Central heating broken

I want to say a big 'Hats Off' to British Gas. Yesterday while reading this I noticed it felt a bit chilly so checked the radiators - all cold, the light on the thermostat was on which meant the boiler was working - it wasn't. I have HomeCare 400 insurance with BG so rang them and after a bit of pleading and telling them my age (81) they agreed to send an engineer during the next four hours (instead of Thursday). It did stretch to six but he arrived at 8.40pm, found out what was wrong, replaced the broken part (he had one in the van) checked everything was working and left at 9.40pm, Thank you Rob and well done British Gas.

In the 1947 winter her sisters in law thought my mother wasteful - she would put on a one bar electric fire in a bedroom for a short while before bedtime - when no one was ill!!
This winter I've been getting into my dressing gown early and keeping throws handy for when I'm watching tv.

This is precisely why we have a wood burning stove in our kitchen-living room, so we are not entirely dependent on the municipal heating plant.

If your houses have chimneys in working order, you might want to consider a modern stove with particle filters etc. that lives up to EU standards before next winter.

If that is not an option, a good calor gas stove can heat quite a large area very well.

Yes Whitewave...... Haven't we got soft , or is it just old? I remember the one coal fire in sitting room and paraffin heater ( on the landing) in our case...and all bedrooms doors left open to try and 'reap the benefits' as my dad used to say! There was three of us kids in the big front bedroom ( me and two bros).. we did have a I you 1 bar electric fire on the wall but woe betide anyone of us that turned it on, it made an enormous 'clunk' if you flicked the switch that could be heard all over the house hahaha?. I do remember 1963 winter I was 12 .... we had ice forming inside the window frames and the wind would howl around the bedrooms. Yes thank god for hot water bottles eg! I've got one at my back as I tap this message dos my old heat-pad packed up over last weekend. Hey-ho!

We had fireplaces in all 3 bedrooms, and at night time my father would bring a shovelful of blazing coals, and put a fire in each room.

My sympathies. Reminds me of coming home from working in Saudi, December 1990, air-rage incident and delays on the flight then arriving home to find gas boiler packed up. Try to get a replacement in the run-up to Christmas? 'Yer 'avin' a larf, missus, ain't yer?' No, actually not. I longed for a hot bath and a warm bed and got neither.

Whitewater, I was 7 in the winter of 1947. I was at a neighbouring friend's birthday party and we were playing Murder -, remember that ? I was the victim lying prone on the floor and suddenly their full size grandfather clock was approaching me fast. I woke up on my Dad's knee in the Doc's having four stitches in my eyebrow and still have the scar. In the intervening time Mum had struggled through a snowdrift to the only neighbour with a phone to ring the Dr. Another neighbour had taken me and Dad on the precarious trip to the Surgery and back in his Classic, Open top car !! So Murder it nearly really was !!

Just bought an electric throw - wonderful for when you don't want or can't have the central heating on and costs only pennies to run

Maybe we are getting soft these days - I too remember only one fire in the house (no heat in the bathroom) and getting dressed by the fire with my clothes warned on the fire guard! And I remember the lovely fern patterns on the inside of the bedroom windows when 'Jack Frost' had been!
But now I couldn't bear to be without CH and you have my sympathy silversurf.
Yes Daisyboots, we too have an oil boiler - we live in a village with no gas. Ours needs replacing now but we've had it for 20 years.

Yes Whitewave.
I was born in 1945, so there was no mollycoddling for me either as I grew up.

My first experience of having the luxury of central heating was not until 1983.
Up until then, it was paraffin heaters, gas fires, etc.
Now I am older, I do feel the cold more and appreciate CH, but it can a bit stuffy at times.

I am so sorry that you are suffering in the cold at the moment Silversurf. I hope the engineer sorts it today so you can get warm again.

I don't know whether oil boilers are more simple than gas boilers but having lived in country areas for the last 30 years I have had oil boilers and only one which was already 12 years old ever needed repairing. Does anyone else have an oil boiler? I have always had them serviced annually.

New pump installed and heating and water now working.
I’m happy, cat is happy. Result.
Thanks so much for all your support. I can concentrate on getting better now. Very happy bunny

Silversurf
Ps Forgot to mention there was no charge even on a Xmas eve ? as it had only been serviced three months previous.

Really hard to play with numb fingers wasn't it Lupin? An hour a night for 3 years and I still couldn't master it.

Silversurf
Is your boiler serviced on either a six or 12month basis as recommended by the manufacture.I have a company who carry out a regular service on my oil fired apps and they also give a guaranteed 365x 24 hour callout service.My experience of this was tested mid afternoon xmas eve two years ago when my central heating had refused to operate.Within four hours an engineer called, Got it going. Fortunately only an air blockage in the feed pipe. Not serious and would not need any new parts but these would have been available if necessary.Were it not for this service how long would I have been without heat does not bear thinking about.I believe there is insurance for these sort of things happening.We never know when we will need it.

I was 10 in 1947, remember it well! It seems to be the season for things going wrong. The drain from the shower tray in my ensuite declines to discharge into the outside drain. Instead the water comes up through the middle of the floor! It’s had a whole bottle of drain clear, with no success, the plumber will “ try and get to me this week”. Oh well, at least I have another bathroom. At least I am warm. Hope everyone gets their problems sorted.

If you were signed up with British Gas they would have organised a same day visit.

Get well soon Silversurf and fingers crossed for a cosy, warm house this evening

I can remember Jack Frost patterns on the inside of the windows, and racing across the landing to get washed as quickly as possible in the cold bathroom. It did have a heater up on the wall, but took ages to take effect. I also remember having to practice piano in a very cold front room.
Good luck with the boiler and keeping warm SILVERSURF. I hope things look up soon.

As for boiler insurance...I’m with Worcester Bosch and it is really expensive (nearly £22 pm) however boiler has never broken down I think because of their very thorough service done every summer replacing worn parts or updating electronics etc, fans etc. My eco boiler now about 8 years old I was told by local plumber heating engineers when I got it that it was best mended by the manufacturers as complex electronics makes it too difficult for them to get parts. So I took their advice as it clearly wasn’ In their interest. I hope you get warm soon OP as it looks to be very chilly today.

I remember how cold indoors it was when we were children. Mum used to heat a brick in the oven, wrapped it up in newspaper and pop it into our beds to warm the bed, and Dads old army great coat over the blankets to keep me warm.
Thank heavens for central heating.

Hope by now its all sorted out

Happy New Year everyone. COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. A lung disease which makes breathing very difficult, especially if you have a cold etc., but also just by walking around which can prove very difficult for some people.

Does anyone else remember being told off for rubbing your fingers on the ice which formed inside the windows on the glass? The patterns were lovely, but my brothers and I used to try and rub the ice off and my mother would forever be saying 'you'll crack the glass'!

I hope your heating is back on soon.

I hope the OP gets well soon and keeps warm in the meantime (which I'm sure she will do) Not sure what the letters stand for.

WHITEWAVE

I was 2 in 1947 and I premember the tin bath in front of a roaring fire and pjs warming on the guard, NEAR but not in front of, the fire. Then ovaltine and bed. I did have a wonderful childhood despite no mobile phones or central heating ...lol and it gave me a resilience which stands me in good stead. I'm sitting with a coffee in my bra and pants before getting dressed, with the ch off since yesterday. I don't like stifling heat.