In France there is a lovely term for finding temporary measures or for saving money on stuff known as “système débrouille”. I couldn’t find an exact definition of the expression but we recently experienced it in our own unique way.
Our Systeme D
As you know, we have been suffering from heating problems due to the extreme cold weather. Last Saturday our oil boiler decided it was going to work when it wanted to and I blogged about how we were literally freezing. Temperatures were as low as -20 degrees Celsius at night and on Monday our heating system packed up altogether. That meant no heating and no hot water!
Fortunately for us, a good friend had managed to get their neighbour to sell us some wood so we weren’t completely cold. Mr Piglet and I moved into the living room and the three of us huddled together in front of the fire.
Thankfully Baby Piglet goes to the Nannies during the day so I was comfortable that she was keeping warm. When at home she has an electric radiator in her room to keep her nice and warm.
On Tuesday disaster struck, Baby Piglet caught the dreaded gastro (tummy bug) and began projectile vomiting everywhere. At only 9 months old my poor, poor baby was very sick and I had no way of getting rid of the terrible odour that had invaded the house. I bathed her as best as I could using a flannel and a bowl of cooled down boiled water but by Wednesday afternoon desperation had sunk in.
I called my Mother in Law hoping that we could escape down to her house for a few days, as she answered the phone my hopes plummeted, she was sick with laryngitis! Not something I wanted her to give to Baby Piglet.
So I started calling on local plumbers and heating specialists.
Deep down I hoped that there was another issue with the boiler and that we would be able to get some heat. After numerous calls and being told that nothing was possible for days, I finally found a firm that prioritised families with young children. We were in luck!
The guy came out and spent a few hours looking at our boiler and concluded that it was definitely down to the frozen oil. I sighed, oh well, at least I had tried.
Later that evening after Baby Piglet had gone to bed and I was drinking wine in a bid to keep warm, my phone started ringing. It was the owner of the plumbing firm – he had a temporary solution to offer us! Systeme D!
At 9pm he rolled up and came in carrying two jerry cans full of car diesel. We watched, intrigued as he dismantled part of the boiler and sunk two tubes into the jerry can. He explained that this would keep us warm and allow us to have hot water and when we ran out, we’d just need to pop down to the petrol station. Even I could mannage that!
I’d heard of local farmer folk using red diesel to run their cars but not of anyone using car diesel to run their boiler! This was upside down, topsy turvy living. Systeme Debrouille in all it’s glory.
So the innovative plumber had found a temporary (if not expensive) solution to our coldness and I felt much better knowing that my darling daughter would be nice and warm.
Each jerry can costs 30 Euros to refill and the first one run out this morning but I think that was more to do with the fact that it had to re-heat everything back up.
Jerry Can!
I am so grateful to the plumber for not giving up on us and am so relieved that he found a solution for his, his innovation has made us warm and also proved that solidarity and good service from companies does exist.
I did have a chuckle as well as Mr Piglet was getting on well with him and they were chatting just like old friends and the apero (at 11pm mind you!) was being served. Mr Piglet asked what the Plumbers wife was doing and I just loved the Plumbers response: “she’s probably in bed” he sighed! Mr Piglet was asking in fact what she was doing in her life which is the literal translation from French, the information he was seeking is what profession she had!
Do you have any Systeme D experiences?
ps. I’m pleased to report that as of todat Baby Piglet seems to have recovered although she will only eat Strawberry yoghurts right now!
Fantastic!! I’m so glad to hear you’re all warmed up and snug again and that BabyPiglet is doing better.
I have a kind of Système D story. I rent my house and one day the kettle caught on fire damaging the worktop. It took ages to get anyone to do anything, and I really didn’t want to replace the whole surface, so a guy came round one day with a sheet of aluminium, cut the right surface and stuck it on top of the damaged part. Looks quite stylish! 🙂
if you’d wanted an aluminium plaque on your worktop rather than needing one to cover up a burn, it would probably have cost you an arm and a leg! LOL! Glad you got it sorted though, worktops seem to cost the Earth here!
ps. How did your kettle catch fire?
It was a crappy plastic thing from Norma, not to EU norms I think cos it didn’t have an automatic cut out to stop it burning dry. So it burnt dry and carried on, nearly set the whole kitchen on fire! Last time I buy anything cheap like that from Norma. Actually I never go to Norma now.
