soild fuel back boiler!

[ADM360]

Evening all!!

Got a new customer who unfortunatley had warmfront in to do the new boiler!!

New because I got the call at 10:30pm to stop the water coming though her bedroom ceiling!! I quite like taking money from the big boys who screw us out of jobs!!

Anyhow, she had a solid fuel stove with back boiler doing all her heating, which the chaps from warmfront diconnected but cutting off the 28mm primarys and leaveing!! she would like to continue to use the stove and would like me to make it safe!

The back boiler is integeral so can't be removed, i beleive that if I cap off the 1" tappings and drill out the boiler, this would make the fire usable again!! I have heard about filling with sand but that seams like hard work!! plus if the boilers a bit damp how can you be sure it is completely full??(pockets of air = boom!!)

any thoughts are welcome!!

 

[Simon F]

if you can get access to the tappings, would it not be better to remove the fittings and pipe, nice bit of 28mm scrap.
if the tappings were left open would there be any need to drill the boiler box?
- certainly serve as added safety
I had in mind the back boiler was to be drilled if the pipes are still in place and possibly blocked/capped

or possibly I am reading this post wrong - happy to be corrected:53:

 

[Best]

Leaving the pipes ( or the tappings, as Simon F said ) open, should mean it is safe - although you may have a lot of steam come out of it at first if boiler has any water lying in it.
If you drilled boiler & left tappings or pipes open, then fumes etc could escape! I normally think the pipes should be left open in these cases, but wonder if the boiler itself rotted through eventually - no one may see this & fumes would be coming out of pipes!

 

[ADM360]

I normally think the pipes should be left open in these cases, but wonder if the boiler itself rotted through eventually - no one may see this & fumes would be coming out of pipes!

That partly why I thought it might be better to cap off all tappings and drill out the boiler!! then if the boiler did rot out fume could not leak out!!

 

[tamz]

Don't cap the pipes, just remove them. The boiler won't melt or rot through, well not in your lifetime.

 

[ADM360]

Cheer guys! I'll probably open up the other two tappings(so all four are open) and tell her to slow burn it for a few days then!! mabe I'll chuck in a cheap CO2 alarm for good measure!!(got an unopened BG one in the shed) just to be on the safe side!!

 

[Mike Jackson]

Have a look at Risks from redundant solid fuel back boilers

The only recommended safe course of action is complete removal.

 

[stevetheplumber]

Have a look at Risks from redundant solid fuel back boilers

The only recommended safe course of action is complete removal.

thats not the way i read it open tappings or drill the face seems to be the recomended course of action

 

[Mike Jackson]

The important section as far as I'm concerned is

The only positively safe and reliable way to proceed, when a solid fuel back boiler is no longer needed and the customer wants to continue using the fireplace, is to totally remove the back boiler installation by breaking up the chamber that used to carry the hot water system and removing any pipe work.

 

[tamz]

These incidents that were highlighted have only happened because someone has been stupid enough to cap the pipes.

 

[peteheat]

I was called out to a boiler that was supposed to have exploded, turned out the plumber cut the pipes in the adjoining hot press and told customer to use the old parkray as before, what he didn't allow for was the water in the boiler, it turned to steam and blew off in the hot press.

Our old Gas co. regs were disconnect leave the pipes open and drill 6 holes in the bottom of the boiler, ash pan area, no problems and they couldn't be re-connected.