Help! Our boiler's bust and we need a new one`

[Jux]

Our plumber can't get the parts ( - he really can't he's spent a week chasing all over everywhere, inc internet, and the company stopped making them 3 years ago) so we have to get a new boiler. Not only that, but because the house is as it is, there're going to be problems once it's installed as it'll be pumping water round old victorian lead pipes and we're going to get leaks and all sort of problems.

I've looked for grants to help financially, but can't find anything we qualify for, even though I get DLA and dd is under 16. Anyone know of anything?

Try Home Heat Helpline They'll be able to tell you if you're entitled to any grants or other financial helps.

A friend of mine phoned her council to ask for help and (apparently) they've agreed to pay for a new boiler, new double glazing and to get her roof fixed for her house, which she owns, not rented or HA. She's adamant it's not means-tested and just some kind of council grant. It all sounds very odd to me, but I know she's had it done and didn't have to pay for it, so there's obviously some sort of help available. I can

I just got a new boiler and if there were a grant going, I'd have bagged it. There was a scheme but it ran out ages ago. If you can stick with a vented heating system then do so, it keeps the presure low in the rads etc. A lot of plumbers seem to pull a face at this, no idea why, the only real advatage of an unvented system is that if there is a leak, it can only dump so much water. Are you looking for a combi or with a water tank? How many bathrooms etc.? maybe you've already figured that stuff out.

Hi, thanks. I tried Home Heat Helpline but they were very busy and they ask you to leave a message so they can call you back. I did. They didn't (well, I'm still waiting, and rang them on the Thursday as soon as I read your post, AgentProvocateur).

Meanwhile, SS have a service called Care and Repair for people with disabilities and they are already involved with me, so I rang them and asked and they told me to ring the County Council, who provided us with details of another scheme for which we may be eligible and knocks maybe 400 quid off the cost of a boiler.

If anyone else is in this position, then get on to your County Council as DaisySteiner said. Ours seems to give some help, though we haven't found out yet whether they will actually help us! Don't know the criteria, DH took over (of course).

That's good to know about HHH, Jux. We have a link from our work website to theirs, but if people can't talk to an advisor straightaway, then I think we should reconsider recommending them.