Worth moving boiler?

ChasingtheWelshdream

Interesting!

ThisIsWeird said:

Q's
1) When you move that end bedroom corner, the bathroom space should be transformed. Do you still intend to fit a bath in there, or a shower cubicle?
2) The two proposed bathrooms, can you plan one of these to contain a hot cylinder? And/or a gas boiler?

1: Ideally I would swing the bath 90 degrees and have it along that far wall (a nice rolltop style). There would be two windows there so a shower bath wouldn't be ideal, hence I wanted to put a walk in cubicle somewhere, and I can only really see it where the boiler is now. Which also has a soil stack there so drainage is sorted.  That's as far as I've thought yet. I need to play with some planners.

It will be the main family bathroom though, hence why I'm torn between 'making do' and going all out.

2. Interesting.......The final bathroom would definitely have space for a cylinder. It is 2 floors and a room away from where the boiler would be if we went ahead and moved it now though. 

We rarely need to get in the bathrooms at the same time hence why the combi works at the moment. We are looking to put in a master ensuite and then a shower room on the top floor to save people having to traipse downstairs. But I'm aware of future proofing, although we are here for the long-term.

Albermarle

5 bedrooms, 3 floors, 1 bathroom, 1 wc, 1 utility. In future will be adding 2 x extra bathrooms but we are looking 4+ years. 
Which is where the dilemma is. A combi wouldn't suit that set up. The best place for a water cylinder would either be in the existing boiler cupboard, or on the opposite side of the house. Which I know will be a much larger outlay when it comes to it.

The theory is that with a hot water cylinder and with some kind of pressurised system ( using pumps or mains pressure) then you can have two or more hot water outlets running OK at the same time. My own experience ( with a megaflow/mains pressure system) is that it does not work quite like that in practice. Maybe it was not installed properly but we have found to have a good shower it is still better to only have one running at once.

The main advantage has been if the boiler stops working, you still have some residual hot water and an electric immersion heater back up as well. 

ChasingtheWelshdream

Maybe I need to have a word with the heating engineer about future plans. I was thinking that the upstairs shower room may be an electric shower as it won't be in frequent use, but that was just a thought.

ChasingtheWelshdream

But the more I think about it, the more I think that the boiler is just in the wrong place where it is. 

cerebus

So you plan to get rid of that window when you pinch a bit from the bedroom? Look very odd if you don't! Plus the bedroom will become a lot darker if you don't increase the size of the other window

Do you need 5 bedrooms? Could one be changed to a family bathroom and the existing one converted to an ensuite ? 

Basically only you can decide what's best for you , me personally would not be moving the boiler until I knew exactly where I was putting in the extra bathrooms and whether you could cope with a combi or need a tank (number of people in household also plays a part) if you move the boiler  to the utility then it needs moving again if you put in a tank then it's going to cost you twice 

If you only fitted extra bathrooms with electric showers then a combi would still be OK, only issue would be length of pipework from boiler to sinks increasing time it takes for hot water to come out of tap

If you fit a tank ideally it needs to be central to all water outlets , only you knows where that would be best 

cerebus

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

But the more I think about it, the more I think that the boiler is just in the wrong place where it is. 

Why do you think that?

It's extremely close to the sink and bath and above the utility room , presumably very close to the kitchen too

In terms of not wasting gas getting hot water to the outlets its in an ideal place,  if you can put an ensuite in on that side of your house , it's ideally located to feed that too

Centrally fitted boiler helps with the central heating too as it shortens the pipe runs to the rads 

ThisIsWeird

ChasingtheWelshdream said:

Interesting!

ThisIsWeird said:

Q's
1) When you move that end bedroom corner, the bathroom space should be transformed. Do you still intend to fit a bath in there, or a shower cubicle?
2) The two proposed bathrooms, can you plan one of these to contain a hot cylinder? And/or a gas boiler?

1: Ideally I would swing the bath 90 degrees and have it along that far wall (a nice rolltop style). There would be two windows there so a shower bath wouldn't be ideal, hence I wanted to put a walk in cubicle somewhere, and I can only really see it where the boiler is now. Which also has a soil stack there so drainage is sorted.  That's as far as I've thought yet. I need to play with some planners.

It will be the main family bathroom though, hence why I'm torn between 'making do' and going all out.

2. Interesting.......The final bathroom would definitely have space for a cylinder. It is 2 floors and a room away from where the boiler would be if we went ahead and moved it now though. 

We rarely need to get in the bathrooms at the same time hence why the combi works at the moment. We are looking to put in a master ensuite and then a shower room on the top floor to save people having to traipse downstairs. But I'm aware of future proofing, although we are here for the long-term.

I'd personally say that 15-20 seconds more of tap-running, now and then, is not a great cost if it means that the overall layout can be improved. But that's a personal call.

So, you want a bath and a shower in that main bathroom? Will a decent-sized shower cubicle fit where the boiler is now, taking into account the door and the window?

In general, tho', I think you need a longer-term plan that includes the changes you want to happen. Have you got anywhere with actual layout plans?

ChasingtheWelshdream

ThisisWeird : Yes, a 900 shower would fit there, a bath along the far end and sink/wc on the left. The floorplan is not to scale. 

Cerebus: The bathroom eventual locations are all decided, just not the nitty gritty. Yes, we need 5 bedrooms. Large family and one bedroom is our office for 2 of us permanent home working.

The new ensuite would be 5 meters horizontally distant from where the boiler is now. So not a huge distance more if it is moved to the room below. The third bathroom will be on that wall on the top floor.

I want to drop the boiler from the bathroom to the room below, literally 2.5 meters vertically. So the new location in the utility room below would be ideal, but it is just in the way where it is. Unless we leave the bathroom layout the same.

NB: The floor plan has the windows in the wrong place. Carrying on the wall and squaring off the bathroom pinches that window fully. The bedroom has two windows and a skylight so plenty of remaining light.


I think I am just thinking out loud :-D

cerebus

Sounds like you have it all figured out now!

I personally then would go ahead with the boiler move , if you decide to change to a tank later on would that fit in the utility room to save on installation costs later on?

FreeBear

ChasingtheWelshdream said: I want to drop the boiler from the bathroom to the room below, literally 2.5 meters vertically. So the new location in the utility room below would be ideal, but it is just in the way where it is.

Reading between the lines, you have already decided. In which case, it is just down to getting a few quotes in to see who can do it within your budget.

I suspect quite a few plumbers would regard it a "new installation" rather than a modification - That would require paperwork & time on their part. If you can find someone who will just see it as a minor modification, there will be fewer hoops to jump through, and that will help to keep the costs in check.

The three main points to look at are -

1. Location of the gas pipe.
2. Proposed flue exit point in relation to doors, windows, and boundaries.
3. Suitable switched fused spur in the utility room.

If you can do the plumbing on the DHW & CH side, and make good any holes in the walls, that will help to drive the price down.