So we had Jill over this weekend staying in the back room. For those that know it also has the combi boiler in it, which annoyingly fires up every now and again to keep it ticking over, even when switched off. Therefore as good hosts we switched the boiler off at the mains so that Jill could get a good nights sleep. Come Saturday morning we switched it on and all was fine. So we did the same thing Saturday night, but come Sunday morning we switched it on and nothing happened.

Bugger.

Listening closely to the boiler we could hear the quiet mechanical sound of the timer ticking round, so we knew it was getting power, so it was just the main circuit board with all its green flashy LED's that was dead. Great, so donning my work clothes I set to removing the boiler cover, killing the power supply and having a look at the fuses in the boiler. And low and behold 1 has blown - rated at 125mA. Great, "I'll just nip down to B&Q and get a replacement" I said to myself. Only B&Q don't do them, "Jon" helpfully told me, "the lowest we do is 1amp for light switches etc."

Bugger.

He did suggest trying Halfords, which I did, they didn't do them that small. Halfords suggested Currys, they didn't do them. They suggested no-one, useless idiots. So I turned as ever to Yellow pages, however given it was a Sunday didn't hold out much luck. City Electrical Factors were shut, as was the Plumb Centre, as was Maplins. There was one place in Sheffield that was open 7 days a week so the ad said. I rang them, excited and hopeful, only to be greeted with a cross between English and mumblish (coming from me that's saying something!) I gave up all hope, and resigned myself to greasy hair for the day, hoping that early Monday morning I could get up, go to the bright eyed wholesalers all before heading to work.

Only they don't open until 8am (well not the departments I needed), so I got up early this morning for nothing

Bugger.

Oh well, all is not lost, there is still Maplins. So off I trot at lunchtime to Maplins, home of everything electronic, everything except 125mA fuses!

Double Bugger.

So I've ended up buying a pack of 100mA fuses, and another pack of 160mA fuses. Hopefully the 100mA fuses will hold, and if not I'll risk blowing up the boilers PCB with the 160mA fuses. The only small grace is that if it does work, at least I'll have saved myself the cost of a plumber coming out and replacing a fuse, which would have annoyed me greatly had we called a plumber!

I'll keep you posted as to whether it works or not.