Fixed my A.O. Smith boiler yesterday...

Because it was getting a bit chilly a couple of nights ago, I turned on the heat. When I awoke in the morning, the house was down to a chilly 62 degrees and the floors were cold. I went out to the garage, and could hear the pilot ignition firing. Not knowing why it wasn't lighting, I took off the access cover and looked around. Here is what I found...

The ignition cable was very corroded, and the spark was arcing on the bottom of the boiler. The wire was completely severed. I removed the cable from the control unit and from the end of the ignition unit. Upon examination of the wire, I discovered that it no more than a simple spark plug wire.

I went down the street to Autozone and asked them for a single spark plug wire. The guy behind the counter wanted to know where the wire came from. "A 1964 Eichler!" I stated. He said he never heard of it, went in the back and returned after 30 seconds with another wire. Total cost: $5.45.

I went home, put it on, turned on the power and it fired right up. SWEET!! If only all home repairs were this easy...

Jeff G.