Baxi Back Boiler - how does it work?

[CBrooke]

Hi all,

I am going to sound very clueless now but have been reading some threads re: back boilers pros and cons and costs of changing. This is because my husband and I are thinking of making an offer on a house which has one.

It is gas, was installed in 2000 so im guessing is nearly due for a replacement but it has been serviced every year. HOWEVER im a bit stuck as to how they actually function. I understand the boiler sits behind the fireplace....

1) Do you need the fire on for it to work?
2) Is it possible to time it so that the house is warm when I am home from work?
3) Is the shower pressure often rubbish?
4) I assume if I want a bath or something I would have to heat the system first? Would this happen if two people needed a shower? (aka the hot water running out?)

Basically it is our first property and we wont have £2.5k to spend to do anything drastic and long lasting for a while!

Thanks in advance

 

[Agile]

yes

yes

usually

yes

 

[Charnwood]

A back boiler is little didfferent to any other boiler. Water comes in cold, goes out hot.

1) the fire is independant of the back boiler. The only 'common' is the gas supply

2) you can fit a programmer to control the back boiler timings

3) it will probably heat the domestic hot water in a cylinder with a header tank. The height of the header tank above the shower head will determine the pressure

4) You can configure the system so that only the cylinder is heated, not the whole heating system, i.e. the radiators. It is probably configured to do this already by using a motorised valve

 

[Agile]

1) the fire is independant of the back boiler. The only 'common' is the gas supply

Independent ?

What about the flue? Is there a separate flue for the fire?

 

[Dan Robinson]

1) Do you need the fire on for it to work?

It has to be attached but you don't have to have the fire burning gas for the boiler to work.