Over the past few days our central heating combi boiler has been losing pressure. At first the pressure drop was gradual, but today it went from gradual to steady ... and finally to rapid. In fact the pressure dropped to zero ... and at that point I switched it off.
Some years ago we took out an insurance policy on the central heating system, and as soon as I had switched the boiler off I tried to get in contact with the 24-hour help desk. Well the help desk may be open for 24-hours each day ... but the time it takes them to answer seems to be almost that long! After waiting in a queue for nearly forty five minutes, listening to terrible recordings of the music used in the current British Gas TV commercials and a selection of 'helpful' recorded messages, I finally got to speak to someone. After explaining the problem I was able to book the first available appointment for an engineer to visit ... which is Saturday between 8.00am and 10.00am.
No doubt the engineer will arrive on time ... and no doubt he will not have the part or parts required to fix the boiler with him. If past experience is anything to go by he will then have to order them, and hopefully they will be delivered as soon after the weekend as possible. In the meantime we have to rely on electric heaters to keep us warm but all our washing will have to be done in cold water.
At this rate I should be smelling quite 'ripe' by Monday ... if not before.
Some years ago we took out an insurance policy on the central heating system, and as soon as I had switched the boiler off I tried to get in contact with the 24-hour help desk. Well the help desk may be open for 24-hours each day ... but the time it takes them to answer seems to be almost that long! After waiting in a queue for nearly forty five minutes, listening to terrible recordings of the music used in the current British Gas TV commercials and a selection of 'helpful' recorded messages, I finally got to speak to someone. After explaining the problem I was able to book the first available appointment for an engineer to visit ... which is Saturday between 8.00am and 10.00am.
No doubt the engineer will arrive on time ... and no doubt he will not have the part or parts required to fix the boiler with him. If past experience is anything to go by he will then have to order them, and hopefully they will be delivered as soon after the weekend as possible. In the meantime we have to rely on electric heaters to keep us warm but all our washing will have to be done in cold water.
At this rate I should be smelling quite 'ripe' by Monday ... if not before.
Poor Bob - it's been a rum few days and no mistake.
ReplyDeletequite the week so far Bob. Hopefully the next will be better.
ReplyDeleteOur oil tank is past best before so we can't get oil. We will be relying on a wood stove and huge wood pile to get through a Canadian winter. In preparation I've just been reading a memoir from a Mountie on the prairies in 1884. Camping out in 70 degrees of frost.
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing like a drop in temperature outside to bring out the heating gremlins!
With everything else going on this is just another turn of the 'wind up' key!
I hope it gets sorted before the cold really kicks in and don't worry about the 'ripe' factor - if memory serves me correctly Newham had a few of those as a result of the old Present Arms wargames weekend show in Rochford. These were usually beer and curry fuelled as well so your 'ripeness' should be positively fragrant by comparison!
All the best,
DC
Conrad Kinch,
ReplyDeleteI think that the apposite quote is from Shakespears:
'When sorrows come,
they come not single spies,
but in battalions!'
All the best,
Bob
Ross Mac,
ReplyDeleteI suspect that our 'coldest night since the Spring' (last night, in fact!) was about as cold as a mild night in some parts of Canada.
Luckily I bought some electric heaters some years ago. They are a nuisance to store, but placed at strategic places around the house they are keeping the temperature at a reasonable level.
Your wood stove sounds very appealing ... but the camping out in 70 degrees of frost does not!
All the best,
Bob
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteBecause the weather has been so mild this Autumn, the heating has not been switched on very often or for very long ... but once it went on for a continuous 24 hours, things started to go wrong.
I am not too 'ripe' this morning as I managed to pressurise the system just enough to have a shower. That will keep me going until the engineer arrives ... I hope!
One of the things that makes COW stand apart from every other wargames events I go to is the fragrance of the attendees. All the rooms are en suite and I think that everyone has a shower at least once per day.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteIf all else fails, you could spend a lot of time at the library or your local hobby shops. Of course, what your wife would do is another matter...
Best regards,
Chris
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeletePresumably whether they need it or not....;-)
All the best,
DC
Chris,
ReplyDeleteNice idea ... but too expensive as my wife would spend her time undergoing 'retail therapy' at the local shopping mall!
All the best,
Bob
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteAre you suggesting that some wargamers only bathe when they have to?
Shame on you!
All the best,
Bob