My boiler packed up

[jansman]

So why post this , then? Well, yesterday the boiler died. Fortunately we have electric shower-THE most important thing in the civilised world imo! we do not rely on central heating( it goes on maybe 6 times in Winter) so it is just water for washing up really.
The plumber was horrified that we only have wood fired heat! Nor did he get it that as we are so well insulated, I can sit here at 5.54am posting this in my pyjamas with no heat on 'til teatime when the stove fires up!
The boiler will be fixed/replaced or something, in the fullness of time, but I was pleased how quickly my (very) urban family adapted to using the kettle on the woodstove for wash-up water.
My good friend takes the mickey because of the amount of solid fuel I stack,well...

So where am I going,as I ramble on? Fuel Mix! I have always thought ot a good idea to have a good fuel mix. Obviously if you live in a place that has all electric( as does my Eldest now) then there are limits. Which has set me thinking about her situation.

Do you have back up for something as simple as a bowlful of hot water to wash in?

[Le Mouse]

I've got a Eurohike knock-off Trangia. It'd be slow, but I would eventually end up with a pan / kettle of hot water.

We've a mix of gas and electric - gas heating, electric cooker. I'm not sure the shower is fully electric - I don't know if it's cold water fed.

We're not well insulated so if the heating goes it's very very cold indeed. I'm a lodger so I have no say in how the house is heated (apart from having a sneaky electric blowy heater).

In an ideal world, I would live somewhere super-insulated with back up wood fired stoves. Until such time, I'll keep a stock of meths for the trangia and hot water bottles at the ready!

[KalPrep]

It is going to be important to have a good mix of sources like Jansman says. We are looking at replacing the non used gas fire in our lounge with an alcohol version which gives us 3 sources of heat then. Alternatives for cooking etc are already in place and will be supplemented with with alcohol too.

Need to refresh the energy plan and see where it can be improved.

[poppypiesdad]

Great ideas, thankfully we have a gas hob that we could boil water and still have the hot water tank with a immerser in it so if and when (cause it will) the boiler packs in at least we will still have hot water, combi boilers are great .....until they pack in .

j

[survival chic]

We have a open fire with a back boiler, solar panels to heat our water and oil heating and a electric oven but if there is no electricity then these are all useless. I am saving to buy a small wood burning stove for our dining room as we have a open fireplace there and i want to get a version of a stove that i can heat something on the top of the stove. So the only thing i have to cook food is a portable gas stove with a couple of gas canisters and if it is not raining a camp fire outside if there is no electricity.

[12mp82]

Wish we had a good back-up for our boiler, it went wrong last year and took an expensive callout and a new pressure vessel to get it sorted. First problem in 8 years but fortunately not a major replacement to be done. Only heating we had was a gas fire and kettles for washing and washing up, and good friends to use their shower

[Brambles]

I have a Gas hob and GCH. Obviously the heating would die without electricity for the pump, so I have several back-ups. A calor gas heater, 2 Paraffin heaters, a Trangia stove, a couple of gas camping stoves and a hexi stove. I like redundancy

[NorthernWoody]

We are electrically powered out here in the sticks with oil central heating. If the leccy goes, so does everything! Luckily we have 2 open fires downstairs and could all move down into these rooms if we had to.

We could cook a limited amount of things here but I have a 2 ring gas bottle fuelled stove to cook a good meal on and a haybox to bung a stew in as well as a BBQ and if desperate I have bricks to make a rocket stove

Our house is vey old and keeps us wonderfully cool in the heat (!) of the summer but its flooping freezing otherwise!

[jansman]

Good input there. The plumber fixed it(£100 later) but it makes you think, when a part of your household system goes wrong, how vulnerable you can be if you have limited options. My Daughter is in an all electric place. This is a challenge.

[Chrysallis]

Hello all

Good, thought provoking posts here.

We have mix of gas and electric, but, as we also had a chimney in the lounge, and our gas fire was condemned, we have now installed a multi-fuel stove too. We've already used it for cooking, boiling water and keeping us warm so don't need gas heating on.

Also have camping equipment, and stove, with gas bottle for alternative cooking source. It's nice to know we have a fall back - in fact mfs is going now, heating up hot water for tea, and heating us at the same time. And has the important seal of doggy approval as our terrier enjoys it too....

C