WILTON – A Thompson Street couple was reimbursed by selectmen Tuesday for sand damage to their appliances that happened after they connected into the town water line two years ago.

Tom and Tracy Walker came before selectmen seeking reimbursement of $2,605.28 spent to purchase a new washer, dryer and water heater.

Town attorney Lee Bragg indicated that the town did not have a legal obligation but the board has the discretion to pay part or all of the request, said Town Manager Peter Nielsen.

New appliances, installed two years ago when the water system was connected to his home, were damaged by sand, Walker told the board.

The water company has been working for months to find the source of the sand. It has blasted pipes, installed filters, tested and flushed and believe the sand is no longer in the system, Nielsen told Bragg in an e-mail.

While the reason for the sand in the water hasn’t been determined, Water Superintendent Russell Mathers told the board he believes the sand was left in the pipe at the end of construction of the line on Thompson Street. Walker lives at the end of the street.

The board unanimously voted to reimburse the money. Funds will come from the Water Department’s budget, Nielsen said.

Fire Chief Sonny Dunham gave the board his quarterly report. After the department was called out for an accident Monday during town meeting, Dunham asked about actions taken on the $16,000 needed to replace the furnace at the Public Safety Building. He expected the work to be put it out to bid after voters approved the proposed propane boiler.

While he favors propane, Selectman Russell Black suggested that the board might want the town manager to look into other boilers that use renewable resources such as wood pellets or corn.

Staff is not always available at the public safety building to maintain a pellet or corn boiler, Chairman Paul Gooch said, but agreed to look into alternate heat sources and compare prices. The board asked Nielsen to work on it.