Returning a gas fire to an open hearth

Sleepy

We have an old house that has seemingly had it's fireplace configuration changed numerous times. According to the survey we had done when we bought the house it's

"a traditional open fire place... there appears to be a little confusion going on here, where by there is a gas insert fitted, but yet there is a back boiler fitted / constructed into this fire back which is more suited for an open fire place. The gas insert was tested and found not to be working"

We've since had the gas insert removed and the connection capped off by an RGI when we was doing a boiler service for us. Unfortunately I wasn't there at the time to aske him what's probably a fairly stupid quesion (though I don't really believe there's any such thing when talking about gas!).

Besides the obvious steps of having the chimney properly swept and putting a grate into the firebox is there anything else I should be getting done before bringing this back to being an open fireplace? The mention of a (presumably long since disconnected) back-boiler and the knowledge that there's a capped off gas connection there are making me want to be cautious here!

DublinDilbert

Do not light a fire till you are sure the back boiler has been decommissioned safely. It should be drained down and holes drilled into the back boiler. If you google boiler explosions, you won't find lots about gas boilers, they are nearly all about solid fuel boilers exploding.

Calahonda52

OP, I know you didn't ask this question, but once you have the backboiler sorted, which with an open fire is a crazy idea not to have a proper fire brick, why not fit a glass fronted gas fire, since you have the gas near by?

1. Much more efficient than open fire
2. saves heat loss even when off
3. very safe with kids etc as no naked flame

Sleepy

I'd be 99% certain the back boiler hasn't been in use for decades (Can see disconnected pipes in the access panel for the gas shut-off valve too).

The main conern for me would be the capped off gas connection in the firebox...

Sleepy

Calahonda52 wrote: »

OP, I know you didn't ask this question, but once you have the backboiler sorted, which with an open fire is a crazy idea not to have a proper fire brick, why not fit a glass fronted gas fire, since you have the gas near by?

1. Much more efficient than open fire
2. saves heat loss even when off
3. very safe with kids etc as no naked flame

The main reason would be cost if I'm honest. The fire isn't needed for heating (we've a gas fuelled central heating system), we were really just considering putting the open fireplace back into operation for occasional use to enjoy the atmosphere of an open fire deep in the winter months.

Honestly, if re-instating it would cost me more than a weekend's work or a hundred quid or so, I'll probably just clean out the fire-box, give it a lick of the black stove paint I have in the shed and set up some candles.

Calahonda52

Sleepy wrote: »

The main reason would be cost if I'm honest. The fire isn't needed for heating (we've a gas fuelled central heating system), we were really just considering putting the open fireplace back into operation for occasional use to enjoy the atmosphere of an open fire deep in the winter months.

Honestly, if re-instating it would cost me more than a weekend's work or a hundred quid or so, I'll probably just clean out the fire-box, give it a lick of the black stove paint I have in the shed and set up some candles.

One of my interests is energy conservation at home, and heat loss through an open flue is a major one, hence my suggestion.
As well as the comfort of the glass fronted fire, there is no messing with ashes etc

Sleepy

Oh, it's certainly something I'd consider (long term the original aim was to put a solid fuel stove in) but we just don't have the funds to progress to "Phase 2" of the renovation of our fixer-upper. We're at the point where the money to do any major works has run out so I'm trying to fill my time by tipping away at the small jobs that only involve my time or small outlays while we finish paying for Phase 1!

listermint

Sleepy wrote: »

I'd be 99% certain the back boiler hasn't been in use for decades (Can see disconnected pipes in the access panel for the gas shut-off valve too).

The main conern for me would be the capped off gas connection in the firebox...

It still needs holes drilled into it to make sure heat can escape from it.

Personally id remove the Back boiler entirely. Which is what i have done in mine 2 weeks ago. Plumbing disconnected and ripped the whole boiler out. It too hadnt been used in years.

Sleepy

listermint wrote: »

It still needs holes drilled into it to make sure heat can escape from it.

Personally id remove the Back boiler entirely. Which is what i have done in mine 2 weeks ago. Plumbing disconnected and ripped the whole boiler out. It too hadnt been used in years.

I'm guessing that ripping out the boiler would involve having to knock through the wall?

It's not exacty a case of "unbolt and it'll slide out through the fireplace"?

Doctors room ghost

If you don’t need a back boiler and you want a fire maybe consider putting in a stand out stove for solid fuel.you could buy the metal fireplace surround and cut a hole for the stove pipe through it.build a few blocks in the fireplace to support the pipe and have the stove out on the hearth with the pipe out the back instead of the top.stanley Oisin comes in around 500 euro new and it’s a super stove if you don’t need to heat water.throws 6.5kw into room.fireplace surround is around 150 new.this set up wouldn’t have any effect on old set up.an open fire is a waste of time with no return for your money

listermint

Sleepy wrote: »

I'm guessing that ripping out the boiler would involve having to knock through the wall?

It's not exacty a case of "unbolt and it'll slide out through the fireplace"?

My back Boiler was in the fire place. It was a case of removing the Side Pipes from the heating system and yanking it out with a Pry Bar,

Nice heavy thing i delighted in dragging it out on my own... ...

Sleepy

Did you have to remove any of the facing or did it just come out through the existing opening?

DamoKen

Sleepy wrote: »

We have an old house that has seemingly had it's fireplace configuration changed numerous times. According to the survey we had done when we bought the house it's

How old is old? One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the condition of the chimney itself. I ask because it was something we hadn't considered when we bought an old property (circa 1850's). Previous owners had used the fireplace every winter so never even thought of it as a cause for concern.

Was only when we were getting the roof replaced (something we had planned for) that the roofers mentioned there were bricks missing from the chimney running through the attic space. Basically the chimney was venting into the attic.

Got a full camera inspection done and as expected state of the chimney was very poor the whole way up. Options were either to close it off or rebuild from the inside out. If your house is old and the chimney hasn't been used for an open fire in decades, an inspection should definitely be considered.

Sleepy

Good advice. Ours isn't quite that old, it'd be late 20s / early 30s and mass poured concrete so not much in the way of brick-work!

listermint

Sleepy wrote: »

Did you have to remove any of the facing or did it just come out through the existing opening?

Yep straight out the opening . Sure how do ya think it got in there They didnt build the Chimney stack around the boiler :cool:

Sleepy

Thought the facing either side of the existing opening might have been built up after it was installed!

listermint

Sleepy wrote: »

Thought the facing either side of the existing opening might have been built up after it was installed!

Unlikely. Will only know by exploring abit