the fire would hit the gravel path, and that would be nice... he went back to his business. My brother and I still did not feel all that great; what a stomach turning experience.

I do suspect my father had seen the whole thing, it all happened just out the window. What parent wouldn't keep an eye on the kids playing with fire? He must have figured our panicking would be the surest lesson learned, no further punishment necessary. Let them sweat.

Later he never alluded to the incident. -Maybe he really never noticed -Sure -Maybe this was a case of smart parenting.

Thanks for making me think about my father.

Cosmo_3

wow

That must have been a sight to see!

Lets keep it quiet before Larry (OSHA) finds out and gives us a talkin' to.....



Cosmo Valavanis

Terry_14

Wish Dad WAS THERE

I was also told never stand in front of a lighting appliance!

Old gravity furnace converted to Gas experianced a delayed ignition I knew what was comming but powerless to stop it in time! BOOM!!! and the cast Iron door blew acrost the celler breaking into pieces.

Where was Dad ?? In my mind saying " Never stand in front of a burner when it lighis"

After changing some of my cloths, I did what should have been done first and condemed the unit.

But i still had those shakey legs for a long time.

Terry

Unknown

red hot

After reading this post, this job brought back what my father told me.. I was called to a no-heat at this small house with hot water gravity system with expansion tank in attic... Eldery lady gave me a double look and called the office saying I'm way too young for this old system. Anyway, house was chilling and the boiler room was overheating, strap-on aqua stat was hanging lose, burner was still going, I shut gas valve off and looked inside the firebox, the cast iron was glowing RED, knowily there isn't any water in boiler (no lwco as her late husband built the house) told the lady that the bolier lacks water and she proceeds to manuel hand fill valve to open same like her husband told her to do if home get cold.. ..I yelled out not to open the valve and scared the lady and went back calling my office about how I jumped and yelled and almost ran out... After I clamed down, I took the handle off the valve and told her I'l come back when the red hot bolier cooled down and properly strapped the aqua stat.... My dad questioned my siutation with the lady and told me that there is NO rieilf valve can handle the "bomb" of cold water going into red hot boiler and I save my own life as well the lady... I was only 20 at that time.... and stills learning...

JK_4

A long time ago

Back when I first started to go out on my own I learned many a valuable lesson the hard way. I was working on an old water heater and attempting to quick lite it. It was a very large heater as it supplied a 6 or 8 apt building. However I did it I did not realize that I had got the gas valve to open long before I got my torch through the acess port. With the building owner standing right behind me I experienced the largest flare out that I had ever seen. Burnt my brows and lashes completly off as well as doing a number to a large portion of my hair( I know it was a long time ago because I still had hair). I was knocked (or jumped) back and as I became aware of what happened the building owner was already yelling. As I tried to calm him explaining that this was just something that happened once in a while and that it was no big deal I started to laugh because the owners pant leg was soaked from the croch down. By the time I got to my truck the boss was already on the radio wanting to know what happened. I explained to the boss that it was just a small flare but the owner was pissed off because he was pissed on (by himself). The boss accepted my explaination untill the next morning when he saw me at work and exclaimed no wonder he was upset ,we're lucky he didn't have a heart attack too.

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