Home water birth with a dodgy boiler?! Any ideas for a backup plan?

[db124]

Hi all - my other half and I are planning a home birth with a birthing pool but we rent our house and have a dodgy boiler that the landlord won’t replace.

Does anyone have any bright ideas for a backup water heating system?

NHS is (brilliantly) providing the pool which will hold somewhere between 450-650 litres, but that means kettles and pans on the stove might look a bit pathetic!

Our hot water comes out at a rate that means it’ll take about 75 minutes to fill anyway. It also comes out at 47c at the hottest, so I can fill some of the pool a few days before and have that at room temperature.

But I’ll still be in lots of trouble if the boiler breaks down at the wrong moment.

I’ve tried companies that hire out portable boilers, but these all seem to be far too big or expensive.

Is a big tea urn my best bet?

Thanks for any ideas!

I've had friends before that just pooled resources and brought over everything they could, tea urns, crock pots, big boiling pots, it was very DIY! Along with the boiler, that might sort you out, but I guess it totally depends on how long your labour lasts?

Can you adjust the output temperature of the boiler? Mine has dials behind the face place that are adjustable.
As far as I know, birth pools aren't meant to be that warm. blood temperature seems about right.
Don you have any nice neighbours who would let you attach a hose to their hot tap? I would ask very nicely and offer to pay.