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History of the Water Feeder and Low-Water Cutoff

HeatingHelp
HeatingHelp Administrator Posts: 679
edited June 2016 in THE MAIN WALL
History of the Water Feeder and Low-Water Cutoff

History of the Water Feeder and Low-Water Cutoff

Read the full story here


Comments

  • jaycee
    jaycee Member Posts: 1
    my auto water feeder on my home furnace keep running every two days and its shut off. my boiler is always half full. my water bill has not increased and there are no signs of water inside or out. what could be the problem?
  • GreenGene
    GreenGene Member Posts: 290
    Basically all of our safety devices came about after things went horribly wrong.
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    Any chance you might be able to put a date on that memo? If it's prior to 1947, you could have an interesting tidbit of history there showing an early use of the term bug to describe an engineering flaw.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,600
    Kurt, he didn't date it.
    Retired and loving it.
  • GreenGene
    GreenGene Member Posts: 290
    edited June 2016

    If only he knew what was coming, but the technology at the time was different.
    Mc D.png 195.9K
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,274
    The "bug" story I am aware of is the first major computer built for the end of WW2, maybe used for D-day plans etc.
    The maze of electric mechanical relays used would fail because of bugs seeking the warmth of the coil heat. Thus the term of "getting the bugs out". ..........fact or Urban legend?
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,502
    Transmitters used to use thyratrons in their power supplies and they are mercury based so they glow ultraviolet. That glow drives bugs crazy, do you know what happens when a nice fat but goes splat against a tube that is running at 4-500 degrees?

    It lets the smoke out.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • FranklinD
    FranklinD Member Posts: 399
    I have a kid's book about some of the crazy ways things were invented by Ira Flatow. It's a really good book, simply written, with some hilarious stories.

    I believe the "First Computer Bug" story that JUGHNE related is pretty accurate. The book has pictures of the engineer/operator's logbook entries detailing the failure, finding the bug (a moth) beaten to death in some relay contacts, and the actual moth taped to the page.

    Great book. I'll see if I can find it and snap a pic.
    Ford Master Technician, "Tinkerer of Terror"
    Police & Fire Equipment Lead Mechanic, NW WI
    Lover of Old Homes & Gravity Hot Water Systems
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    Grace Hopper and the Harvard Mark II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug#/media/File:H96566k.jpg
    GreenGeneJUGHNE
  • hvacfreak2
    hvacfreak2 Member Posts: 500
    Still waiting as far as I have seen.


    hvacfreak

    Mechanical Enthusiast

    Burnham MST 396 , 60 oz gauge , Tigerloop , Firomatic Check Valve , Mcdonnell Miller 67 lwco , Danfoss RA2k TRV's

    Easyio FG20 Controller

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