The war against the slugs continues. We keep our cutlery in containers on our dining room table as I currently have two drawers that work in the kitchen and both are full. The kitchen was elderly when we moved in 1994, and the counters are still admirably solid, but the drawers and doors are shaky at best. I can't see it being upgraded any time soon, so I'm working around it. As I don't feel confident that the slugs would stay away from the cutlery, I got some expensive (to me) wooden containers and added some copper slug tape. In the unlikely event of a slug heading that way, the tape should keep them in their place.
It's not a thing of great beauty, but it's not awful either and I've always been a sucker for copper. After posting this, I need to go down and put down more traps as I've been forgetting all day.
As for the boiler, it needs replacing. A nice man came around and prodded it, confident that all he would have to do would be repressure the system. That didn't work. He prodded around and fiddled with the thermostat, which also didn't work. Then he called his boss and started investigating a little closer. It was just like being on holiday as almost the same thing happened to the boiler there. In the end, it was diagnosed as the electronics had failed, partly because of a load of sticky stuff that had oozed onto the circuit board. The nice man asked whether something had been glued.
I remember that last year, when other nice plumbers serviced the boiler, something broke off and they glued it back on. Apparently the glue didn't stay in the break and it may have melted a little over the hot summer. It's gunked up the circuit board and there's not much the current nice plumbers can do. It was sort of embarrassing as the nice man was trying to look up the codes for the non-functioning screen and our model was too elderly for him to find anything.
So we are paying £3000 for a new boiler. I paid the deposit today. That sum includes system flushes and all sorts, will take a full day, and is happening at the end of next week. Until then, I shouldn't complain. We have hot water, electric heaters, and lots of blankets. I still want my radiators.
It's kind of funny, because I didn't grow up with central heating. I remember getting dressed under the bedclothes in winter when I was a kid, and I certainly didn't have the luxury of electric fan heaters everywhere. I shouldn't be complaining so much. I still want my radiators!
While the nice man was prodding at the boiler, he was leaning across the washing machine. This wouldn't be a problem, as the machine turns itself off automatically quite soon after every load. However I'd just finished washing some clothes and I think the nice man leaned on buttons in a complicated way as after he left, I went to put a load of DH's clothes in, and we couldn't get the washer to work. Honestly, I was terrified that we would immediately have another huge bill. After trying turning it on and off again, switching it off at the mains and back on again, and swearing, DH found the solution online. We pressed the right things in the right order and the washing started. For a moment, though, I could see money evaporating from the kitchen.
This boiler was installed February 2010, and I remember a lot of what was involved. I have nine days to make sure that there's plenty of access to the kitchen radiator and the cupboard in my room which used to hold the old immersion heater. That should be plenty of time. Stuff has been shoved into places and piled up which makes it harder for the nice plumbers. This is a great excuse for a clear out - a really big, empty-everything-out, clear out. And I'll need to get used to the car because I'll be driving to charity shops and the tip. There's no way that I'll manage more than a small clear out by next Thursday - but it could be the start of a bigger one.
Mind you, I've a lot of writing to do, and I want to do a clearance of the garden and plant some bulbs before the cold sets in...
I'm going to have to use a lot of lists.
For those in the UK and who are older, I found this video thought provoking. I've been meaning to look into setting up alerts for a while, and I'll have to talk with DH about it. It's not nearly as alarming as the headline makes it seem, but it makes some useful points. I need to add it to a list.
Hugs and good health to all.
Just a thought, and forgive me if you have had it already... When we had slug issues, we finally tracked down their entry point - round the pipe from the dishwasher which went through the kitchen wall to the drain. There was only a minuscule gap, but they were getting in there and coming out from beside/under the d-w. My husband squirted some expanding foam all round the pipe. No more slugs...
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the waste pipe to the drains. It's tricky to get to, but it has to be worth checking out. Thank you!
DeleteI never had central heating either as a child - although the 1 fireplace was in the middle of the living room wall (does that count as it was 'central'). Other than that, in the depths of winter we would have a paraffin heater on the landing, which didn't really give out much heat unless you were right next to it. It did, however, produce a lot of vapour to add to the damp in the house, and fumes which made our eyes run. After Mum died, when I was 7, we had a gas fire fitted in the living room (a Cannon Gas Miser) but Dad, who had to leave for work at 6.30 a.m. would leave the gas oven on a low heat with the door open so we at least had a warm kitchen to get washed and dressed in (we had no bathroom by today's standards - just a tiny room with a bath and gas geyser in). However, as a 'perk' of getting older and having an auto-immune condition, I too feel the cold now. I am further south than you (in the Midlands) and am trying to hold out a bit longer before I put the heating on the auto setting but I have had a few short blasts already. To think we were all complaining of the heat a few weeks ago!
ReplyDeleteI complain about the temperature whether it's hot or cold - I'm an equal opportunity grumbler.
DeleteDo you know, I remember seeing those paraffin heaters on landings, and I swear that none of them did much. It just made everything feel damper! Things have changed so much and DH and I have sometimes talked about it to bear, but I don't think he really understands the difference that central heating makes. Mind you, the lad is a furnace and never feels the cold, lucky duck that he is.
I'm sorry you have the expense of having your boiler replaced; hope the installation goes well and the new boiler gives you good service for a long time. I'm having my furnace checked, tomorrow, and I've asked the technician to check my oven too, as it has stopped working.
ReplyDeleteI hope that there's nothing expensive for you and the oven is fixed. You make so much delicious food that I don't like to think of you without cooking facilities.
DeleteOh no - yikes what a bill!
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have central heating either. Don't think we even had a heater in our bedroom. There was on in the hallway but it was pretty cold in our bedroom. I remember the windows (single pane of glass) frosting up quite badly. lol. Think we have things a lot easier these days.
Yep, I remember the ice on the window in the days before double glazing. It's such a change, and I'm sure that bear doesn' t believe half of my stories about growing up!
DeleteWe've just turned our central heating on. It's now set to 17 degrees. That's usually plenty warm enough for us. We held off until the weather turned cold. We both remember ice on the inside of the windows. How did we survive
ReplyDeleteI loved the hot waterbottles that kept us snug at night. I think that I'll dig mine out tonight! Unfortunately, I feel the cold, and I'm shivering at 17 degrees :(
Delete