On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:24:09 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

wrote:

imagine a power failure in a emergency, when you really needed water
like a fire.

a ball valve 1/4 turn on main way better choice.

try to automate things too much and the equiptement may cause worse
troubles of its own

In the book, "SystemAntics," one finds the rule:

"Fail-safe systems fail by failing to fail safe."

Consider automobile brakes. Originally, you stepped on a pedal which pulled
a wire that expanded the brake shoes.

Then came hydraulic brakes.

Our '52 Hudson had both mechanical brakes and hydraulic brakes. At
least my older brother told me that. It might have had one on two
wheels and both on the other two. I wish I had looked.

Then power-assisted brakes. Then dual-brakes.

As someone whose brakes have failed 6 or 7 times, I do like dual
brakes. I think on 3 separate cars the flexible brake line to a front
wheel failed. Fortunately I was going slow and though I hit something
each time, no real damage. Once I was stopped by an old chain link
fence leaning against a lot of bushes.

Power to the brakes also failed twice because the plastic tube, 1/2
inch, right angle, right at the brake booster at the hose from the
carb, popped off its cap. Once for my '65 and once fcr my '67 Pontiac.
Both times were the first times I drove the car, not counting driving
it home after acquiring it! Once after my brother drove 60 miles to
the Philly airport to go to Viet Nam, lent me his car for a year, and
I drove it home. The brake vacuum failed the first thing the next day.
On the '67, the part failed the morning after I bought the car. Is
that eerie or what? Dual brakes would not have helped in these
cases. I don't think I hit anything these two times.

Also on my mother's '58 Ford Fairline 500, the metal brake line broke,
right in front of the left rear wheel. When it was taken to the shop,
she was told it failed because it needed linings, but that's not at
all true, is it? That time, when the brakes didn't work, and there
was a car turning left in front of me, I reached for the hand brake,
and opened the hood. Then to separate the cars, I put the car in
reverse, forgetting that it couldn't stop. But that time, I actually
grabbed the hand brake and stopped it within 10 feet. That was good
because the car was crooked now, and instead of staying in the left
lane, I was backing into the right lane, on the main street in town.
Fortunately, in Indianapolis, even the main street is quiet. 7PM on a
Sunday at 28th st on Meridian St. So there was no one there to hit me
a second time.

I think once I've had a failure since I've had dual brakes. The light
went on, I conclused the master cylinder was bad. I replaced it and
things were fine, and I didn't crash into anything. Much better than
the other 6 or 7 times.

Now anti-lock. The number of parts in the brake system has grown by two
orders of magnitude, each part with its own potential of failure.