Gas Boiler Housing Unit

johnny_s

I'd like to cover my wall mounted gas boiler in a small room. I'm looking for a floor to ceiling wooden enclosure with one or two doors allowing access to the boiler and pipes.

I've received quoted between £300 - £400 by professionals - I'm not sure if this is about average?

My carpentry skills aren't fantastic, so I wouldn't be willing to tackle this myself. I've read guides and tutorials but still prefer a professional.

I did however see a pre made wardrobe in ikea that I could possibly use? Here's the link https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/pax-wardrobe-white-vikedal-mirror-glass-s69127493/

I don;t mind the type of wood as i'll likley be painting it anyway.

My boiler is 40cm wide, 28cm depth, the dimensions seem ok - the wardrobe is possibly too deep - but I maybe be able to cut? I know I need to leave room for airflow and access for pipes etc, i've taken this into account.

Would this work? Anybody done anything similar?

Thanks

FreeBear

Any prebuilt (or flat pack) unit will have a back panel - Remove this, and the unit will lose any structural stability. So unless you fix it to the wall with angle brackets (several will be needed), it will just flop around.

It did cross my mind to suggest a slim line kitchen unit - https://www.diy-kitchens.com/kitchen-units/tall/ - But these will also suffer from flopping around as soon as the back board is removed.

johnny_s

Thanks for that. Yea I assumed i'd need some corner brackets once the back panel is removed.

Also i'm not sure how the wood will be affected if I have to cut it? Because it has a white veneer finish it may crack etc.

grumbler

FreeBear wrote: »

Any prebuilt (or flat pack) unit will have a back panel - Remove this, and the unit will lose any structural stability. So unless you fix it to the wall with angle brackets (several will be needed), it will just flop around.

Tall units (and not only tall) normally have two fixing points on the top. I guess they will suffice without any extra brackets needed.
Also, you can keep part of the back panel at the bottom.

johnny_s

grumbler wrote: »

Tall units normally (and not only tall) have two fixint points on the top. I guess they will suffice without any extra brackets needed.
Also, you can keep part of the back panel at the bottom.

So two fixings at the top should be ok? The unit won't actually be used to hold anything, it's more of a surround.

grumbler

johnny_s wrote: »

Also i'm not sure how the wood will be affected if I have to cut it? Because it has a white veneer finish it may crack etc.

Yes, it's hard to cut neatly. With an electric jigsaw use the finest blade and cut from inside. Then sander and paint the edge.
With a handsaw cut from the outside.

grumbler

johnny_s wrote: »

So two fixings at the top should be ok? The unit won't actually be used to hold anything, it's more of a surround.

Yes, you screw the top corners tight to the wall.

grumbler

grumbler wrote: »

Tall units (and not only tall) normally have two fixing points on the top.

This is definitely the case for kitchen units. I just checked my Ikea wardrobe, and it doesn't have any fixings at the top. However, you are right, you can just DIY two corner brackets.

nofoollikeold

Check your boiler manual to make sure you provide enough side (both), top and bottom clearance. If you don't an engineer might refuse to service / repair it. If new, you might also invalidate any guarantee. If old, make sure it does not require cabinet ventilation.