“Help” was the one-word text I received from my friend one Saturday evening. The subsequent text showed a picture of a low-water cutoff disassembled and filled with mud and rust. I excused myself and called him.
He was frantic and told me the steam boiler he installed a year ago failed. The owner was furious and demanded my friend replace it under warranty. The mud inside the level control fooled the boiler into thinking it was full of water. Instead, the boiler was empty and kept firing. The sections of the cast iron boiler cracked and the boiler was a total failure. The installer called the wholesaler where he purchased the boiler on Monday and they brought in the factory rep.