Feb
I was called out to this home to install a dual fuel cooker. When I arrived I was shown through to the kitchen. As we passed by the boiler I could smell gas. It is customary to perform a tightness test (checking for leaks) upon arrival at all gas jobs I undertake. After connecting up and performing the test no leakage was apparent. I surmised that the problem had to be on the burner side of the boilers gas valve. The boiler was isolated while I installed the cooker.
After installing the cooker and performing a second tightness test there was still no sign of leakage. I re-lit the pilot light, which was extinguished to do my original testing, and using my leak detector sniffed around. I found the source of the leak quickly. I guessed that the thermocouple had been changed recently as it was shiny new. It would seem however that the repair person was in a BIG hurry and didn’t stop to tighten the pilot light gas tube nut or the thermocouple nut! Both were not just a bit loose but were almost completely undone.
As the house had stood empty for some time with the gas meter control valve gas turned on it is just lucky that the pilot flame didn’t jump across the loose nut and set the wiring on fire or worse. All this bother because some one didn’t test their work with leak detector spray or an electronic leak detector.
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if the thermocouple was so loose then how did the pilot flame establish ?
Hi Rob. The thermocouple does not have to be tight in order for it to sit in the flame. In the case of this ODS the universal thermocouple kit that the repair person had with him kinda fit and he probably thought what the hell?
Not the preffered method of repair. But of course couple this repair with his only hand tight gas connection for the pilpot light and a pattern of poor workmanship starts to show.
Thanks for your comment.
sorry i had misread, i thought you meant the nut where the thermocouple enters the gas valve.
Thanks Rob. Sometimes it’s very hard to paint a clear picture of what I see. The whole point of my cowboy awards is just to point out that in any given week if we see a handful of shoddy jobs just imagine how many of these guys are out there throughout the country!
Some weeks provide so much in the way of poor work examples that we could make two awards a day! Very bad.