Back boilers

worriedfirsttimebuyer

Does anyone have one of these boilers located in the chimney breast wall?

We've inherited one in our new house and it seems to be working very well, the house gets very warm and it's quite quiet considering the location.
Only problem is, the fire front, the gas fire which is connected through the boiler is damn ugly and old-fashioned.
We have heard that you cannot simply remove the fire and buy any old other fire as it won't work, but we really can't afford at the moment to replace and move the boiler - and in any case it's in good condition and works fine.

Looking at some Baxi literature, i found that the do some more modern fire fronts now. Would it be worth getting one (cost about £750) or would it be more economical to replace the whole boiler, fire and pipes (cost about £3000???)?

We want to move home in about 3 or 4 years. We're not sure how old the boiler is, or how to find out. It's an ex-council house.

Thanks for any advice on this.

jockettuk

funnily enough was looking into this the last month.. we in the same position and unfortunatley we were told by a few people of the trade that if you want to change the fire you have to change the boiler.. the fire is part of the boiler and we were quoted anything between £3000 to £5000 to have a new boiler..

the back boiler works fine and has given plenty of heat out of the rads etc so we not planning to change it untill we have to..

owey

Same problem 4 years ago, fire didn't work boiler OK, but even if you replace the lot you will have the same problem in years to come.
I went for a combi in the end, and they got rid of the back boiler,fire and tank etc all for about £2000. Best money ive spent.

Alan50

would agree with the last post, more economical. If you do decide to sell up it would help with the sale. ie. next buyer may (buy to let) so the gas and electrical safety certification would be essential

Alan (NICEIC electrical domestic installer)

jackieb

We also have a back boiler with a Baxi fire. The fire cost £500 11 years ago. We had ours serviced only last week and it's working fine. I asked the engineer how long they normally last and he said usually 10-15 years but he has seen them 30 years old still working.

When this one breaks down and dies we're going to replace it with a combi boiler.

plumb1_2

jockettuk wrote:

funnily enough was looking into this the last month.. we in the same position and unfortunatley we were told by a few people of the trade that if you want to change the fire you have to change the boiler.. the fire is part of the boiler and we were quoted anything between £3000 to £5000 to have a new boiler..

the back boiler works fine and has given plenty of heat out of the rads etc so we not planning to change it untill we have to..

Not correct, you can change just the fire( but limited to styles) and leave the boiler in-place, only a couple of hours work.

jockettuk

plumb1 wrote:

Not correct, you can change just the fire( but limited to styles) and leave the boiler in-place, only a couple of hours work.

so ive been told but can never get anyone to come and do it.. everyone i ask says oh yes can be done but it shouldnt really and oh im so busy and oh so this and that etc ... we wanted to get rid of ours and put a coal effect gas fire but doesnt look like it going to happen..

will stick with what we got till it packs up then will get a better one..

plumb1_2

jockettuk wrote:

so ive been told but can never get anyone to come and do it.. everyone i ask says oh yes can be done but it shouldnt really and oh im so busy and oh so this and that etc ... we wanted to get rid of ours and put a coal effect gas fire but doesnt look like it going to happen..

will stick with what we got till it packs up then will get a better one..

Thats because, there is more profit in ripping it out and chargeing you £3k for a combi.

Basicly they are a good boiler, with little that can go wrong with them.

jockettuk

plumb1 wrote:

Thats because, there is more profit in ripping it out and chargeing you £3k for a combi.

Basicly they are a good boiler, with little that can go wrong with them.

if you can get a ruddy plumber to come and do the job in the first place.. your just to far away arghhhh lol

kevturner

Go for the 2k combi option, more efficient, will save you money in the long run, and you can have a nice fancy fire in the hole thats left