Where would you put your gas boiler?

anotherginger

I'm considering buying a property that currently has oil central heating and I am keen to change this to gas ASAP.

At the minute the boiler is in the kitchen with a large flue coming out of the side of the property. The property has a detached garage which would seem to be a good place to put the gas boiler, however I'm not clear of the pitfalls there would be for this.

Moving the boiler from the kitchen would free up a large space as it is currently in a large cupboard.

Any advice appreciated.

becs

Ours is in the garage although it was their when we bought the house. However the garage is attached to the house so unsure how it would be done if detached. I like it being in the garage as seems such a waste of space if inside the house.

spinningsheep

Be careful putting the boiler in the garage. In winter, most modern boilers have a frost thermostat which fires the boiler up when the ambient temp gets below 5 degrees, and in your unheated garage in winter, that could potentially mean your boiler is firing 24/7 even when the heating is off. You could consider an attic space if it is well insulated and has easy access for servicing etc. If the boiler is currently a floor standing one for a larger property, you may want to consider replacing with another floor standing one in the same location. If you are changing from a system with a hot water cylinder to a combi, you will of course gain the extra space that the tank occupied, it may be feasable subject to gas supply and flue options to locate the boiler there?

Gloomendoom

We have a gas boiler in an outbuilding. It's been there since the mid 1970's and is still going strong. However, when it does die, I'm going to fit a modern replacement in the utility room. The pipe runs from the existing boiler into the house are long and the heat losses are considerable to the extent that running the boiler just for hot water in the summer isn't cost effective. We turn it off and use the electric immersion heater instead.

One of the advantages of having a boiler remote from the main house is that you can't hear it doing its stuff.

BertieUK

If I have a choise as to where to position a new boiler I would position it as close to the main useage point as possible. This is only my point of view but please remember that location is sometimes determined by various factors that the boiler would require.

You will need the supplies both gas and water, ventilation through an outside wall, where possible, drainage system for the boiler etc.

This is quite a major decision to make so study it carefully.

There are a number of knowledgable people on this forum that will help you I'm sure.

Our boiler in in the kitchen on the opposite side to the sink, and I feel that the distance the water has to travel is very cost effective because when the tap is turned off there is a long stretch of hot water in the pipe that will not be used. I know that you will get that problem wherever you site it, but tyr and place it nearest to where it will be needed most.

Regards

BobUK

anotherginger

Thanks for the feedback. My parents have theirs in their detached garage and you're right about temperature! I wasn't aware of his but apparently the winter before last they ran a blow heater in there 24/7 during the cold snap.

Inside the property is looking more sensible, possibly under the stairs or in the cupboard upstairs that currently holds the hot press. This would be redundant if gas was installed. It would be right beside the bathroom so close to water supply, drainage and high usage point.

cddc

I would try and get it out of the kitchen if you can. It depends on the layout of the house. Boilers tend to be in kitchens because of proximity to gas and water supplies so it is easier/cheaper to install. There is also the point that condensing ones need to be plumbed into a waste pipe/soil stack for the overflow. So often you are more restricted about siting than you may think.

The regs seem to get more stringent on where you can site them year by year. Good luck with finding an alternative. Mine is in a cupboard in a downstairs cloakroom! Interesting to hear about the problem with siting thm in garages though, that seems to be the trend at the moment.

WestonDave

We had ours in the garage when we moved in - we had it replaced with one in the downstairs toilet because it was a pain going out to the garage when there was a problem. It also required a horrible flue that ran all the way up the house and through the edge of the roof in order to avoid gases being vented under the bedroom windows.

Ours now sits on the wall behind you as you sit on the toilet - I built a frame across which now has a door on it (B&Q kitchens fridge door!) which matches the white unit which has the toilet cistern in it. You wouldn't know it was there but its accessible for servicing etc.

Ectophile

One thing to consider with a new gas boiler is that it will have a condensate pipe, which needs to go to a suitable drain.

If at all possible, I would recommend having that pipe running indoors. But doing that could limit where the boiler can go.

If the pipe runs outdoors, there's a risk that it could freeze solid in a severe cold snap. It's not helpful having to go outside with kettles full of boiling water to defrost a pipe, because the boiler's shut down.

anotherginger

There is a cupboard that the hot water tank is currently in which will be redundant if gas is installed, so I am considering putting the boiler in there. The cupboard shares a wall with the bathroom - the toilet is on the other side of the wall. It is also on an outside wall.

The bathroom will be a high usage point so hopefully that will be useful from an energy efficiency point of view.

Thanks for all you feedback.

ic

If the garage is detached, how would you run all the pipework back to the house? I imagine they'd have to buried deep and suitably insulated in order to prevent freezing.