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[TD]

Quite pleased with myself today 

My mum has been in hospital for the last 3 weeks.....today she was going home 

Ive had her central heating set at 15C for last 3 weeks.....just to stop the house getting too cold...and just let it do its thing..

So this morning I pop over to her house and turn the stat up to 21C....boiler kicks in, but 5 mins later it shuts down again and stays off....rads were luke warm when the boiler shut down...

I knew she paid for central heating insurance.....so I phoned up insurance comp....and got told to phone the number they gave me and quote an authorization code.....so phoned the central heating comp and explained the situation....got told they couldn't do anything for a week 
Phoned the insurance comp back, told them the outcome of that call.....and was given another number to call.....same result basically....carnt come out this week or next 

So I thought, sod em, lets do some basic fault finding....

So...

Boiler kicks in....but shuts down super quick....
Went up into loft to check the pump.....pump is running....but found two bleed valves about 2 inches above the pump (why 2valves I don't know)
Opened one valve, air hissed out.....closed when water ran out
Same thing with the other valve.....air hissed out then water.....

Boiler kicked back in and heating was working again 

So guess the pump was trying to circulate air!

Lovely and jubley warm when she came home 

I think I'm going to cancel the heating insurance she has......as clearly it doesn't suit an 85 old....I stressed this when I rang ins comp....and all they did was give me numbers to plumbers...whatever....who wouldn't come out as an emergency! 

Its £300 a year she pays for central heating failure 

[Andy B]

I think I'd be inclined to do the same & cancel. If they can't manage to get some one out to your Mum while the weather is genaerally mild, how long would they have expected Mum to wait if the weather had been freezing? The premium would go a long way to paying a plumber if the need arose.

Well done on your diagnostic skills 

[STEMO]

Well done, Dave, award yourself a blue peter badge. A lot of these 'insurance' companies are merely 'go-betweens', who just hand out phone numbers and, no doubt, pay the plumber next to nothing for the job.
I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

[Andy H]

£300

A part of that would be better spent on getting an old school family plumbing/heating company to do an annual service. Keep the rest for a rainy day.

[Jimbob]

Well done, Dave, award yourself a blue peter badge. A lot of these 'insurance' companies are merely 'go-betweens', who just hand out phone numbers and, no doubt, pay the plumber next to nothing for the job.
I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

Ours has been used 4 times over a few years, each time sub 30 minute response, best one I hadnt finished posting on facebook I was stranded before the van pulled up behind me!  was instant!  Dont think youve anything to worry about.

Good result on the heating Dave, Save her eating all your pickled eggs to keep warm

[2boxerdogs]

Definitely cancel it, if you are unable to sort it yourself get someone to recommend a local chap who is reliable,far better than £300 pa for sweet fa.

[Shackeng]

Well done, Dave, award yourself a blue peter badge. A lot of these 'insurance' companies are merely 'go-betweens', who just hand out phone numbers and, no doubt, pay the plumber next to nothing for the job.
I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

Funnily enough Steve, I've had to call them twice in the last two years (I'm through my bank) and both worked OK, although the recent non-starting incident took nearly three hours to arrive. However I suspect that was my own fault for telling them I was waiting in the golf club bar!

[STEMO]

That's good to know Jimbob and Chris It's the wife I worry about, if she ever needed to call them out to change a tyre.

[Nick W]

I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

Every RAC job I went to had been waiting for hours longer than we had the job. So don't worry, you'll receive the same terrible service as their paying customers. You have checked that your 'free' cover is actually worth more than you paid for it?

[TheBoy]

Well done, Dave, award yourself a blue peter badge. A lot of these 'insurance' companies are merely 'go-betweens', who just hand out phone numbers and, no doubt, pay the plumber next to nothing for the job.
I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

Ours has been used 4 times over a few years, each time sub 30 minute response, best one I hadnt finished posting on facebook I was stranded before the van pulled up behind me!  was instant!  Dont think youve anything to worry about.

My last experience of the RAC was called them on a cold early evening (about 5ish), they turned up about 11.  Tosspots.

[STEMO]

I often wonder whether I'll be top of the list if I ever phone the RAC and say I'm covered by my bank account. Or if paying customers will get seen to first.

Every RAC job I went to had been waiting for hours longer than we had the job. So don't worry, you'll receive the same terrible service as their paying customers. You have checked that your 'free' cover is actually worth more than you paid for it?

Yep, £10.50 a month, both covered for roadside assistance, home start and onward travel with either courtesy car or hotel stay if no repair possible.

[nemo]

We have central heating insurance with British Gas.Not sure of cost but around the £300 mark per year.Annual service and emergency call outs parts and labour included.Never had a problem with them always been prompt and efficient.Just called them as 3-way valve stuck here within 2 days new valve and new pump fitted and boiler serviced in all excellent service would thoroughly recommend them if you want peace of mind for your Mum

[TD]

Was over at mums today.....even tho heating was working....I heard some gurgling noises from the heating....went into loft and got some more air out of the vent valves.
So, what ive decided to do.....seeing as when you bleed a rad, black water comes out.....

Cancel the ins she has....as it seems its useless for her.

Hope the system keeps working over the winter...

Then when its warmer.....get the plumber I use to come out...

Give the boiler a service (which to be fair the ins comp did every year)....and also give the system a power flush to get of the sludge it obviously has in it....

Tho this might be brought forward, if the system becomes more problematic 

[Shackeng]

Yep, sounds as though the system is generating a lot of hydrogen due to corrosion.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Sounds very similar to what's been happening with mine.