Removing fire front from baxi backboiler

[Mark H]

I have a Baxi backboiler with the old wooden cased radiant fire front. Both work and passed a safety check shortly before I bought the house (about a year ago). I would like to replace the fire but the replacement baxi fire fronts I have found aren't much more attractive than the 1970's exibit I now have and seem very expensive. Would it be possible to remove the fire front, cap off the gas supply and flue to the fire and install a free standing electric 'fire' in front of the boiler?

[nickso]

no

the fire is an integral part of the boiler.

the fire can be used with the boiler innards removed but not vice versa

[Agile]

Firstly any capping off must be done by a competent person, normally CORGI.

Secondly, the official answer is that the back boiler should not be used without the firefront in place.

In practice any CORGi finding an electric fire fitted in front of the back boiler would have to declare it as At Risk and try to turn it off.

Tony

[Mark H]

Thanks for the information.

I don't supose it makes much difference but I have just looked at the fire and it is actually a Glow-worm, not a Baxi as I had assumed.

[Alfredo]

Same rules apply. Its a question I am asked every week as we have hundreds of Glow Worm 45 BBUs with either Coordinate/Miami/Melody fire fronts on the housing association district.

Glow Worm stopped producing the alternative coal effect fires quite some years ago now, and I hate them anyway..so there.

We have had the occasional person adapt another fire. Mercifully nobody has killed themselves yet, but some had a pretty good go I can tell you, and we have issued a small but significant number of RIDDOR notices in connection with these incidents.

Sorry not to be of any help

Alfredo