back baxi boiler being removed- new fire?

cleofish

I am wondering if anyone has any advice or in the know.

I live in a council flat and they have come today to do a survey to replace an old baxi back boiler with a new (condensation?) combi boiler, they will also be removing the fire (like an old bar plate gas fire).

But they have said they will just board up the fire hole and not replace it with anything else. They measured the radiator and have said that it will be efficent to heat the room. They did say people normally buy an electric fire to sit where the gap will be in the harth fireplace.

However im wary to do that because:

a-the cost of running an electric fire, ive heard they can be very expensive to run and

b- althought it was an old plate gas fire it did really heat the room and it was nice to be able to heat just one room rather than the whole flat.

what i want to know if it is possible to have another gas fire in the hole? I know the council wouldnt fit it, but would it be possible if i got another gas enginner to fit one?

what sort of gas fire should i look for? just a normal insert gas fire? also would the flue in the chimney need replacing?
is it possbile to just fit it to the gas pipe in whatever way the council leaves behind the hole? perhaps i could tell them im planning on having another gas fire and they could ensure the fitting is there?

or what about a flueless gas fire - that might solve the flue problem but would it still need to be fitted to the gas supply at the back like a normal gas fire?

any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

gas4you

The flue liner would need to be removed before a new gas fire could be fitted.

Ask the council worker to leave the gas pipe in the fireplace live and just cap it off.

rustyboy21

You may be able to keep the flue liner in, BUT and it is a BIG but.... It must be checked rigorously by a registered installer of gas fires, or a Gas safe reg sweep, to ensure that it is intact and has no leaks. If it does leak, it would need taking out and either a new one fitted or if the chimney is ok, then a gas cowl or pot put on the roof.

If you like the outset radiant fire you have had, swap it for another model, they are the hottest fastest ( if that makes sense ?) and you are used to them.

What you have to look into is,

a. Whether your council will let you put one in, some won't
b. You say it is a flat, what floor is it and how many floors are above you ( important to know as limits on gas fires )
c. The council will most likely take the gas pipe right back to the meter, you will have to make sure they don't.

d. DON'T under any circumstances, look at having a flueless one fitted, too much to go into here, but there are many threads on here, warning about them. The main point too is that you will need fixed open airvents fitted in the wall, which will cancel out any heat you have coming off one.

At the end of the day, if the council say NO there isn't much you can do, if you have one fitted without there knowledge, they most likely will condemn it when they come out in 12 months to service the boiler.

cleofish

thanks guy for your replies, i think my first stop will be contacting the council to see if they are willing to let me install my own fire.

I would of course get the fire serviced myself every year, by the right engineer

thank you for the heads up on the flueless gas fires as well.

I live in a top floor flat, its a house that is split into two flats, if you see what i mean.

can i ask what you mean about taking the gas pipe back to the meter, would that be physically installing new pipes? my gas meter is in my property with gas heating pipes in every room! (old flat- where i think they didnt think of asthetics back then just function). or would they just shut down the pipes running to the back of the fire?

they did say for the combi from the gas meter they would run a pipe up from the meter to the attic across the attic and back down to a different room where the combi is, well that is what i think they said

also will they have to actually remove the back boiler? i think he told me they were going to strip the boiler?

having the flue liner removed, sorry for my ignorance but is that because flue liners are only for back boiler fires and not the modern fires? i thought a flue liner was just an open pipe that run up the chimney?

gas4you

Back boilers had to have a stainless steel flue liner fitted to the existing chimney.

A standard gas fire does not need this, so the flue liner will have to be removed before a fire is fitted and a new cowl put on the chimney.

You can however, have a metal firebox fitted in the fireplace and a fire fitted to this. The fire box would then new a new flue liner fitted to it.

Your existing flue liner is not suitable, even if it was to test ok, as the flue liner needs to be deemed to last the life of the new appliance it is being fitted to. This cannot be said about your old and existing one.

Depending on the make and model of the new fire, it may need a larger flue liner than the 5" one already there as well.