New combi boiler - kitchen or bedroom?

London_Town

I hope someone can give me some constructive feedback on this please. I'm having central heating fitted and can either put the combi boiler in the kitchen or the master bedroom, in the airing cupboard where the hot water cylinder used to be.

Both options have their advantages but my biggest concern is the possibility of the condensation pipe freezing in winter. If I have it fitted in the kitchen, the plumber can link this pipe to the sink waste pipe so it stays inside the house. However, I will lose a big cupboard space and it will alter the kitchen design options, although I would be having it boxed in as part of the new kitchen.

While I'd rather have it upstairs, that option means it vents directly outside the wall and is prone to the possibility of freezing. Is there anyway I can prevent this risk as it's my preferred option so I can gain more storage space in the kitchen.

Has anyone been through this dilemma before? I really don't know what to do for the best.

ormus

mine is upstairs in the spare bedroom. inside a fitted wardrobe.
ive never had a problem with all the freezing issues recently.
mainly cause the pipe/s was installed correctly. it feeds into a pvc hopper/downspout.

majjie

Mine too is upstairs - in my bedroom - and in the cupboard that originally housed the hot water tank. It's not fitted "properly" ... the pipe just sticks out of the wall ... but I too had no trouble with the very cold weather this winter (it's an alleyway between me and next door - so it's not very exposed).

And I'm all in favour of keeping boilers out of kitchens!

Majjie

C_Mababejive

Loft...................?

screwedagain

Boilers in bedrooms could be quite noisy, even in fitted cupboards etc. That said, if you are worried about the condensate freezing, make sure your plumber installs the condensate waste pipe with a decent fall on it, and if possible get him to use larger 40mm pipe.

Please also remember a CO detector/alarm, especially if the boiler goes in the bedroom!!

jafsie

Mine is in the spare bedroom (no noise problem) but the problem is that it takes ages for the sink tap to run hot because the water has a long way to travel

fred7777

Another thing to consider is the noise of the boiler. Most modern boilers use an electric fan and although these are quiet they are still noticeable.

In my previous flat the boiler was in the kitchen the other side of the wall from the bedroom and it could still occasionally wake me up when it started in the morning, you might find it's too loud in the bedroom.

MX5huggy

Noise and Carbon Monoxide poisoning would put me off having it in the bedroom. But the condensate pipe is not an insurmountable problem if you really want it in the bedroom.

SuzieSue

I would definitely have it in the kitchen especially if it can be linked to the sink waste pipe as I have read too many stories about condensate pipes freezing even if they have been installed properly. And also the noise every time it fired up might wake me.

You might lose some storage space in the kitchen but there's no reason why you can't use the airing cupboard for storage as long as it isn't something vermin would be attracted to.

ormus

MX5huggy wrote: »

Noise and Carbon Monoxide poisoning would put me off having it in the bedroom. But the condensate pipe is not an insurmountable problem if you really want it in the bedroom.

virtually all modern boilers are room sealed now.
hence you dont require a vent/air brick.

ps
the noise is minimal IMHO.

C_Mababejive

Would noise be an issue though as many boilers are almost silent in operation now and even so..would you really have it on during the night?