Hackjob Horror Stories. Botched siren replacements and repairs

Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:18 am

What's the purpose of the well pump on that thunderbolt?

Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:33 am

What's the purpose of the well pump on that thunderbolt?

The chopper armature and field burned out and they rigged the well pump motor to run the chopper.

Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:41 am

CDV777-1 wrote:
What's the purpose of the well pump on that thunderbolt?
The chopper armature and field burned out and they rigged the well pump motor to run the chopper.

That's some serious ghetto engineering at work there.

Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:46 am

One of the guys with the fire dept sent me that pic before they took it down to return it to normal. There was a hole rusted through the horn also. The well pump motor shaft was welded to the chopper armature shaft somehow. A hole was cut in the chopper cap to do that. I sent them a new horn, chopper armature and field and some other misc parts. You can hear the restored siren here in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18AZaL0ja4

Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:52 am

CDV777-1 wrote:One of the guys with the fire dept sent me that pic before they took it down to return it to normal. There was a hole rusted through the horn also. The well pump motor shaft was welded to the chopper armature shaft somehow. A hole was cut in the chopper cap to do that. I sent them a new horn, chopper armature and field and some other misc parts. You can hear the restored siren here in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18AZaL0ja4

And they got the two shafts fused completely straight with no issues?

Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:40 am

NKTBOLT wrote:WHERE IS THE LOCATION?!

Columbus GA Fire Stations 1 and 6. Both replaced Thunderbolt AT1000's from the 1970's, early series A2 what with the punchy 5M blowers. The one with the arm had a light on it due to its proximity to the former Columbus Airport, which used to be located off of US-280 where the commercial complex where Dolly Madison Bakery and Auto Nation now sit.