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A heart warming story — 8 Comments

  1. It's a miracle you and your family are still alive! Breathing all those fumes… The cast iron radiators in skool I remember.  When we moved in here in 1969 there was a simple solid fuel boiler, which had to be cleaned out and lit by hand each day. Just a simple switch for the circulating pump. Every  so often someone would forget that it had been lit and the dampers left wide open. Suddenly there would be a banging sound, and water spurting out the overflow!  Eventually I revamped the entire system and had a gas boiler fitted. At some point the old wooden windows were replaced with UPVC double glazing, so no more ice on the inside…

    • One of the problems we had in the second house was that the Extracite fumes sometimes built up in the cooker itself.  The gas would then explode with a loud bang.  It was a Tirolia solid fuel range with a massive cast iron hotplate and a very heavy lid.  The explosion would be enough to lift the lid and blow the hotplate skewwise.  It used to scare the shite out of Herself.

  2. I too have fond memories of the inside ice…fascinating to melt with your fingers and breath…never had central heating..never felt the need to be honest. Mind I have only lived in two houses over my fifty four years on this rock. The first was my parents, well the councils to begin with and there the council ripped out a glorious black fireplace with a warming oven, bread oven, water boiler all integral as well as a little swing thing to boil the kettle with. Best toast ever on the end of a toasting fork held over the hot coals.
    They replaced it with a tiled monstrosity and a small fire opening with a fitted back boiler and pipes (my mothers word for radiators in the three bedrooms…by the time I knew what the were they had silted up so were never more than lukewarm…heated oodles of hot water though.

    On moving to the present abode I installed a wrap around boiler to heat the water and it had to have a pair of radiators fitted to act as heat sinks…so one went in the bathroom and one went into our bedroom, furthest from the boiler=more unlagged pipe=bigger heat sink, only ever on when the fire has been on long enough to trigger the stat thing into running the pump, not often these days as we burn scrap wood not coal and am too lazy to rip the wrap around out and replace it with a woodburner, oh and it still works as well as it did when I first installed it so if it ain't broke and all that.

    Still never experienced any inside frost in this house and it's all single glazing…probably warble gloamings fault…if that is still a must have disease of the mind!

    • When I invested in the latest I was putting my money where my mouth is – the world ain't getting any warmer!

      The only small problem I have now is to remember that the water coming out of the kitchen tap is almost at boiling point.  I have scalded myself a few times already.

  3. The only time in my life that I lived without central heating was in Tucson Az.  None of my apartments had any heat… didn't need any.

    Growing up there was a huge, fire breathing oil-fired boiler in the basement.  It was always nice and toasty in the basement but my parents kept the thermostat turned so far down it was always cold in the rest of the house.  I mean wearing a sweater AND scarf inside.  Now that I'm all grown up and paying my own bills, I keep it 'shorts and a t-shirt' warm in my apartment. 
    Winter = bad  Heating systems = good

    • I wouldn't say it was "shorts and t-shirt" warm here.  It would be too much of a shock to the system if I have to go out.  Just nice and comfortable is all I ask!

  4. The sister in law is back living with us again………… 😉  I don't think she owns any heavy clothes, if you know what I mean …….. so I don't need any central heating! Phew!

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