open fire/back boiler

naughto · 01-10-2010 8:42pm #1

hi

i have an open fire in my siting room with a big(about a trailer and a half if not 2 of turf out side ) and iam thinking of putting a back boiler in to the open fire.

have a few questions

1.how much would it cost roughly

2.is it worth is

3.how much of a mess would it cause

4.am i mad to even consider it

thanks

rpmcs · 02-10-2010 9:17pm

hi, i work in fireplace company, and my personal belief is back boilers are a waste of time, but some people love them, but at the moment i advise most people away from open fire at all, go for stove, free standing or inset,
bonus for stoves are ....most stoves are aprox 75-80% effecient, where your open fire can be anything from 15-30%!! rest going up your chimney!!
think of that when put in money terms, and even when not in use you dont have all your heat going up open chimney!! they really pay for them selves!!
but anyway to answer your question... it depends what your heating? just hot water cylinder or rads? how many rads?
personally i my parents had open fire, put in a inset stove, room twice as warm, and they say they only burn about 1/3 of fuel as in open fire,
so my advise is if you want to put boiler in with look of open fire is get inset stove.

ntpm · 03-10-2010 3:37pm

rpmcs wrote: »

hi, i work in fireplace company, and my personal belief is back boilers are a waste of time, but some people love them, but at the moment i advise most people away from open fire at all, go for stove, free standing or inset,
bonus for stoves are ....most stoves are aprox 75-80% effecient, where your open fire can be anything from 15-30%!! rest going up your chimney!!
think of that when put in money terms, and even when not in use you dont have all your heat going up open chimney!! they really pay for them selves!!
but anyway to answer your question... it depends what your heating? just hot water cylinder or rads? how many rads?
personally i my parents had open fire, put in a inset stove, room twice as warm, and they say they only burn about 1/3 of fuel as in open fire,
so my advise is if you want to put boiler in with look of open fire is get inset stove.

Great advice RPMCS.
You would definetly be better off fitting a stove.
But wether you get one that heats the room only or also heats up water/rads is going to dependent on the extent (cost) of plumbing works and associated building works.

I would think that you will have to carry out the following plumbing/ builders works:
Replace existing cylinder for Twin coil cylinder. (for stove and boiler circuit),
modify piping in hot press and tee into existing radiator circuit. Supply extra pump and stat.
Fitting cylinderstat and motorized valve ( for boiler side) is a must if you want to save energy.
The flow pipework from the stove must rise to the cylinder and return pipework may have to be run in the floor back to the stove ( gravity feed).

Obviously get a coulple of plumbers to price/ give options but also factor in improving your existing radiator/ heating system by installing thermostaic radiator valves, cleaning and flushing radiators and posibly zoning heating system (and upgrading controls).

Sparkpea · 04-10-2010 9:27am

I like open fires or stoves. I wish I had one myself but we don't even have a chimney!

Costly to do if done right, twin coil cylinder, pump, stats etc. as the above poster has said.

It will be messy to do at the start, whether you're tracking the walls for the pipes rising or studing them out to make your fireplace seem larger than it is. You are best to stud each side imo so it looks like the fire is centred, plus you should have 4 pipes off the fire, 28mm f&r for hotwater and 22mm f&r for heating. Also make sure the pump is accessible so it can be changed in the future easier. Some people put it under the floor then put a wooden floor down ontop of it and you cant get access to it!

I dont think you are mad to consider it, if you can get stuff to burn for cheap/free depending on your job then why not!

Cost wise anything from £3,000 -> £5,000 maybe! Theres alot of labour work involved in preparing stuff, chimney breast or stud work, lifting floors for the pipes upstairs etc. I imagine if you could do the donkey work yourself and the tidying up to make things look good again then the actual plumbing costs wouldnt work out quiet as much, the cylinder and copper pipe is pricey. If your getting a new tank get a 42x18 or similar because your going to have plenty of hot water so might as well store it in future if u want a powershower etc.

june77 · 04-10-2010 9:44pm

Hi,
I'm not sure if this needed a separate thread- hopefully it'll be alright here. I would love to use my fireplace but there is a built in back boiler. There had previously been a gas fireplace which has been removed. There is also central heating in the house. I'm not bothered with the back boiler but would like to use the fire place. I suppose I need somebody to reassure me that if i light a fire, the house won't blow up. I don't know how to tell what has been/is still connected to the back boiler. Would a plumber be the one to check everything out and reassure me? Best of luck with what ever you decide OP. Many Thanks.

naughto · 06-10-2010 1:50pm

3,to 5 grand is a lot i dont have money like that to spend on it.it looks like i will stick with the open fire place .thanks to all for the comments

Sparkpea wrote: »

I like open fires or stoves. I wish I had one myself but we don't even have a chimney!

