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The plumber turned up out of the blue to do some final checks and fill in some paperwork and apparently the whole caboodle is kaput in some mysterious fashion relating to the number 8.

Crossposts: http://louisedennis.livejournal.com/235007.html

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From:

lukadreaming.livejournal.com

Meh. Hope the man can hit it with a big spanner and cure the problem.

From:

purplecat

Nope. Boiler-menders possibly on their way, possibly not. I'm now in that frustrating situation where I have to wait around for tradespeople and I'll worry every time I go out that they'll come and go while I'm not here.

From:

daniel-saunders.livejournal.com

There was a sketch years ago (Smith and Jones, I think) of two men in a car watching a house, like police on a stake-out. Suddenly someone comes out the house and walks off and they burst into action, leaving the car, sprinting to the house and, before taking off, shoving through the letter-box a card saying "British Gas: we called today, but you were out".

From:

purplecat

I believe Yodel drivers are regularly found standing in people's porches writing out the "could not deliver" note - a side effect of the payment structure, as I understand it, in which they are paid the same for attempted deliveries as actual ones.

I vaguely recall that sketch and yes, I think it was Smith and Jones (either them or Not the 9 O'Clock News). Anyway I've now established no one will do anything until Monday afternoon.

From:

wellinghall.livejournal.com

Ah yes, I also remember that sketch :-)

From:

reggietate.livejournal.com

Is this the new improved boiler? Oh dear!

From:

purplecat

It is indeed. The plumber was very upset, it's his favourite make of boiler. I think he's taking the malfunction as some kind of personal slight.

From:

fredbassett

Oh dear, I hope he manages to fix it in some equally mysterious fashion!

From:

purplecat

No he's just gone, leaving me boiler-less with rather vague information about when a repair man may turn up/get in contact.

I really hope they either come today or tomorrow norming or not until next week. I was planning to set-off dahn saff at 4pm tomorrow and if there are boiler men in the house it will all get delayed and no doubt I won't get to yours until some hideous time at night!

From:

wellinghall.livejournal.com

"Oh dear" sounds inadequate. And it's your super-duper all-expenses-paid trip, too, isn't it.

*hugs*

From:

purplecat

Well it transpires no one can make it out to see the thing until Monday so it's probably just as well we're away for the weekend.

From:

bigtitch.livejournal.com

Plumbing is a Dark Art it wouldn't surprise me at all if numerology was involved.
Hope it gets fixed soon.

From:

purplecat

They're coming out on Monday. As I said to Fred, it's a good job we're away this weekend!

From:

mysteriousaliwz.livejournal.com

Bugger!

From:

purplecat

My thoughts exactly.

From:

knitekat.livejournal.com

*grr* Bloody annoying. What has the number 8 got to do with it?

From:

purplecat

8 may be the error code for the fault (which apparently means the fan is jammed) except that the 8 is not appearing where the plumber expects it to appear, where a number 3 is displayed, however 3 isn't an official error code. But since the plumber was a bit suspicious about the fan when he installed the boiler he's opting for problem type 8. The poor man was very put out, apparently this is his favourite make of boiler and he's taking the malfunction as a personal slight.

From:

king-pellinor.livejournal.com

Is there an error in the error-reporting system, then?

3 is just 8 minus 1, after all.

From:

purplecat

3 is just 8 minus 1, after all.

I can think of a few ways this might be the case, I'm now wondering which you are thinking of.

From:

king-pellinor.livejournal.com

How LCDs often show numbers.

I can't think of any others, I'm now wondering what you're thinking of :-)

From:

purplecat

I thought of the LCD one, but also that 8 minus 1 is 7 which number bonds with 3 to 10 - though I couldn't quite make that one work. I also messed around with different bases for bit - in binary if you take away a 1 from 3 and add three zeros you get 8 but that seemed even less plausible than the number bond one - in base 4 eight minus 1 is 13 but I thought I was maybe beginning to overthink things at that point.

From:

king-pellinor.livejournal.com

I was wondering about different bases, and maybe using a modulus, but I couldn't get it to work with only a minus 1.

From:

knitekat.livejournal.com

Ah. Well if he's put out and taking it as a personal slight, hopefully he'll fix it quickly.

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Apparently I jinxed the boiler

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