Need advice, heating broken - do we do hotel?

I'd go to the hotel. Toasty. Hot showers in the morning! That's my idea of a fun adventure. Not everyone freezing their asses off feeling virtuous. 😊

Direct a hairdryer under the children’s bed clothes for 5, 10 seconds before they get inside (and yours).

You can also put on the hairdryer in the morning to warm up the air immediately around them as they get out of bed.

Eating boiled rice makes me really hot. Maybe you could do that too?

Middle of Lidl has little miracle plug in heaters just now..and fan ones... Y'all need to huddle.

Yer this will get it working!

Hot water bottles
Electric blanket
Heated throws
Borrow if you don't have.
Thermals
Sleep in same bed.
Hot drinks
U will be fine.

I spent prolonged periods with no gas or electricity when my DS was tiny (I was in an abusive situation, there was often no money to top up the meters and in those days if it went off it went off). It was a cold and miserable existence over winter so I don't see putting up with cold as resilient, character building or any of that guff. However, for one night it can be done. Warm food and drink, any sources of heat that you have (oven will warm the kitchen, hot water bottles etc) will see you through.

Having no heating is miserable. I had no heating two winters ago and it was awful but it's just one night hot water bottles, many layers, anything thermal. put it on.

Everyone with a gas boiler should know how to restore the pressure in the boiler. It isn't hard, it is a just a knob under the boiler. You google the manual for your boiler. Do you how long it has taken for your boiler to get down to zero?

If you can restore the pressure in your boiler, you should be able to nurse it along until you get someone out to look at it. You might want to bleed your radiators whilst you are at it. Both are at the very basic knowledge level for a homeowner. Unless you'd prefer to throw your money away.

We had no boiler for a week last week (or washing machine!) with a two year old. Borrowed some heaters for each room, bathed him with a little strip wash and a bath a couple of nights at a neighbour and we used the gym or just braved a cold shower. It wasn’t pleasant but with lots of clothes and blankets it was do-able. Good luck!

I’m quite surprised that this is a genuine thread.
Still not 100% tbh.

I don’t have any central heating.
I have an open fire but I only use that on a weekend when I know it’s definitely cooled down before I go to sleep.

You posted at 8pm.
Surely the kids are getting ready for bed and if you’re cold then wrap up in your duvet or go to bed too.

Always have a couple of oil filled radiators in a cupboard for these kind of emergencies!

Put the DC school uniform under your pillows so they’re not icy cold in the morning - nothing worse than getting out of a warm bed into a cold room to put on cold clothes! I’d have my own clothes in the bed with me too but I’m a wimp.

Oil filled electric radiator or two and you’ll be fine, we managed for a few days last December with those from Argos when our boiler broke and took a few days for the part to come into the merchants.

To be honest, anyone who grew up and survived the severe English winters with no heating truly does deserve one. It was tough!

I never have the heating on at night so would not be an issue.

I would just put additional jumpers/socks and blanket on and go to bed a bit earlier.

Moving forward I think it is always good to have at least one portable electric heater just in case the central heating breaks down.

Hair dryer is a life saver, heat the bedding up with it and in you get 😅

I'd suck it up for the night. But then we only have the heating on for an hour or so in the evening, and it'd likely be off anyway by the time we packed what we needed and got to the hotel.

I'd keep the hotel as an option for if they can't/don't fix it tomorrow.

My heating is timed to go off at 9 anyway, as I guess a lot of people’s are. I don’t know anyone who has heating on overnight.

Yes, this. It's just kind of a standard home maintenance task.

It's very easy and if it's just the pressure then you can top it up in 30 seconds and be warm again! If it keeps happening probably a leak somewhere, but if does need topped up from time to time.

Urgh no way would I want a long drive to the premier inn. So I’d just fill a few hot water bottles and get on with it. I’ve turned my heating off for the day - it’s not been on all evening and I’m fine.

Have you actually attempted to increase the pressure on the boiler? All boilers lose some pressure, and if you never increase it then it will ultimately drop to 0.

If you know which radiator is leaking find it and switch it off, there’s a knob on one side and usually a valve which you would need to turn with a spanner at the other end. Once you’ve stopped the water going into the radiator which is leaking turn up the pressure on the boiler.

Unless of course the gas company have already condemned the boiler for any reason.