So glad to hear that Baby P is feeling better and that you have heat. Also lovely to hear about someone putting themselves out to help when you needed it – don’t hear too many stories like that these days!
No you don’t do you? I was so happy with the service that his card has pride of place on our fridge and I won’t hesitate to call upon them again that’s for sure. Of all the firms I called his was the only one to assist and to offer a solution 🙂
Glad Baby Piglet is better…and what a super plumber!
We had a problem changing water pipes….connecting iron to copper, I think and had all sorts of estimates which all involved dismantling everything at vast expense.
Our Turkish general builder saw the estimates, called a friend – an old boy – who came out with his soldering kit and a bit of leather and did the joins no problem…he explained that only leather would ‘pull’ the solder correctly. and that no young plumber would know about this trick because they were all trained on copper alone.
Thanks Fly! What a super plumber you had too by the sounds of it! You can always tell the ones with plenty experience that can find innovative solutions or just a solution to a simple problem. How lucky you were!
That’s great – we had the exact same solution with our heating system when we moved it (until the feed pipes were replaced).
🙂 Glad we’re not the only one’s that have used this system 🙂 Tell me, was it something you already knew about or did a clever plumber suggest it?
Can’t wait for this cold to go away!
I honestly don’t know how you guys cope with this, I’m glad you are getting some help.
To be honest, I don’t know either! Thank goodness we’re nearing the end of this cold spell!
OH MY! At least you are warm! Great you found a helpful plumber!
Glad BabyPiglet is feeling better!
expensive too!
I’m for getting a little heat however you can. Hope this is just a temporary measure and your regular heating system will be up and running soon – probably just in time for warm weather.
Yup! You got that right! Heating is on again and it’s lovely and warm outside too! Thankfully it’s all becoming a distant memory now 🙂
Sharron, I am so sorry for Baby P and the whole situation ! Your story brought me back lots of memories from the time my son was that small. It’s no easy thing to raise a child alone,in such climate.
It’s good you can have some temporary releaf with this diesel improvisation but just take good care, it is very dangerous, nothing to joke about. It is a desperate solution and I hope they’ll be able to make the system work out agin properly.
P.S. We had to replace the whole bolier and central heating console … The old one finally colapsed last thursady, when we had again a dreadful – 24,7C and refused to start again no matter what ! This winter is insane, I have never experienced anything like this in my whole thirty ‘ somethin 🙂 life.
Hi Rosabell, I hope the cold spell has passed for you now as it has hear and that your heating was sorted out quickly. You are right, it is no joking matter the cold and it is very dangerous. I feel so bad for all of those that had no heat at all, I consider myself very lucky despite the problems we had.
Hey Piglet-I’m so glad you had some one really nice who came to offer you help! It’s always such a great feeling when that happens. I am so sorry about Baby Piglet and I am happy to hear she is feeling much better (I my self have had kids on vomit-projectile days and that is definitely no bueno!). We have used systeme-D for so many things around our remodel that I wouldn’t even know where to start! As long as it works, then all is good. Stay warm and dry and here’s hoping that the weather improves in our neck of the woods 🙂
Ashley
Hi Ashley! I think you and the Dude are King & Queen of systeme D for sure! I am amazed at some of the stuff you guys have undertaken and take my hat off to you!
I am happy that you hooked up with someone who was concerned enough about you and your family to keep thinking of possible solutions to your problem and offering to come back to see if it would work. I am sure its no fun ever to have a little one who is sick let alone with projectile vomiting but it has to be the worse when its cold and you can’t clean up properly. Keep up your courage; the sunshine and warm weather has to return soon.
Thanks Michel! I am pleased to report the warm weather has returned, the heating is back and Baby Piglet is much better (and the house is clean again!).
Glad to hear your daughter is over the bug. Her timing could have been better though!
It’s been a very tough few weeks with this cold. Our boiler was playing up so I’m wondering if it was frozen oil as well.
Anyway, the thaw is here now, so time to start fixing the burst pipes …
Sorry that you had burst pipes, they are no fun and can be expensive to fix. Hope it is all well and that your boiler is back on? Our oil finally finished defrosting on Wednesday…
Thank you for yet another good read. I live in both California and France, and have an idea for a blog post. Could you please let me know how to contact you?
Sherry
HI Sherry, thanks for stopping by. Pigletinfrance@yahoo.co.uk is my email address.