John Post on sat 17 oct 09
The overhead gas heater in my studio stopped working this year. When
I have lots of time, I try to fix most things myself. Sometimes when
I am overly busy, like when I'm teaching, I just pay to get things
fixed.
So I call the local company that installed it, and they have been
bought out by some bigger regional firm. A house call that used to be
$60 is now $108. I bite the bullet and call them out.
Their technician comes out and makes the determination that I need a
new gas valve. He quotes me a price of $755 to install one. The
whole unit only cost $1250 six years ago. For that price, I decide to
do the work myself.
So I find a replacement gas valve online for $130 and start taking
stuff apart. After a short while, I have the new valve installed and
still no heat. I check the orifice and the new gas valve isn't
releasing any gas through the opening. I decide to work my way
backward from the burner orifice, one pipe/part at a time until I find
out which one is malfunctioning. The first thing I did was
disassemble the orifice and peer down it.
Naturally that's when I found the gray spherical spider's web nest.
Turns out I didn't need a gas valve after all. I already have the new
one in, and will keep the old one as a backup. (There's lots of
little parts that have to be moved out of the way to get the valve in
and out.)
I've called the bigger regional furnace firm, and they are checking
into the matter to see if they can refund my service call fee. The
little local family owned furnace company would have refunded my
credit card over the phone, we'll see how things turn out with these
guys.
Of course, if I was a gas firing potter, I might have thought to
unscrew that orifice and check it first.
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
:: cone 6 glaze website :: http://www.johnpost.us
:: elementary art website :: http://www.wemakeart.org
Vince Pitelka on sat 17 oct 09
John Post wrote:
"Naturally that's when I found the gray spherical spider's web nest.
Of course, if I was a gas firing potter, I might have thought to
unscrew that orifice and check it first."
John -
Here at the Appalachian Center for Craft, we have gotten used to checking
the orifices first if a burner fails to deliver adequate heat on the gas
kilns that are under the shed roof out back. That's where the mud-dauber
wasps can get at them, and they seem to prefer those little gas burner
orifice holes.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
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