Friggin' Sparky....

[Deleted User]

Got the call today "The heating system you fixed is causing our office to overheat. You need to come fix it right away!!" Dropped everything and went to the job to see what was going on.

Two years ago, we installed a 30 gallon electric water heater as a buffer tank to eliminate the short cycle syndrome cause by someone else installing a low mass copper fin tube boiler on a low mass distribution system (finned tube baseboard).

When I get to the job site, the office manager tells me that when she left the office the night before, she turned the thermostat down to 45 degrees F, and when she got to the office in the AM, the office was up to 77 degrees.

I go down stairs, and the 30 gallon buffer tank is hotter than 7734 (upsidedown). I'm scratching my head, thinking "What the..." then I see some new flex conduit w/wires running down to the 30 gallon buffer tank. Seems the owner had some electricians in the building doing some other work, and they decided to finish wiring up the buffer tank I'd installed 2 years prior. Not only did they wire it, but they turned it on...

Wonder where the heck all that heats coming from...

One loop, pumped with a 007, no check valves, no zone valves. Just your basic ELECTRIC gravity heating system with a 140 degree F aquastat.

I pulled the switch and wrote in large black letters, DO NOT TURN ON!!!

Some peoples electricians... I tell ya...

ME

Mike Kraft

7734!

cheese and rice....got all muddy!

I had to try it:)

hombre de oleo

buffer tank

ME. I know it may sound back-a$%wards but, any sparky with that much initiative may be someone who could be trained to do your deeds.Catch my drift? Maybe I'm being too optimistic...Greg

Howard

spare parts

I usually just hang onto extra wire, greenfield and fittings that I come across. Spare stuff like that comes in handy on the truck. Surprised you left it.

Howard Hansen Service Technician Extraordinaire

Art Pittaway

Backup \"Boiler\"

Of course you billed them for the checkout and training session on operation of the backup "boiler" you installed two years ago. That's a great story, and nice to see you have a sense of humor. I wonder where this fits in with the thread on HWH's as boilers?

JimGPE_2

Its been a while

since a post made me laugh out loud, but this one got me!!!

kevin

ME...

what do you use to sense the temp i the water heater/buffer tank? a 4080b or did you/do you use the aquastat on the water heater/ ty kpc