Now I have truly seen it all (SE)

DaveGateway

If ever there was a trade where a "little" knowledge can be dangerous or deadly line volt wiring is it. When you can light a bulb with a potential wire and a ROD STUCK IN THE GROUND the possibilities are endless. This one varies a bit with the engineer having a firm grasp of electricity and no concept of combustion requirements. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

S Ebels

Now, I have truly seen it all

Went on a call to a long time customer this AM. She's in her 80's, living alone yet. Very active, writes a column for her community newspaper. She always has us come and tune up her old Burnham MR-150 once a year about this time.

She called yesterday and asked if I could come out right away Monday as there was a strong smell in the house. I told her to shut off the boiler until I could get there and have a looksee.

The old Burnham was completely plugged off so I did a brush and vac job on it. While standing there doing a combustion test it dawned on me that the window fan in the room was cycling off and on by itself and my curious nature made me wonder why. I got to looking at it and to my utter amazement, discovered that it was directly wired to the circulator relay on the aquastat!!!!!! Obviously not the case the last time we were there so I asked the old gal about the situation and this is what I was told.

About Christmas when all the family was home she noticed a smell in the house whenever the boiler ran. One of her sons (an electronics engineer) volunteered to address the problem. He did so by taking the action described as follows. He found a 10" window fan and stuck it in the window of the laundry/boiler room and very neatly ran a wire to the circ relay on the Honeywell aquastat. This obviously "solved the problem" but not the cause. The smell recently got real bad due to the fact that the circ was no longer running and the boiler was still firing for the sake of the tankless coil for domestic. Talk about induced draft. The laundry room ceiling was about completely black.

In pondering this set of circumstances on the way home I came to two conclusions. Number 1. The guy was an electronics engineer so he looked for an electrical solution and found one. Number 2. As the old saying goes........ A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Wish I'd had my camera with me. The old gal is lucky to be alive.

John R. Hall

Maybe

Her son discovered he was cut out of her will? Call Columbo!

Einsiedler_2

has he been made aware?

I am wondering if her son has been made aware of this so he doesn't try to kill someone else without knowing it..

no need to riddle him with bullets or anything, just enlighten him a bit.

my .02

EIN

DaveGateway

Common Mistake

It's a common mistake for the analytical mind to overlook the obvious while addressing the obtuse.

S Ebels

I stressed

That the old gal get in touch with her son and let him know. I also gave her a little sermon on why burners should only be serviced by "burner people". She was dialing up her son when I left. If he wasn't left out of her will yet, he is now.