Costly to do if done right, twin coil cylinder, pump, stats etc. as the above poster has said.

It will be messy to do at the start, whether you're tracking the walls for the pipes rising or studing them out to make your fireplace seem larger than it is. You are best to stud each side imo so it looks like the fire is centred, plus you should have 4 pipes off the fire, 28mm f&r for hotwater and 22mm f&r for heating. Also make sure the pump is accessible so it can be changed in the future easier. Some people put it under the floor then put a wooden floor down ontop of it and you cant get access to it!

I dont think you are mad to consider it, if you can get stuff to burn for cheap/free depending on your job then why not!

Cost wise anything from £3,000 -> £5,000 maybe! Theres alot of labour work involved in preparing stuff, chimney breast or stud work, lifting floors for the pipes upstairs etc. I imagine if you could do the donkey work yourself and the tidying up to make things look good again then the actual plumbing costs wouldnt work out quiet as much, the cylinder and copper pipe is pricey. If your getting a new tank get a 42x18 or similar because your going to have plenty of hot water so might as well store it in future if u want a powershower etc.

crosstownk · 06-10-2010 9:41pm

naughto wrote: »

i have an open fire in my siting room with a big(about a trailer and a half if not 2 of turf out side ) and iam thinking of putting a back boiler in to the open fire.

Burning only turf will result in lots of ash and frequent emptying of the ash pan. Depending on the size of the room, turf may not provide enough heat for both room and boiler. You'll probably need to get some coal too.

pennylemon · 16-10-2010 4:31pm

Hi,

A few months ago I looked into inset boiler stoves because I like the contemporary look of them. Basically, the more I looked into it, the better the stove seems. I posted a few threads on board.ie and got loads of info from people. I've also spoken to plumbers, a few boiler salemen and people that actually have them.

So what I found out was that an open fire is a HUGE waste of money and energy. I do prefare the open fire look but Im more concerned about all the money I spend on oil in a year. So a stove with a back boiler is the way to go I think. I dont like the freestanding ones, but thats down to taste and wether you have the space. But the inset ones can be fitted very easily. You would need a builder and a plumber because you have to widen the fireplace for the stove to fit and a plumber to connect it all up. I got quotes amounting to €300 altogether to fit one.

The stoves I was looking at should heat 13 rads well and they cost less than €2000. Shop around there are loads of supplliers online in Ireland. I have heard great reports from people. My newest goal is to get a woodburning stove but I cannot find anyone that has one!

Good Luck

feeneyo · 13-11-2010 1:20pm

rpmcs wrote: »

hi, i work in fireplace company, and my personal belief is back boilers are a waste of time, but some people love them, but at the moment i advise most people away from open fire at all, go for stove, free standing or inset,
bonus for stoves are ....most stoves are aprox 75-80% effecient, where your open fire can be anything from 15-30%!! rest going up your chimney!!
think of that when put in money terms, and even when not in use you dont have all your heat going up open chimney!! they really pay for them selves!!
but anyway to answer your question... it depends what your heating? just hot water cylinder or rads? how many rads?
personally i my parents had open fire, put in a inset stove, room twice as warm, and they say they only burn about 1/3 of fuel as in open fire,
so my advise is if you want to put boiler in with look of open fire is get inset stove.

hi rpm good advice.. you seem to know your stuff..
can i bother ya with a quire.. we have a free standin stove but it has no back boiler and thinkin of gettin one to heat an underfloor heating system i want to install.
we can't plumb it into the existing heating system because it pressurized... well so i'm told!
have you seen this done before? or is there anywhere i could get more info on this matter.. thanks

rpmcs · 13-11-2010 11:19pm

Hi Feeneyo,
now you have me there as i"m not a plumber but to my knowledge it can be done, but have not actually seen it done.

To be honest it really depends on your system setup, but i have heard of a, System Link, which takes input from both sources and keeps pressure, but im out of my league so im afraid cant be much more help.

muscleshirt · 04-11-2011 5:19pm

hi anybody out there with a front/door for an open fire with back/boiler..boro and mulberry do one with there insert stove range..my plumber says i would be crazy to take out my back/boiler as it is a very good one...

Galway K9 · 14-11-2013 11:07am

I light a fire nearly every night, and i did before the back boiler. I dont need to buy oil at all now, WIN!

open fire/back boiler

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