How much of a turn off is a boiler in a bedroom?

theartfullodger

An old boiler in the bedroom.?  Many might find that a turn off...

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Greymug

Years ago my partner was sharing a flat in an old tenement in Glasgow. Nice 2 bedroom flat but the boiler happened to be in a cupboard in her bedroom.

Even if the boiler was new-ish (less than 5 years old) and therefore relatively quiet, I found it almost impossible to sleep when I stayed over.

Just the thought of being woken up by the boiler was taunting and impacted the quality of my sleep noticeably.

Huge turn off, I wouldn't even want to view a property with the boiler in the bedroom.

Jeepers_Creepers

There's your answer, Pagw - it will put some people off, a few completely, and others not at all.

I'd suggest that the main reason why some folk - a few - will be put off this completely is the fear of CO poisoning when they are asleep. It's just a very emotive issue; there's just something that's - I dunno, insidious? - about this way of 'going'! Much better to take a passing bus face on...

It's the same with the use of gas as a weapon - we are all somehow 'instinctively' horrified by it, whereas atrocities occur in all sorts of equally harrowing ways.

Would it put me off? I wouldn't consider it ideal, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker. But I would (a) need to know it was a modern, fully-room-sealed (which all have been for at least a decade?) type, (b) was service on an annual basis, and (c) I'd have it inside a bespoke cupboard that was nicely soundproofed, and with an in-built mains-powered CO alarm.

The actual risk then would be infinitesimal.

In fact there's far more risk of me being harmed by this keybo...

seven-day-weekend

I would not be happy with it, but if I liked everything else about the place I might  consider it.  It would have to be a remarkable property though, and/or in an area of outstanding natural beauty    Otherwise I would look for something with a boiler elsewhere.

user1977

I don't really follow the CO concerns - as said, a room-sealed boiler (which they typically all have been for several decades) isn't likely to be a source of CO anyway, and it's not as if there's a preferable room for getting gassed with CO (or that people will only ever have a snooze in the room currently designated as the bedroom).

TBagpuss

I personally would be put off because I'm a light sleeper so the noise of it coming on or turning off would be a concern. 

I don't live in a flat but when I replaced the very old back boiler in my current home, the choice of places to put the new one ( other than installing loads of new piping, which I didn't really have the budget for) were to put it in the loft or in the spare room. I opted for the loft as I definitely didn't want it in a bed room, even one I wouldn't personally be sleeping in! 

(Although I'm aware that some people may also be put off by a boiler being in the loft!) 

maisie_cat

I bought a 2 bed house many years ago with a boiler in the 2nd bed, didn't bother me as I lived alone.
We did have a small family member stay once who described the boiler as "the dragon in the cupboard".
The cupboard took up too much of the floorspace so when I removed wall cupboards in the kitchen I moved it.

person2

I'd say it just depends on you personally. I have insomnia, so as a renter in the past, I have avoided bedrooms with a boiler as for me I know it would keep me awake. My friend however had no issues whatsoever as he can sleep through anything.

Falafels

I used to stay with a friend who had a boiler in the spare bedroom, and it used to wake me up intermittently all night; I wouldn't contemplate buying a place with this arrangement.

However, I was in a situation where the only place to put my boiler was in the living room due to flue position and a host of other issues. It had had a back boiler before, and obviously the new combi needed to be situated elsewhere.

It wasn't a problem getting interested buyers. What helped was that it was a very quirky house anyway, and I just designed and commissioned a cupboard to disguise the boiler and fit in with the rest of the room.

If you're not bothered about the noise created by the boiler, then they can be very effectively disguised.

coffeehound

Pagw said:. . .  or that is trying to keep water warm all night or something?

Good point about the keep-warm function; that can, and does, fire at any time, but can be selected off.  Something that can't, though, is the boiler exercising the pump for a few seconds, and the diverter valve separately once a day when they haven't been used.  You could switch the boiler off at the wall to stop that but it's all a bit unsatisfactory

I see what you did there, theartfullodger!