Using Parkray without water

[Deleted User]

I was just wondering if it is safe to use a Parkray solid fuel fire without having it connected up to the central heating e.g. radiators and hot water cylinder?

I saw an advert on ebay where someone is selling an old Parkray and saying it can be used as a standalone wood or solid fuel burner without connecting the pipes up. Is this true?

I'm only asking as I'm having a gas combi put in soon and my Parkray solid fuel system removed. But if this is true, I'd leave the Parkray in as a standalone fire.

gamston

think I've read you have to fill old boiler with sand, but you would need to make sure the was no air trapped as that could make it a bomb

[Deleted User]

Knew you are not meant to use them without water being in them. Obviously the guy on ebay doesn't know what he's talking about.

highrisklowreturn

You can use them without water - what he means is you drill a hole in the front of the boiler passage to drain any water, then work away. I've seen it done and the heat from them is unreal.

[Deleted User]

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

You can use them without water - what he means is you drill a hole in the front of the boiler passage to drain any water, then work away. I've seen it done and the heat from them is unreal.

So if the 4 connecting pipes are disconnected from the boiler, left uncapped and the system drained, the Parkray can have a fire lit in it safely or do I still need to drill a hole?

Cardew

Deleted_User wrote: »

So if the 4 connecting pipes are disconnected from the boiler, left uncapped and the system drained, the Parkray can have a fire lit in it safely or do I still need to drill a hole?

If the 4 pipes are left uncapped all will be OK; as long as any fumes from these pipes are properly vented.

[Deleted User]

Cardew wrote: »

If the 4 pipes are left uncapped all will be OK; as long as any fumes from these pipes are properly vented.

The 4 flow and return pipes will be left uncapped and of cause the flue will be properly attached to the chimney.

If this is safe it sounds good to me.

highrisklowreturn

You need to cap the 4 exits to the fire, otherwise the smoke would rise out of these and follow where the pipework went and cause an explosion or heavy sooting somewhere you don't want it. When capped the smoke will have nowhere to escape save the flue pipe.

[Deleted User]

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

You need to cap the 4 exits to the fire, otherwise the smoke would rise out of these and follow where the pipework went and cause an explosion or heavy sooting somewhere you don't want it. When capped the smoke will have nowhere to escape save the flue pipe.

Now I'm lost, The 4 pipes I'm on about are the water pipes where the water used to circulate inside the walls of the fire to heat up. How would smoke get from the fire into the walls of the fire? Otherwise the water would have been leaking.

Chimney_Sweep_3

Poor advise, do not use it these have led to many explosions and deaths/near deaths over the years along with openfire backboilers, they are meant to have water in them and heat the water. They would need to be installed under building control which would never pass it and no HETAs person would instal one capped or uncapped with or without sand or any other magic powders in them.
They were never that good an appliance anyway there is much better on the market in the £5-700 bracket.

highrisklowreturn

Who says they're no good? I have a 1986 consort powering 13 radiators, all hot water, and house is roasting every winter, unlike the rubbish oil system that preceded it. Fire is also beautiful to watch.




You also didn't grasp the person's query. It can't cause a backboiler explosion if the water has been drained as the explosion would be caused by vapour overheating which was remaining in the boiler ie which was undrained. These can still be run as stoves assuming drilling of the boiler and disconnection of water and capping of all flow and return pipes.