Boiler in Bedroom or loft?

mozzy10

Mine is in the kitchen which is down the hall from my bedroom (bungalow). I hear it come on in the morning and it wakes me up.
I would not want it in my bedroom in a million years!

I like mine located in the kitchen as I have easy access to the controls.

teabelly

Would the temperature extremes in a typical loft not cause problems?

matelodave

No, most boilers have a frost setting which kicks in to make sure that the boiler doesn't freeze even if the heating is off.
Our boiler was fitted into the airing cupboard in our spare room/study where the noise wasn't a problem but unacceptable in a bedroom, even in a cupboard.

prosaver

why are you replacing your boiler? youll be sorry

prosaver

Do I need to replace an old boiler?

Troubleshooter Jeff Howell warns against rushing to replace ageing appliances, and gets to the heart of reinforced concrete

.newGigyaShare { display: none !important; } Facebook

12

Twitter

29

Pinterest

0

LinkedIn

0

Share

41

Email






Heated exchange: there is no need to swap your working boiler for a newer model simply because of its age Photo: Daily Mail /REX Features







By Jeff Howell

7:00AM GMT 25 Jan 2015
14 Comments


Q I have a traditional house and my current ageing gas boiler is floor-standing, with a flue up a dedicated internal chimney. Fitters have told me you can’t get boilers with such a flue exit any more, and that they have to be fitted on an external wall with a balanced flue to the outside. I would prefer to utilise the existing flue. Are modern floor-standing boilers available to vent up my existing flue?

PA, by email

A As ever with this type of query, I have to question your supposition that because your existing boiler is “ageing”, it will need replacing. Many older boilers are far superior to modern ones. They have thick cast-iron heat exchangers, and few moving parts, apart from an external pump, which can be easily replaced with a similar generic model.

Modern condensing boilers, on the other hand, usually have thin aluminium or stainless-steel heat exchangers, and are packed with electronic controls and circuitry. The electronics are the usual source of problems, and it has been estimated that the average life expectancy of a new condensing boiler is five years before expensive repairs will be needed. Until recently I was running a 1969 floor-standing Potterton Diplomat (installed in the house from new) which had only ever required two replacement gas burners, and a fibre washer for the drain-down valve. It broke my heart when I sold that house, and then found that the new owner had immediately dumped this priceless piece of solid British engineering into a skip.

So my advice to all readers is to keep existing older boilers repaired and running for as long as possible. Any minor fuel savings from a replacement modern condensing boiler would soon be cancelled out by repair costs and a short working-life expectancy.

Related Articles

• 
  
• Can fridges and freezers get too cold?
  18 Jan 2015
• Send out a search party: the rise of buying agents
  20 Jan 2015
• How to choose an estate agent who won't drive you crazy
  18 Jan 2015
• Why is there condensation in my loft?
  10 Jan 2015

Should you still be determined to scrap a perfectly good boiler anyway, for whatever misguided reason, then that is your own choice. The advice of your “fitters” is wrong, though. They would no doubt prefer the simplicity of fitting a new boiler with a balanced flue, which requires it to be fixed against an outside wall. However, Kidde boilers are floor-standing and use conventional flues (although they are generally specified only for larger houses, because they are too big to fit inside a modern kitchen cupboard unit).
There are also several models of wall-mounted modern condensing boiler (including those from Worcester Bosch and Viessmann), which could be sited in the same location as your current boiler. These use flexible PVC flue liners in continuous lengths that can be pushed up existing flues and chimneys, thus getting around the problem of having to provide inspection hatches for concealed flue joints.

john.o1

why are you replacing your boiler? you'll be sorry

I am replacing the 30 year old back boiler and gas fire

prosaver

mines 40 years plus and ive spent 200 pounds on repairs in the last 16 years ... going strong ...touch wood.. i havnt even got break down cover £15 a month... tutch...

teabelly

matelodave wrote: »

No, most boilers have a frost setting which kicks in to make sure that the boiler doesn't freeze even if the heating is off.

I meant the 35-40C heat in the summer really. I can't imagine it will do the boiler any good at all.

Anyone got any links to boiler manufacturer's operating temperature guidelines?

teabelly

30 year old back boilers are about 50% efficient so you'll get your money back unless you are a very light gas user.

Baxi make a modern condenser back boiler that goes straight into an old installation and you can have an electric or gas fire front.

http://www.baxi.co.uk/gas-boilers/back-boilers/bbu.htm

prosaver

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3838395
hope this helps you.

.you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink it.