where to from here

[murdock]

i get called out to fix a machine and find the pot. for the VSD is sticking...so i supply and replace it...i test it check the machine is operating correctly and leave...an hour later i get a call from the customer...the machine is on fire!!!

so i return to find that the pot i replaced has burnt and exploded...so i take the old one and put it back and reconnect it...check the outputs from the vsd and verify all is correct...and test run the machine to see that there is nothing else which could have caused the component to fail...it works but the pot sticks which is why we replaced it...so i am happy.

i take the new pot back to the supplier...he tells me there is no warrenty on any electrical components they sell....so i purchase a new one fit it and do the tests again to verify the outputs are correct...everything is correct and i walk away.

so what now...who pays for the second call out and the new pot. which i had to buy again...and what if the fire had spread and burnt to the machine to the ground...a printing machine worth R2.5 million...who would be responsible? and even worse what happens if the entire factory had burnt to the ground being a printing factory with highly flammable components worth millions

[adrianh]

Odd, what voltage was going through the pot? how much current could flow through a pot? Didn't you possibly short the pot when you intalled it?

[murdock]

0-7.9 volts dc...if i had shorted the pot during installation it wouldnt have worked period...checked the voltage and the operation of the machine for a period of time with the covers open...only once we have run the machine at various different speeds do i close up then run a test again with all the covers closed before i leave site...the pot must have had a bad contact and over heated...i have put the new one in and it works no problem

my concern is where to from here...do you think the supplier should replace the pot?

and who would pay the bill for all the repairs/replacement of the machines and factory in a worse case senerio?

[Martinco]

and who would pay the bill for all the repairs/replacement of the machines and factory in a worse case senerio?

I know it costs money but the way I see it is to cover this scenario with insurance.

[Dave A]

i take the new pot back to the supplier...he tells me there is no warrenty on any electrical components they sell....

If they haven't taken reasonable measures to ensure you're aware there's no warranty, you could still make a case. The fine print on invoices and notices on the wall do matter.

The fact that the first part failed, but the second part worked fine also helps your argument, particularly if you can show that they were both installed under the same conditions.

As for consequence of the fire, as Martinco says - the word is insurance. And it isn't that expensive.