Engineering Disaster

This is not about all the destructive thing engineering has given to world. This post is not on explosives, tanks etc, it’s not on destroying anything (well not intentionally at least.) Well with this disclaimer let me start.
From very early I was fascinated with the engineering world. I used to love watching the Steam Locomotives and ask dad all sorts of silly questions. Watch the video of the rocket launches and imagine being a part of one such launch one day. To the extent that, I had opened up all my toys to see what is inside them. What makes it make noise, or give up sparks, why some of them when pulled back goes in front, why does the talking doll talks, I even blew up the small “hot wheels” to see how strong they are, opened up the small dc motors (and think how can this thing go round and round?) As I grew up, the understanding of such things improved, but the habit did not go. To the extent I even opened up the old TV the day new TV came inside the house. Opened up mixies, irons, even the scooter (I was amazed when I opened up the engine and then the equally amazed mechanic came to fix it,) I had opened up cameras and what not. I used to make things too. Small kaleidoscope, telescope (well you could not see much through but it was a good one) and many more things.
All this was attributed to my dad who also been an engineer would open up the home appliance to fix it himself and I would tag along with him. My mom also got used to it with time. There were some success in such experiments and more often then not there were disasters, what my mom used to call engineered disasters. Here are some such disasters.
Disaster one!
Once the mixer grinder we had stopped working. So mom asked dad to get it fixed. Dad as usual kept saying yes then conveniently forgot all about it. After a week of such daily routine ignorance dad got, well let’s just say, an ultimatum. So on a weekend he picked up the thing and started working on it. Me happily got tagged in as an assistance. What followed was a brief happiness of success and an engineered disaster. The mixer grinder got fixed ok! It worked for a day also, but then it started giving electric shocks every time it was switched on. Since only mom used it she got quite a few of them. Then she picked the thing up and threw it in the trash can and got a new mixer grinder. It wasn’t just that. Even the work area where we worked was a disaster. Oil spill, tools thrown here and there, wires, paper and many such things. After work dad and I happy with the results left the place just like that. Mom had to fix that war zone (place where we worked) up too. Oh! By the way it took dad full 3 months to realize that we got a new mixer grinder. (May be because he hardly went to the kitchen)
Disaster two!

Desert water cooler

Most of you must know the thing called a water-cooler (Desert water cooler). This small metal box with a water tank, a fan, a water pump and Khus-Khus pad on the 3 sides, were prominent thing when Air-conditioners were not there. Or they were too costly and meant for the rich and famous. (So to pump the water on to the Khus-Khus pads these things have a small water pump. Mostly the Tullu brand!) One summer our Desert water cooler stopped working and the trouble was pinned down to the water pump. We needed a new one! So dad and I went to the market to get a new one. We saw a more powerful thing as compared to what we had and bought is quickly. Came back home, installed it and switched on the full thing. The pump worked like charm, throwing water with good pressure on the Khus-Khus pad and the fan blew out cool damp air. We were very happy. But this happiness was short-lived. What followed was that the pipes with in the thing could not sustain the pressure and burst open. Water spray started to pour out and into the room. By the time we could stop it the room was fully wet. Bed, table, books, actually the full bedroom. Mom was obviously mad at us but she calmed down when we helped her clean the mess up and get a smaller pump for us.

I got a bagful of such stories but they never stopped me or my mom and dad encouraging me to keep experimenting. Sometimes though, my mom says, “God bless your wife. Whosoever is she. :))
PS. Its not that we (dad and I) always had disasters. We had our share of successes. Will write about it some other day.