Tuesday, October 28, 2008

[the worcester combi boiler] and the tale of cold feet

We are not happy chappies at the moment.

Boilers should last ten years, some have been known to last fifteen or even twenty years. If one buys the best available, on the grounds that it is less likely to go kaboom, then imagine one's feelings as this four year old device first loses its vacuum switch, turning the house into a cool store and then, some weeks later, the boiler fixed to the tune of a few hundred quid, the fan goes on it and the rigamarole of calling the man eight to ten times to get him to fix it runs into a three day affair [or even four], with no heat and no hot water.

No matter - no doubt you've all been in that position yourselves, with your very own Worcester Combi-Boiler. No doubt your toes were frozen half off your feet as the bumbling Worcester Combi-Boiler repair man led you into a false sense of security by promising he'd order the part and call you back the same day.

Seven hours ... eight hours .. nine hours ... then you called for the nth time and were told that he'd been trying to call you all day [an outright lie] and that he'd have the part by tomorrow sometime.

Did you feel the teensiest weensiest urge to kill, when that happened?

I know - we should be more manly about it, more robust - to plunge the face through the icy crust in the basin, to shed the jackets and double socks and be ... a Stoic. This is Sparta, after all, as Ordo would say. Besides, it might have happened between Christmas and new Year. Think about that!

It behoves a reader to bear the misfortunes and tribulations of others with equanimity so let's say no more about the matter. Let's put it out of mind and move onto more pleasant topics like discovering there was no Blogger problem after all and the three days composing from html could have been avoided, had I known that the bloody settings had decided to reconfigure themselves. Or even discovering what was previously a dormant investment fund, spending most of the day negotiating about it and getting the assurances that all was well and underway, only to be stymied by the fund manager at the last hurdle who has now frozen all redemptions on that fund for the foreseeable future.

Not to worry. What they can't prevent is hopping into bed with the Mac and watching the second half of Zorro from under the bedclothes. Nighty night, good people. Let's smile and think of people who really do have problems.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

UPDATE: Read Posh Totty's account at her place too.

10 comments:

  1. James,

    I had one of these things installed a year ago. I sympathise.

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  2. Martin, all will be well tomorrow and perfect equanimity will reign. How are you doing, by the way?

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  3. I have something similar as you can imagine - but I also have a pet boiler fixer who I serve beer to.

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  4. I live in a fairly new house. Back end of last year the double glazing had failed beyond repair and was not economical (and the house was cold) and had to be replaced. Followed 2 months later by the boiler failing completely. Upon investigation the boiler was obsolete, the builders had bought an obsolescent product. No parts were available to fix it!

    A new boiler was needed...

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  5. I have had same problems with my boiler, but luckily it was not used for regular heating-only hot water.

    They can land on the moon yet they can't make a decent boiler?
    It's a conspiracy.

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  6. Imagine it - all boilers set to implode on Christmas Eve - would make a good novel.

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  7. I hope your boiler gets fixed soon. I've never seen a boiler, but we do have a heater of some kind. I have been dealing with other home maintenance/repair issues though.

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  8. James (sorry to point out the blindingly obvious)

    BUT - are you actually sure it is broken?

    Reason ? We had a boiler failure last winter, no light on the panel etc.
    Takes the panel off to the shop, hmmm the man says, "I don't think they are still current stock, but i'll find out"

    2 days later, no call from the man - goes into a rage and goes into the cupboard housing the said boiler to see the master switch had been caught & turned off.

    Turned the master switch on and wooshh - the boiler starts (and we thaw out..)

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  9. I'll tell the owner this, Jonathan and thanks. We think it is the fan though.

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