Study for the Gas Fitter Test. Enhance your knowledge with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each accompanied by hints and explanations. Ace your exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


What safety control protects a steam boiler if the condensate pump fails to return water to the boiler?

  1. High pressure limit control

  2. Low pressure limit control

  3. Flame safeguard control

  4. Low water cut off

The correct answer is: Low water cut off

The low water cut-off is a critical safety control designed specifically to prevent boiler damage due to low water levels. If the condensate pump fails to return enough water to the boiler, the water level can drop to dangerously low levels, which poses a risk of overheating and possibly damaging the boiler or even causing a catastrophic failure. When the low water cut-off detects that the water level has fallen below a safe threshold, it automatically shuts down the burner or the boiler itself to prevent any further operation while a hazardous condition exists. This action safeguards the integrity of the boiler system and protects against the risks associated with low water conditions. In contrast, other controls such as the high and low pressure limit controls focus on regulating the pressure levels within the boiler system but do not directly address the issue of water levels. Similarly, flame safeguard controls ensure that the burner operates safely with the correct flame presence and does not directly impact water levels. Thus, the low water cut-off is the appropriate safety control in this scenario, addressing the potential hazard specifically associated with the failure of the condensate pump.