Opening fireplace-Back Boiler??

[GeoDIY]

Hi All,

Hoping someone can help!

Just started opening up a bricked-in fireplace in our Granite Victorian house-converted flats (upstairs, would have originally been a bedroom-acts as the dining room). Behind the plyboard covering was what appeared to be a backing of firebricks and a damper. To the left the red brick infill looked like the original builders opening with a fairly dark solid mortar. To the right the infill was a mess of broken red brick intermixed withfire bricks and chunks of granite, along with a VERY crumbly mortar (the dustpan brush was removing a lot of it just by sweeping).

This side started to come away fairly easily and I could identify the granite wall to the far right. About a foot in I hit 2 0.5in pipes (greenish tinge-copper?) which were running from apparnetly the (gas) boiler in the kitchen to somewhere. As I started to remove the fireplace itself I realised what looked like a large black brick towards the base of the fireplace was actually made of metal and the pipes were running into it. There appears to be no markings on the metal box (dials, switches etc) and I can't quite figute out what it is! Though I'm guessing I'll need to call a gasman out to remove it.

Only opening the fireplace for decorative purposes (box it in, display stuff in it) so I don't really care about much else with the chimney etc, just want rid of this metal box!

I'll post up some photos tomorrow but in the meantime if anyone has any insight it would be gratefully recieved!!!

 

[^woody^]

A back boiler?

 

[GeoDIY]

Hmmm I just googled Back Boiler and it may well be it. Its a standalone box by the looks of it-nothing going up the 'back' of the fireplace. Please see the annotated photo below (sorry using my phone camera!)

Untitled

• GeoDIY
• 15 Feb 2011
• 1

If it is a back boiler-what are we looking at-water pipes feeding in cold and hot water? I've not noticed it heating up when either the hot water or heating are on so I'm assuming (hoping) its no longer connected to the main system. Could there be a chance of any gas work still involved? My understanding of these things (from my limited reading jsut now) was the heating of the water inside was done entirely from the fire burning in the grate? Is this true?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[iaink]

i removed one of these a couple of years ago with the pipes running into the back boiler,thankfully both connections were dead.A messy job though,nostrils covered in Soot!

 

[GeoDIY]

i removed one of these a couple of years ago with the pipes running into the back boiler,thankfully both connections were dead.A messy job though,nostrils covered in Soot!

Did you find out before hand if the thing was disconnected? If so-how?? Any hints and tips gratefully recieved!!!

I've been reading a lot of posts about removal of backboilers and the concensus seems to be leave it in-more trouble than its worth to remove... but this one doesn't exactly hide at the back-I want to be able to clear out to floor level to box in and lay a nice faux-hearth.

 

[Nige F]

Hmmm I just googled Back Boiler and it may well be it. IT IS so I'm assuming (hoping) its no longer connected to the main system. My understanding of these things (from my limited reading jsut now) was the heating of the water inside was done entirely from the fire burning in the grate? Is this true? YES

Thanks in advance!!

No gas work involved . But you need to verify it`s not connected to any part of your working heating or it could still be full of water

 

[IJWS15]

If it was a gas back boiler there would be a gas fire on the front of it.

You have an old fashiooned back boiler heated by the open fire. My grandmother used to have one. Water heated by the fire and flowed to the tank by convection - no pump. Normally pipes were 1".

May still be connected but unlikely, if it was connected it would not heat up as the tank will be higher than the boiler.

 

[GeoDIY]

You have an old fashiooned back boiler heated by the open fire. My grandmother used to have one. Water heated by the fire and flowed to the tank by convection - no pump. Normally pipes were 1".

May still be connected but unlikely, if it was connected it would not heat up as the tank will be higher than the boiler.

Thanks for the info, Yeah I think the pipes look about that.

I'm planning to work further on it this weekend, so fingers crossed I don't flood the house!!

 

[bobthebender]

Taken out a few over the years and a lot of these were copper so at todays prices i will give you a tenner for it

 

[GeoDIY]

Taken out a few over the years and a lot of these were copper so at todays prices i will give you a tenner for it

its out! And it is indeed copper, now i'm off down the scrap metal yard to try my luck cheers for the tip! The pipes had been sawn off so only a little trickle of muck came out of it-apart from testing the weight of it before unscrewing I can't give a better suggestion about how to check if it's still connected to the system. Thanks all for your help!