Advice needed about emergency heating for OAP

jenza8

Does anyone have any advice as to where we can go to get some help for my Grandma? Her heating system has packed in and she's left with no heating or hot water. She has had a plumber in who has said she needs a new heating system. (am sure this is correct as hers is ancient). The problem is that she just cannot afford to pay for this and unfortunately, neither can we. She is eligible for the warm front grant but we've been told that this can take 6 months and is not for emergency heating issues. Obviously, she cannot spend the winter without heating or hot water and so I wondered if there was any form of grant or help for people who needed emergency heating. She is very stubborn and is refusing to leave her house and will not stay with either us or my mum.

Thanks in advance.

HappyMJ

If she needs heating right now then go to any good electrical store and buy an electric heater or two. For the next few weeks/months it won't be that much more expensive than the gas. Look at her electric and gas bills and switch tariffs to one in which electric is cheaper for higher users and one which is cheaper for low gas users possible one without a standing charge. If a fixed tariff looks cheap then add the cancellation charges to get a better idea of total cost. Then once that is sorted then look at grants or look at borrowing the money to fix the gas central heating. For hot water just use a kettle for the short term.

Yorkie1

Might be worth contacting Age UK to see if they can offer any specific advice too.

floss2

Speak to the team in the local authority who deal with Warmfront and tell them she has no heating, is the age she is and that she needs emergency help. In my council it is the Care & Repair team, and they have emergency heaters that they will loan out until a new boiler is fitted.

garethgas

a couple of cheap fan heaters will help a lot.
If the heating isn't working Warmfront will do it in a matter of days.
Get it touch with Age concern and they can advise you.
You'll also need a written report from the plumber confirming its no longer repairable.

keystone

She needs an independent second opinion and then a third. Only then can you start to make judgements about the system as is. Fin.

Cheers

MaggieBaking

My granny had a problem with her old boiler and was told she needed a new system. The next plumber said that she didn't need a new system, and she got a fix for far far less.

I agree with previous comments. Get on to your local council to find out, contact Age Concern, and get a second opinion from a reputable plumber.

In the meantime can you buy her a portable heater? For example, http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152181/Trail/searchtext%3EHEATER.htm

pinkteapot

Second the comments re a second opinion. Can you or someone else be there when the plumber goes round to take a look? Ideally someone with basic knowledge of central heating systems.

Unless you can get a recommendation in the area, find a plumber using the GasSafe Register website. If you know anyone with a Which subscription, they can look on Which Local for recommended traders in the area.

Do you know what type of system she has? A plumber shouldn't say "you need a new system" and leave it at that. Ours for example consists of a boiler (with a programmer), a pump and a motorized 3-way valve. I would expect the plumber to explain whether all of these items need replacing or just the boiler.

Probably a daft question - depending on how ancient the system is, does the hot water cylinder have an electric immersion heater? Ours has one so if the boiler packed up we could turn it on to heat the hot water at least.

jenza8

Thanks for all the replies.

The plumber was recommended by age uk and in fairness to him, he probably has explained it in more detail but grandma doesn't remember things very well. Her hot water cylinder is about 60 years old - was what was put in when the house was built. The tanks have rusted through and caused a leak and when then plumber has been to sort that out he has said the boiler is not safe to use. Am going to try ringing her local council to see if there is anything available to help out.

pinkteapot wrote: »

Second the comments re a second opinion. Can you or someone else be there when the plumber goes round to take a look? Ideally someone with basic knowledge of central heating systems.

Unless you can get a recommendation in the area, find a plumber using the GasSafe Register website. If you know anyone with a Which subscription, they can look on Which Local for recommended traders in the area.

Do you know what type of system she has? A plumber shouldn't say "you need a new system" and leave it at that. Ours for example consists of a boiler (with a programmer), a pump and a motorized 3-way valve. I would expect the plumber to explain whether all of these items need replacing or just the boiler.

Thanks. To be fair to the plumber, he probably has explained to grandma in a bit more detail but she doesn't remember things very well. Mum is pretty sure the hot water cylinder has never been replaced in the whole time the house has been built - about 60 years. The tanks have rusted through and have caused a leak; they definitely need replacing. he has said that the boiler isn't safe to use. The plumber was recommended by age uk and we've tried speaking to them about solutions for paying but they say they'll ring back and don't.

Probably a daft question - depending on how ancient the system is, does the hot water cylinder have an electric immersion heater? Ours has one so if the boiler packed up we could turn it on to heat the hot water at least.

pinkteapot

Ahh, ok, if it's that old and the plumber came from an Age UK recommendation then that puts it in a different light. It's still well worth getting multiple opinions/quotes. As I said, on the GasSafe Register website you can search for registered plumbers closest to a given postcode. Might be worth having a few more round (with someone else present) as the quotes could well vary quite a lot.

I used to live in a flat and found the heating insufficient. I bought a couple of extra electric heaters. You can get convector heaters very cheaply but I found oil filled radiators more effective for use for hours on end. Argos do these from £40 upward. As an emergency measure it would be worth putting one or two (depending on room size) in each of the essential rooms in the house. I used a 2Kw one in the lounge of a flat as additional heating and it was decent.

Also make sure she has plenty of warm clothes (and wears lots of layers). Even in our house which is well heated I wear a couple of pairs of fluffy socks at this time of year. I have arthritis in some of my toe joints and if my feet get cold they stiffen up horribly.

CharlieBilly

I would still get a 2nd opinion. Also bare in mind while electric heaters will do its horrendously expensive and her electric bill may go through the roof. I know she has to keep warm its imperative but she might get a nasty surprise electric bill in Feb/March