I live in rented accommodation in the UK. The hot water is scaldingly hot. The radiators burn to touch. The shower temperature is hugely unreliable -- scalding or freezing. The landlord is worried that a plumber will rip him off, based on bad experiences in the past, and unwilling to pay to investigate. Can you help me understand what's going on? I'd like to put my landlord's mind at rest regarding plumbers, and set his expectations regarding likely diagnoses and solutions -- and hence cost. I also suspect this situation is wasting energy and hence driving up the cost of heating bills. I'd like to persuade the landlord that fixing it might be a good idea. [more inside]
posted by ajp on Apr 12, 2013 - 23 answers

I haven't even turned the heat on yet and my gas bill is already as high as it was last winter. WTF? [more inside]
posted by mskyle on Aug 22, 2012 - 13 answers

Can you tell me how to buy a boiler? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama on Aug 9, 2012 - 23 answers

Heating an old house: Should the baseboard heating stay or go? [more inside]
posted by bookdragoness on Jun 1, 2012 - 19 answers

Is this a valve and, if so, how do you open it? [more inside]
posted by demagnetized on Jan 4, 2012 - 15 answers

How bad is it to stick out the winter with my house's ridiculously old heating system? [more inside]
posted by zvs on Sep 18, 2011 - 14 answers

Does my home really need a new boiler? How do I choose one? Where should I buy it? How much should I pay? [more inside]
posted by wordwhiz on Jul 30, 2007 - 3 answers

My landlords turned on the heat in my building, and now my room smells funny. They say that it's nothing, but I'm kinda worried. [more inside]
posted by Afroblanco on Nov 5, 2006 - 19 answers