Need advice, heating broken - do we do hotel?

[Bubblebuttress]

Hi. Boiler at zero, think a radiator is leaking. Spoke to insurance, They said they will send someone. Tomorrow I guess. Kids are over 5 so not vulnerable BUT MY ITS Cold.

They said we could have 100 towards accommodation. Does that put the premium up more though next time, are we better to use it or suck it up and pu on electric blankets and use hwb

positing for traffic will decide in next 30 mins, nearest premier in is 30 mins away

We had this last year, boiler packed up between Christmas and New Year's, worst possible timing.

Get the blankets out, hot water bottles, candles and get cosy.

If it's not fixed by tomorrow, then I'd probably go to a hotel. I vividly recall the extreme headache from trying to take an ice cold shower, never again.
It took 40 kettles worth to get a luke warm bath for the kids

Oh gosh that sounds serious op, and miserable. I've taken to sleeping in a thick woolly cardy as our heating goes off at 8pm. We have a log burner but going into the bedrooms is very cold. Sometimes I get warm and chuck the cardy off half way through the night.

Fan heaters won't be an option if your electric is off. I suggest lots of snuggles!

We had a power cut when I was about 5 and heavy snow outside. Lived in an old pub so not the warmest
All I remember is being so so cold and sleeping in my parents bed with them. Day 4 they sent me to stay with friends and the house was so bright and warm!
Honestly I was blue with cold

One night fine especially if you have electric and can have hot drinks and hot water bottles but that was horrible

That sounds grim indeed! No water now so no hot water bottles or drinks. If not fixed tomorrow we’ll head to a hotel. Will use the hairdryer trick after I’ve shit done water in to do the teeth. Thanks for some of the tips.

Shit. That's an absolute fucker, sorry @Bubblebuttress. Maybe consider that hotel for tomorrow if not fixed quick.

Can one or both of you take the day tomorrow, check in a hotel and get sorted with clothes, necessities, the calls, bodies and with a kettle at your disposal?

We had this. For two nights we all slept together in one room for warmth with a tiny little fan heater. Extra blanket over thw window as well as curtains, you'd be amazed the temp didn't fall that low

Oh sorry to hear your update OP. That's crap. I guess one of you are going to have to take a day off tomorrow to sort out. Absolutely go hotel if it isn't sorted by then.

Can you leave a key with someone tomorrow who can be there if any trades people need access??

it wouldn't have occurred to me to go elsewhere to sleep, my heating is always off overnight anyway.

im not sure why you've turned your water off if the issue is with radiator pipes?

I hope it all gets sorted for you quickly!!

But, presumably, OP has electricity so can use electric heaters and kettles.

For a real story of hardship have a read from the link below. I've been to Elephant Island in the Antarctic and that's cold. How Shackleton survived with all his men is a great tale of resilience and endurance. An amazing man.

https://www.history.com/news/shackleton-endurance-survival

Can't you get an electric blanket. It is one of the best things I have ever bought.

Personally, I wouldn't move out even if the boiler was broken for a month. But then, we have 6000 W of electric heaters knocking about 'just in case' - plenty to heat the kitchen-dining room and living room, plus to take the edge off the bedrooms before tucking the kids in. For hot water there's an electric shower and a kettle. Using electricity for water and space heating would cost more, but nothing like as much as a hotel. And if we stayed in a hotel we'd have to deal with a whole lot of inconvenience.

If you don't have electric heaters on hand, could you borrow some from local friends and family, or ask around on local social media?

Oh, and agree with others that you shouldn't need to turn the water supply to taps off if the leak is in the central heating circuit. Just make sure the link you used for trying to repressurise the CH is disconnected or shut off.

I saw a video on Shackleton and his men some years ago. I don't know what they were made of. I don't know how they possibly survived. All that tremendous cold for months and months on end! Then after surviving that, some went off to war! It's definitely worth reading and watching documentaries about their expedition.

I'd buy an electric heater or hot water bottles and lots of clothes and blankets. Keep the lights, tv etc on to warm it up.

Hi, leak is in a water pipe not radiator /heating circuit. Poured through the ceiling. Stopped after 5 hours when we turned the water off. Home emergency can’t come out until sat. Work impossible to cancel. We both operate and people have waited years to see us. In a hotel, ready for school run and work. Youngest kids hands turned raynauds-ie. No toilets working. We could grin and bear it but home emergency have paid for this. It’s through the bank so if you don’t have a bank account with it get one! Thanks for all the replies, weather warms up from today so the very cold house will be better. We too never have the heating on over night, but with it not working in the day, it’s not at a decent temp.