Can I build an airing cupboard around my combi boiler?

DRP

As above, really^

I have a large bathroom with the old combi boiler situated on an external wall within a kitchen cupboard type box (with no bottom and no top to allow for pipes and vent to outside). I want to build a cupboard to hide the boiler and serve as an airing cupboard.

(see my back-of-an-envelope pic - left hand side is existing, right side is new floor to ceiling cupboard).


Questions:

1) Is it safe to make a floor to ceiling cupboard to contain the boiler?
The boiler will have gap of an inch or so on one side (as it has currently), 6 inches or so to the party wall and to the front a lot of space to have shelves.

2) Does it make any difference if/when we replace the existing combi with a condensing boiler?

3) Anyone know of any websites with guides/designs etc for building such a cupboard (DIYer).

Any comments appreciated!

macman

Yes, as long as the space around the casing is the minimum required by the manufacturer as per the install instructions. An inch sounds like not enough space to build a cupboard in. A condensing boiler will require a condensate pipe draining to an external drain or connecting to an internal waste.
Also bear in mind the need to leave enough access space for annual service and repairs.

bridgedino

If it's a reasonably modern one you won't get much heat out of it to warm your compartment

Reece_

as macman has said, it's fine to do, you just need to leave the right gap all round, most boiler manuals state their requirements for ventilation if boxed in. Bare in mind if you change boiler that the space required may then change and the cupboard in theory won't allow adequate ventilation.
You also need to leave decent space for servicing, in your proposed plan, how big will the area in front of the boiler inside the cupboard be? having to get in the cupboard in that way to service it is likely to be a pain if there's not much space in front, hence your current cupboard is better in that sense.
We have a similar cupboard as your proposed one and engineers tend to be cursing non stop at having to get at the boiler in that way, ultimately though they can still get to it to service and repair...and it's not me doing it;)

DRP

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like it isn't impossible, then (but may be a pita for whoever services it). I've managed to get our plumber to visit for some unrelated jobs tomorrow , so will see what he thinks, as he'll be servicing it.

It's an old combi and the heat it puts out makes the bathroom the warmest room in the house - not a bad thing in winter!

We have a plumn

casper_g

Don't make the mistake the previous owner of our house did - they'd built a cupboard round the boiler with inadequate clearance to remove the casing from the boiler. When we had it serviced I had to take a reciprocating saw to the frame of the cupboard!

Seronera

I'd just say that if I got service a boiler and have to dismantle half the house to get to it then I charge extra. Thats not my job within my normal service cost. You must follow the manufacturers spacings, but give the service engineer a break and use your common sense. I come across far too many boilers where somebody has tiled the boiler in such that you cannot access isolator valves and condensate siphons and so forth.

Kitchen fitters are the bane of a gas engineers life. People who build shelves round their boiler and expect you to service the boiler come a close second.

movilogo

You also need to leave decent space for servicing,

This is important. Moved to new house lately and discovered previous owner attached a cabinet at the bottom of combi boiler. The heating engineer came and said he couldn't service it until the cabinet is disassembled!

JohnB47

If you're reasonably handy, I imagine that with a bit of planning, you could build the cabinet so that it could be dismantled relatively easily. Eg a framework attached to the ceiling and a similar one attached to the floor, then the side and front, perhaps mounted on their own frames to make them rigid, attached to those using a few screws. The shelves could be built to come out too.

Seronera

JohnB47 wrote: »

If you're reasonably handy, I imagine that with a bit of planning, you could build the cabinet so that it could be dismantled relatively easily. Eg a framework attached to the ceiling and a similar one attached to the floor, then the side and front, perhaps mounted on their own frames to make them rigid, attached to those using a few screws. The shelves could be built to come out too.

I find my rather large hammer very good for dismantling cabinets..;):D

Actually I'm a hypocrite of the first order. Just before christmas I had to dismantle and rebuild oodles of shelves to remove an old combi and put in a new one......but seeing as the lady was so nice and attractive and made me lunch two days on the trot.......well what can I say. And she told British Gas to do one:D

jennifernil

My daughter has a boiler in a cupboard, somewhat similar to what you are proposing.

In her case, the boiler is in a bedroom and sits in a walk-in cupboard built when the flat was new in 2001.

The cupboard is about 90-100cm wide, a bit deeper than the width of the boiler, with a bi-fold normal height door as access.

The boiler is on the right of the cupboard, to the left hand side, opposite the boiler, there are shelves which are not fixed but mounted on brackets that slot into a "ladder system" so can be removed. Not that this has ever been necessary to be able to remove the casing and service the boiler.