myson gas fire modern replacement

[dontbelieveawordofit]

hi all, i’ve just bought a house with an old 90s back boiler. could be baxi.
it has a myson housewarmer 2 gas fire front , which i’m hoping to replace for a more modern looking thing.
internet searches have proved fruitless , probably because they just get ripped out now .
any help appreciated

 

[OwainDIYer]

Unfortunately the back boiler and fire front are part of a single appliance and you can't replace the fire front with another manufacturer's, or operate the boiler without the fire, or put a decorative cabinet in front of the fire.

Back boilers are seriously inefficient and require a large combustion vent in the room, which further reduced efficiency. The thing was overdue for replacement 20 years ago. I'd be surprised if it was as recent as 1990s. Energy efficient regulations also now prohibit fitting them except in very limited circumstances.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

thanks! I realise it’s well outdated.It was actually installed in 1992.
I know most people will have had a combi and condensing combi and probably be well on their way to a third boiler during that time, and this thing still works a treat, albeit inefficiently.
on the same note , most houses on this site had the boilers replaced for more efficient combis and also had the fires replaced with 2kw electric heaters.
correct me if i’m wrong but my gas fire far outperforms a 2kw heater .

 

[JohnD]

a lot of the energy you pay for goes up the chimney.

 

[durhamplumber]

Unfortunately the back boiler and fire front are part of a single appliance and you can't replace the fire front with another manufacturer's, or operate the boiler without the fire, or put a decorative cabinet in front of the fire.

Back boilers are seriously inefficient and require a large combustion vent in the room, which further reduced efficiency. The thing was overdue for replacement 20 years ago. I'd be surprised if it was as recent as 1990s. Energy efficient regulations also now prohibit fitting them except in very limited circumstances.

I would not be in a great hurry to rip it all out.Depends on your age and needs.I still service loads of back boilers.....Quick calculation....£4k ball park figure to replace system,re decorate etc...Combi lasts 10 years then you are into serious repairs or replace.Current system could last easy another 20 years, v little to go wrong..Basically to break even in 10 years you would need to save upwards of £300 / year to break even..Please do not become carried away that new systems are fantastic,never break and eveyone is binning back boilers...They are not.
People and boiler manufacturers obsess today about efficiency.Consequently people fit mad complicated boilers and external controls,all of which cost fortunes and many are not v reliable at all.Yes many boilers give 7/ 10 years warranty...but considering i still go to many baxi back boilers made in 1970s and have hardly ever gone wrong it is not a clear cut decision.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

i think it’ll be staying a while

 

[gas112]

As Durham says, and all that heat people talk about going up chimney it does heat the fabric of the building so not totally lost. Also when people say about modern boilers being 90 odd percent efficient this is usually only for a short period of their run time

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

I would not be in a great hurry to rip it all out.Depends on your age and needs.I still service loads of back boilers.....Quick calculation....£4k ball park figure to replace system,re decorate etc...Combi lasts 10 years then you are into serious repairs or replace.Current system could last easy another 20 years, v little to go wrong..Basically to break even in 10 years you would need to save upwards of £300 / year to break even..Please do not become carried away that new systems are fantastic,never break and eveyone is binning back boilers...They are not.
People and boiler manufacturers obsess today about efficiency.Consequently people fit mad complicated boilers and external controls,all of which cost fortunes and many are not v reliable at all.Yes many boilers give 7/ 10 years warranty...but considering i still go to many baxi back boilers made in 1970s and have hardly ever gone wrong it is not a clear cut decision.

I wouldn’t mind actually replacing the wall thermostat for a hive . would it be possible with an old system like this? handy in the winter as its fitted with the old switchmaster timer.

 

[flameport]

replacing the wall thermostat for a hive . would it be possible with an old system like this?

Possible, although whether that is worthwhile really depends on what the rest of the system is like.
Some other alterations may be needed / desirable.

Which model of Switchmaster is it?
Can you select heating only without hot water?
Pictures of the hot water cylinder and any other components such as valves would be helpful.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

thanks. off the top of my head as im not there atm. i think its switchmaster 805.
(brown and beige). yes i can select heating without hot water, it has 2 motorised valves.
i’ll take a picture tomorrow when im down there.

 

[OwainDIYer]

...Current system could last easy another 20 years, v little to go wrong..Basically to break even in 10 years you would need to save upwards of £300 / year to break even..

That is a fair point, but I don't think it's hard to save £30 a month on gas.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

so this is what it looks like

Possible, although whether that is worthwhile really depends on what the rest of the system is like.
Some other alterations may be needed / desirable.

Which model of Switchmaster is it?
Can you select heating only without hot water?
Pictures of the hot water cylinder and any other components such as valves would be helpful.

 

[ianmcd]

I wouldn’t mind actually replacing the wall thermostat for a hive . would it be possible with an old system like this?

yes easily done

 

[ianmcd]

hi all, i’ve just bought a house with an old 90s back boiler. could be baxi.
it has a myson housewarmer 2 gas fire front

Then it is a Myson Housewarmer back boiler and not a Baxi, the firefronts are not interchangeable between manufacturers

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

thanks for all the help, i’ll get me a hive and come back