Serendipity

A couple of years ago, when we were elsewhere, Casa Ghiro took a direct lightening strike   This fried the TV satellite dish, the internet receiver, the boiler's ignition system and the control box for the swimming pool  

So it was decided that in future, on leaving the house, all plugs would be removed from their sockets including the boiler.

2-3 weeks ago younger daughter + friends came for a long weekend.  She contacted me: 'The boiler won't work!  What should I do?'  Everything I suggested she had done - and still no hot water.  So I got in touch with the engineer who, being the weekend, pitched up on the Monday they were leaving  

'Ah ha' he said (or the Italian equivalent) 'you've put the plug into the socket upside down.  The tape should be facing up!!'

We've lived in the house for over 5 years and we had the boiler installed and nobody has ever told us before that there is a 'right' and a 'wrong' way of putting in the boiler plug!  But what is remarkable is that, until daughter's problem, we had (by chance) always on many previous occasions put the plug in the 'correct' way up.  

Serendipity or what?!

I have heard of this problem before, although it is not that common. It seems that the appliance gets used to the pos/neg connection, but when reversed it has a adverse effect.
Should use the British 3 pin system, no chance of that type of error!!!

must be peculiar to your appliance, never had that problem with ours (just had to check first)

Never had a problem; however, good to know, just in case. Thanks.