Back Boiler

crabbman2004_2

I have just moved into a flat where there is a hideous wall mounted gas fire. I have now established that this is the front of a back boiler. Am I right in thinking I unable to remove the gas fire. And if I wanted to replace it I would have to replace the whole back boiler system. If I did how much would this set me back and where would I find such systems?

Thanks

danm

as far i know you are correct . I recently moved into a property with a simlar set-up.

I had a CORGI guy out to service it and give me some advise. he said if i could put up with the fire (which tbh i don;t mind that much...bit of character and all that) then i should keep the old boiler. His opinion was that all the regs and requirements on the new combi's etc meant more to go wrong etc.

worriedfirsttimebuyer

We're in the same situation. Have thought about it a lot, and decided to keep the fire and boiler. Back boilers are huuuge and very powerful, would be a very messy job to remove. Yes the fire is ugly, but boy does it get the room warm quickly.
We're decorating in there at the mo, and we're gonna fit a sort-of radiator cover over it, that we can remove with clips at the sides if we want the fire on (not often, only on really cold days). We're gonna buy the lattice-work front and we'll have to make the sides cos it will be wider than your average radiator.
You can buy replacement firefronts from Baxi, think they have an online catalogue, but they are expensive and not that great really.

EliteHeat

Depending on the model of boiler you may be able to get a more attractive fire-front, but I wouldn't bank on it.

You cannot remove the fire-front under any circumstances.

It's quite an expensive job to remove a BBU and replace it with something else. You will also have a fair bit of reinstatement work to do afterwards.

Back boilers are not particularly efficient or attractive, but on the plus side there is normally very little to go wrong with them.

economiser

I regret the day I replaced my old back boiler with a modern boiler. The old back boiler may not have been so efficient but it was simple and reliable. The new one may save a bit of gas but the costs of repairs and servicing mean overall it is a lot more expensive. The old one broke down just once in 35 years and the repair (replacement thermostat) was a DIY job that took no time at all.

worriedfirsttimebuyer

I feel reassured reading this thread! Our back boiler is very old, very expensive gas bills, and quite noisy. We've just plastered the lounge and i keep worrying that the back boiler will die and need to be removed, ruining my nice new walls.
But by the sound of things, they are quite reliable and long-lasting. The hot water is always incredibly hot too!