Relocating boiler-- will this require lifting floorboards?

DominicH

Current situation: boiler on ground floor, flow and return pipes go up through the kitchen ceiling and then beneath the upstairs bathroom floor, on their way to and from the cylinder and radiators.

Proposed situation: new boiler upstairs

I'm thinking that since the return pipes will have to route to a new location, it will be necessary for the engineer to lift the bathroom floorboards? I don't want any ugly piping remaining in the kitchen.

I ask because, as it happens, I need to replace the bathroom floorboards anyway. But there's no point having that done, and then the boiler installer has to remove the bath and floorboards again. So it means coordinating different tradespeople, appointment times etc. which in my experience is double the hassle (it's hard enough to get one of them to turn up at the appointed time round my way, let alone two!)

It's the only bathroom in the house, so I want to minimise the amount of time it's out of service. Maybe the way to do it is both jobs through the same company, so they are responsible for the coordination?

Alex1983

Will the new boiler be a combi or will you keep the cyclinder. Either way I think it will pretty impossible to not have the floor up in the bathroom and around the area you want the new boiler to go.

Plumber90

Where abouts upstairs is the boiler going?

DominicH

It will probably be a combi (small house). It's currently a traditional open vented system with hot water cylinder.
It will be located either in the airing cupboard where the cylinder currently is, which is just across the landing from the bathroom, or in the loft.
It needs replacing (old, unreliable, key parts hard to get), and I very much want to get it out of its current position in the conservatory, and there's nowhere else for it to go on the ground floor.

Alex1983

I personally wouldn't put a boiler in the loft. It's hassle to get up to if you want to check anything, maintenance can be a issue if it's not boarded properly and decent lighting.

Going from an open system to a sealed system, that a combi will be has a risk of creating leaks as you will be putting a old system into a pressurised system. It wouldn't worry me but it's something you need to bare in mind, especially if you have downstairs pipework in concrete floors.

No one will be able to tell what floors you will need up without seeing your system layout. It's possible that the original primary pipework from the boiler to the airing cupboard could go and the heating system can be piped in at the airing cupboard but they will need to be sure there is no other returns plumb in under the bathroom floor. I personally would just have the floors up and let the installer do what they need to do. You will also need to get a bigger gas supply to the airing cupboard and a condense pipe from the new boiler to a waste drain.

southcoastrgi

+1 on Alex's comments

DominicH

Alex1983 wrote: »

I personally wouldn't put a boiler in the loft.

The feasible locations are loft, airing cupboard (in bedroom), or the current location in the conservatory. They all have their disadvantages. In a very small property, there's not necessarily any good place to put a boiler.

I personally would just have the floors up and let the installer do what they need to do.

That's the thing though-- it's not just one tradesman, it's two, both of whom may need to remove the flooring and at least the bath from the bathroom. If they will both need to do that, I need to know in advance so that I can at least try to get them to do their work at roughly the same time, thereby avoiding ripping out the bathroom twice.

Alex1983

I would pick the airing cupboard, you will have most of the pipework you'll need there and it's out of sight but easy to access.

Are you going to replace the floor boards yourself, if so get the ch installer to remove the bath and then you/ he can lift the boards, he can run is new pipework, you can put the floor back and he'll refit your bath.