Does anyone know.....?

[Deleted member 267285]

Why this would or does happen?

I attended a job today for no hot water on a combi boiler. Customer said he’d turned it off as it was making a clicking/buzzing noise, and I thought he meant the boiler. Turned out it was the fcu! After investigating, the load side of the neutral wire had been crimped on the insulation, and appeared to be arcing? It was burnt it the termination point.

Here’s where it gets interesting (imo) - the boiler was installed in 2019 and had been like that since, even worked fine this morning (customer said). How or why does it stay ok for 5 years? I guess it was a tight enough connection to touch the copper in the neutral wire and gave way under being heated when in use?

 

[Murdochcat]

Seen loads of things like this over the years that defy logic

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Here’s where it gets interesting (imo) - the boiler was installed in 2019 and had been like that since, even worked fine this morning (customer said). How or why does it stay ok for 5 years? I guess it was a tight enough connection to touch the copper in the neutral wire and gave way under being heated when in use?

It can be a very gradual process, until heating and cooling eventually oxidises the contact point, then it all suddenly goes critical. That's why terminations need checking regularly, especially high current ones.

 

[ebee]

Seen loads of things like this over the years that defy logic

Why on earth would loads of things defy logic unless you happen to believe in magic? There is always a logical answer to everything and a lot of those answers can be easily explained, just because you do not know the answer yet does not mean that they actually defy logic.
As your logic knowledge increases with wisdom of years you will come to appreciate things and their explanations.
Nobody was born with knowledge of everything, there is no shame in that.
Man has still some mysteries to solve yet but once you are more than a year or two out of your apprenticeship/training you will realise many things have a logical explanation (both in your chosen profession and in life itself).
Just because the logical is not yet known by the individual or even the population as a whole does not mean that logic is defied.
Give it a couple of years or so and you probably will know about twice as much as you know now and realise that magic does not exist.

 

[JohnW2]

Why on earth would loads of things defy logic unless you happen to believe in magic?

You beat me to it ....

Quite so. As you say, if one discounts the 'supernatural', what we're actually talking about is ignorance regarding the logic explanation for something that has happened.

These happenings can, indeed, seem very 'mysterious' and "difficult (sometimes seemingly almost 'impossible') to understand", but the fact remains that were it not for our ignorance, we would understand the logical explanation for what had 'happened'!! However, some people do not seem able to admit to that ignorance, instead apparently preferring to regard the happenings as 'inexplicable'

Kind Regards, John

 

[Jurassicspark]

How or why does it stay ok for 5 years? I guess it was a tight enough connection to touch the copper in the neutral wire and gave way under being heated when in use?

As you will know, boilers have various connections to (CPC earth.) I have seen quite a few times a boiler working without the neutral connected. The return path is being diverted to earth.
However, if one disconnects the CPC from the boiler then it would completely not work as it uses the CPC for the flame recognition. (Just like an IT earth, In the real world it still would work as the pipes within the boilers will be bonded/earthed to the MET.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

These happenings can, indeed, seem very 'mysterious' and "difficult (sometimes seemingly almost 'impossible') to understand", but the fact remains that were it not for our ignorance, we would understand the logical explanation for what had 'happened'!! However, some people do not seem able to admit to that ignorance, instead apparently preferring to regard the happenings as 'inexplicable'

There is always a logical explanation, sometimes they are not immediately obvious.

 

[JohnW2]

There is always a logical explanation, sometimes they are not immediately obvious.

Quite. That's what I said, wasn't it?

"Not immediately obvious" simply means that one doesn't initially think of (and hence 'remains ignorant of') the logical explanation (which inevitably exists).