Boiler room vent ideas

FlaatusGoat

I have a small airing cupboard type room where the boiler is housed. At the moment, there's two ugly and unsightly plastic vent/grills on the top and bottom of the walls. I appreciate the room must be vented due to the boiler in case of a leak / carbon monoxide. But is there any way to disguise it a bit or improve the aesthetic some how rather than using bog standard plastic vent covers on a bedroom wall to hide the hole in the plasterboard? https://www.toolstation.com/louvre-vent-flyscreen/p54697

Emmia

Depending on the colour of the wall, those could be unobtrusive - alternatively you'd have more obvious ones in brass or another material. 

Presumably the vents couldn't be moved to go outside, or into another room?

ThisIsWeird

Hi FG.
Can you confirm - the vents shown in your link, are these like wot you already have, or are you asking if they'd be suitable?
And what colour is your wall - would the same colour as Emmia suggests help?
Make and model of boiler? I wonder if a vent is required? My boiler is in a purpose-made cupboard with no vents. I have a CO alarm mounted inside it.
The installation instructions for your model will/should explain the requirements.

knightstyle

If you have an older boiler in there you must not remove or obstruct them.  However if it is a modern balanced flue boiler you may be able to have them removed and the holes filled in.
BUT this is my opinion and you need to get a qualified expert to look before doing anything.

FlaatusGoat

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi FG.
Can you confirm - the vents shown in your link, are these like wot you already have, or are you asking if they'd be suitable?
And what colour is your wall - would the same colour as Emmia suggests help?
Make and model of boiler? I wonder if a vent is required? My boiler is in a purpose-made cupboard with no vents. I have a CO alarm mounted inside it.
The installation instructions for your model will/should explain the requirements.

Hi it's a potterton promax combi he plus. Here's the current decor and the vents - I took one cover off whilst repainting. Any thoughts?

FreeBear

knightstyle said: If you have an older boiler in there you must not remove or obstruct them.  However if it is a modern balanced flue boiler you may be able to have them removed and the holes filled in.

A modern gas boiler kicks out an appreciable amount of heat from the casing when it is running. That heat can be used to warm the rest of the house, so vents would be advantageous. Keeping the temperature down to a manageable level in that space will also help to prolong the life of the boiler.

Agreed, those plastic vents are ugly. The alternative is a louvered door, but they are not pretty in many settings.. If you have access to the space above (is it a loft ?), fit an extractor fan and duct the warm air to another area (the landing perhaps ?). Trim ~10mm off the bottom of the door to allow fresh air in. Hook the fan up to a temperature sensor (old fashion thermostat ?) and you won't need to leave the extractor running 24/7.

ThisIsWeird

FlaatusGoat said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi FG.
Can you confirm - the vents shown in your link, are these like wot you already have, or are you asking if they'd be suitable?
And what colour is your wall - would the same colour as Emmia suggests help?
Make and model of boiler? I wonder if a vent is required? My boiler is in a purpose-made cupboard with no vents. I have a CO alarm mounted inside it.
The installation instructions for your model will/should explain the requirements.

Hi it's a potterton promax combi he plus. Here's the current decor and the vents - I took one cover off whilst repainting. Any thoughts?

Page 16: https://www.freeboilermanuals.com/assets/pdf/potterton/Potterton-Promax-Combi-HE-Plus24-33.pdf

Fill yer boots.

Better still, fill them 'oles.

P'board cut to size and PVA'd in place. Skim of filler.

Modern boiler are well insulated, so do not become more than warm to the touch. This will be ideal for a clothes-storage 'airing' cupboard with slatted shelves or baskets.

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: Modern boiler are well insulated, so do not become more than warm to the touch.

Having seen close up, the inside of a modern boiler, there is no (or very little) insulation in there. The lack of excessive heat in the casing is down to higher efficiencies in transferring the heat from a flame to the water.

ThisIsWeird

Yes, good point.
That's still effective, tho' - when I compare the floor-mounted Mexico we inherited with the glowworm combi I replaced it with, the former would strip the skin from your hand if you touched the flue, and the latter is barely warm to the touch.
The tiny amount of heat it releases will be ideal for an airing cupboard.