?Back Boilers??

[Andrew]

It could be a solid fuel Parkray stove with a back boiler. There might still be some about. If it is gas then it will well over 20 years old.

what size pipes are feeding the hot tank ?. If they are 28mm then it will be an older installation. If they are 22mm then the hotwater circuit must be pumped, only later installations had a pumped hot water loop.

Someone near me had a replacement baxi bermuda boiler and gas fire front fitted in 2005 to her 1975-built house (after they had become 'illegal') because she didn't want her new kitchen messed about with, so the installer agreed.

If it has been serviced (which means hoovering out the crud that ends up in the heat exchanger fins) and has inhibitor in the system then it may be ok but it could be well over 40 years old. Needs careful inspecting.

[Andrew]

You won't find them on the actual BAxi web site though.

[David]

The house we bought in the mid '70s had "partial central heating". That is, a Baxi coal fire with a back boiler - you moved a flap in the chimney to direct the flue either straight up or round the back of the boiler. Hot water on gravity. Pump for the 2 or 3 (can't remember) radiators.

We then bought a used Rayburn solid fuel cooker (had been converted to oil, and we converted it back, plus had to strip and rebuild to move it) which we plumbed into the gravity system. Boiler was at the back of the firebox. By the mid '80s it was starting to leak a bit.

Noting that if you forgot to close the draught on the Rayburn at night you could be woken by loud thumping noises as the whole thing boiled up, and you had brown hot water for a bit.

That was more or less the start of my DIY journey.

Cheers

Dave R

[John p]

I have a bacon Bermuda 50 back boiler Behind the electric fire in the chimney breast

7 radiators running on it 23 years only replaced the thermocouple once 7 pounds from b and q Have a Emerson heater for the hot water Clean it out once a year ready for winter otherwise no issues spares are readily available on eBay I won’t be changing it anytime soon Lot of work to put in a combi boiler and not reliable at all

[Brian]

Interesting!

I?ve not seen the house and may never do so if she doesn?t buy it ;-) If she does, the above will be useful, thank you.

I?m familiar with ?normal? vented CH systems. Our eldest bought a house with an unvented system and I?m still trying to understand their quirks. Now there may be a back boiler to deal with when the phone rings ;-)

[Andrew]

One serious problem that 1970's houses with a class 2 flue block arrangement terminating in a ridge tile was the use of plastic bolts to secure the asbestos-cement final flue section to the ridge tile. These typically went brittle and snapped allowing the section of flue in the loft running from the 45 degree exit-flue-block up to the ridge to fall to one side. BG knew about this problem in the 1990's and it will have been fixed, but worth checking.

If the back boiler has replaced an existing coal fire then there should be a liner in the class 1 chimney, something else to be checked.

[Petek Temizliği]

These systems are old. Combi is now used. You can get detailed information about combi boilers from this address:

[The Natural Philosopher]

System boiler is now used. Even if its a heat pump

[Brian]

I assume this is a response to my earlier post?

If so, Thank you.

However, the information is no longer needed - at least by myself. My youngest was considering buying a house with one and, as is usual, I expected to be asked questions.

As it happens, that purchase didn’t proceed ( I’m not sure why) although they have since found a property which seems to be much better.

[Vir Campestris]

I thought combis were really popular with builders as it allows them to leave out the airing cupboard and make the rooms bigger.

The fact they don't work very well is irrelevant!

But I could be out of date.

Andy