Mike are there rads upstairs?
What I would do @wulbert is I'd disconnect the pipe-work to the downstairs rads/pipe-work under the concrete and temporarily connect a couple of downstairs rads and just run the pipe surface for the moment ie over floors etc not actually make a job of it then that should get the heating on and the hot water then take it from there.
I suspect that the under concrete pipe-work will have to be abandoned and new pipe-work installed above ground/surface and just box it all in when the work's completed, it will look terrible until it's boxed in but it's the easiest and quickest way to get things sorted and back to normal Mike.
BTW, what planet is the plumber on 'without a phone?' eff me it get's worse, can he just not go and buy a cheap one until he sorts himself out?
Guy sounds a complete plonker.
What I would do @wulbert is I'd disconnect the pipe-work to the downstairs rads/pipe-work under the concrete and temporarily connect a couple of downstairs rads and just run the pipe surface for the moment ie over floors etc not actually make a job of it then that should get the heating on and the hot water then take it from there.
I suspect that the under concrete pipe-work will have to be abandoned and new pipe-work installed above ground/surface and just box it all in when the work's completed, it will look terrible until it's boxed in but it's the easiest and quickest way to get things sorted and back to normal Mike.
BTW, what planet is the plumber on 'without a phone?' eff me it get's worse, can he just not go and buy a cheap one until he sorts himself out?
Guy sounds a complete plonker.