Home Page link

Please explain what the furnace service tech wouldnt

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Please explain what the furnace service tech wouldnt comcastss news groups 03-26-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by comcastss news groups on March 26, 2007, 8:53 am


While cleaning my crawlspace Sunday I notice water squirting out of my
furnace.
We are on a service plan so a technician was out to the house within a
couple of hours.
He replace a screw on valve that was on top of an "EXTROL" expansion tank.
He said the purpose of this valve was to let the air out of the system.
That's about all I could get out of him... Mr. personality!

What I was trying to find out from him was what the two thumbscrews on the
top of this valve were for. one was black and one was red. Hot water had
been squirting out of the red thumbscrew.
When I tightened this thumbscrew the water stopped. I loosened it back up so
water dribbled out of it as I didn't know it closing it would cause pressure
to build up?

While I may never touch these again I would like to know the function of
these two thumbscrews?
should they be open or closed?

TIA


Pop



AppliancePartsPros.com, Inc.
Posted by JoeSpareBedroom on March 26, 2007, 9:54 am


> While cleaning my crawlspace Sunday I notice water squirting out of my
> furnace.
> We are on a service plan so a technician was out to the house within a
> couple of hours.
> He replace a screw on valve that was on top of an "EXTROL" expansion tank.
> He said the purpose of this valve was to let the air out of the system.
> That's about all I could get out of him... Mr. personality!
>
> What I was trying to find out from him was what the two thumbscrews on the
> top of this valve were for. one was black and one was red. Hot water had
> been squirting out of the red thumbscrew.
> When I tightened this thumbscrew the water stopped. I loosened it back up
> so
> water dribbled out of it as I didn't know it closing it would cause
> pressure
> to build up?
>
> While I may never touch these again I would like to know the function of
> these two thumbscrews?
> should they be open or closed?
>
> TIA
> Pop


I don't know, but even after you get some good answers from others here, you
might want to call the manufacturer and get an owner's manual for the thing.
Or, see if they've got a web site where you can download a manual.



Posted by RicodJour on March 26, 2007, 10:18 am


comcastss news groups wrote:
> While cleaning my crawlspace Sunday I notice water squirting out of my
> furnace.
> We are on a service plan so a technician was out to the house within a
> couple of hours.
> He replace a screw on valve that was on top of an "EXTROL" expansion tank.
> He said the purpose of this valve was to let the air out of the system.
> That's about all I could get out of him... Mr. personality!

I understand the frustration, and as the service tech does have
contact with the public, it would be nice if his people skills were a
little sharper. However, he is not an instructor. His job is to fix
what's wrong. Being peppered by questions (you may have only asked a
few, but a few questions many times a day sucks up serious time) slows
him down.

> What I was trying to find out from him was what the two thumbscrews on the
> top of this valve were for. one was black and one was red. Hot water had
> been squirting out of the red thumbscrew.
> When I tightened this thumbscrew the water stopped. I loosened it back up so
> water dribbled out of it as I didn't know it closing it would cause pressure
> to build up?

You were right to put it back the way you found it. If you don't know
exactly what something does, it's nuts to attempt to adjust it. You
could easily cause a far bigger problem.

> While I may never touch these again I would like to know the function of
> these two thumbscrews?
> should they be open or closed?

The Extrol tanks are pressurized and not meant to be fiddled with.
The manufacturer suggests a yearly inspection to make sure the preset
charge and tank operation are working properly.

http://www.amtrol.com/extrol.htm

R


Posted by comcastss news groups on March 26, 2007, 1:48 pm



> I understand the frustration, and as the service tech does have
> contact with the public, it would be nice if his people skills were a
> little sharper. However, he is not an instructor. His job is to fix
> what's wrong. Being peppered by questions (you may have only asked a
> few, but a few questions many times a day sucks up serious time) slows
> him down.

It depends on the person. I could tell right away this guy was not a talker.
I would have liked a 5 minute explanation of what went wrong and what he was
replacing.
Its the same with the IT service when they come in to service our company
network.
Or my car mechanic. I feel part of the service is to explain what is going
on.
That said, I make it a point not to hover over anyones shoulder while they
are working.
I leave them alone to do their job, then I try and find out what was going
on.
Like I said I just think its their personality....



> You were right to put it back the way you found it. If you don't know
> exactly what something does, it's nuts to attempt to adjust it. You
> could easily cause a far bigger problem.

This is the part I would have liked explained...

> The Extrol tanks are pressurized and not meant to be fiddled with.
> The manufacturer suggests a yearly inspection to make sure the preset
> charge and tank operation are working properly.
>
> http://www.amtrol.com/extrol.htm
>

Thanks for the link

Pop



Similar ThreadsPosted
Not a Happy service tech November 9, 2007, 8:07 pm
Service contract on my Weil McLain furnace - too vague? November 17, 2008, 4:16 pm
Hvac tech. December 12, 2007, 3:46 am
Hvac Tech.2 December 12, 2007, 7:20 pm
Cordless Phone Battery & V-Tech ? March 10, 2007, 7:03 am
New windstar website Tech info May 5, 2007, 9:58 pm
V-Tech cordless phone mystery February 29, 2008, 10:18 am
Explain scaffolding to me? May 15, 2006, 11:02 am
Can anybody explain what's happening? March 25, 2007, 11:39 pm
Can someone explain what this means to me? August 19, 2008, 11:22 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap