New Boiler location

[audrey01]

We're looking to undertake a major refurbishment/extension for our newly bought house (2-storey side extension, hip to gable loft conversion, internal alterations, re-plumbing, re-wiring, etc). At the moment, the old boiler (15 years old) is sited in a cupboard under the stairs. It works fine for the curent layout (2 bed, 2 bath upstairs), but it will not be suitable for the new house (4-bed, 3 bath). The builder suggested getting a new boiler (Megaflow or something like that) and is asking us where we want it installed. We were wondering if we should relocate the new boiler either in the side extension downstairs (where we plan to have a loo, a study and a shed) or on the first floor (where we plan to have a laundry room and a new en-suite bathroom). Or perhaps is it better to put it all the way up in the loft, as we will have a small storage area next to the landing. What are people's experiences when choosing the location for their new boiler? Many thanks in advance.

Anybody can tell me the pros and cons for locating the new boiler either downstairs, loft or first floor?

We didn't really have a good location for our boiler so the plumber suggested we get an outside boiler, and its great! Downside is not having a nice warm boiler room I suppose, but you don't miss what you never had.

Put it where its least in the way, and if it happens to be in a useful spot for airing clothes etc then that's a bonus. Obviously discuss it with your plumber too, to make sure where you'd like it is viable.

Can I ask why it's not suitable in its current location?

If it's a boiler with an outlet pipe & sensor (condensing boilers) do not locate it in the loft. If it's very cold the outlet pipe can freeze which automatically shuts down your boiler. The fix for this is simple as long as you can reach the outlet pipe (thaw it with some hot water for free) but if you can't reach it you have to wait for it to thaw on it's own or call out a plumber with a long enough ladder to reach. Our neighbours were stuck with no heating from their brand new boiler due to this and all they could do was wait for it to thaw out. Plumber said it was a common problem but he couldn't do anything because he couldn't reach it.

A Megaflo is a high-pressure hot water cylinder, not a boiler. They are usually quite tall. You can put it in an airing cupboard if you have one. The shorter the pipe runs to the kitchen sink, the less you will waste running the taps to hot.

The boiler itself, the most important thing is to have it handy for the incoming gas pipe and an indoor drain or waste pipe. To save time, people often position boilers where there is no internal drain, and end up with a condensate pipe outdoors, where, in very cold weather, it is liable to freeze and your boiler will stop working. This is very inconvenient. If you have ever suffered it, you will move heaven and earth to have an internal drain next time.

another point that is often overlooked until too late, is that modern condensing boilers blow out a plume of steam, which is very visible in frosty weather. Try to position the flue where the plume will not blow past a window, or blow around the house, and will not look unsightly. Bear in mind the prevailing wind direction. The steam is not very hot and you can get a flue extension to raise the outlet, or to point it so it blows in a more convenient direction. The flue is not a thing of beauty, but you can paint it if you want.

p.s.

don't put it in the loft.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

So, if we got this right, best would be if we housed the boiler in the side extension on the first floor (where we plan to have a dresser/laundry room as we want to put the washing machine there too), that way it's not in the loft (yet it can still have the flue to vent outside through the flat roof of the extension), and it's not downstairs in the shed where it might be too cold and the outlet pipe could freeze.

@ junemami - The reason why it can't be still under the stairs is that we're planning to extend the kitchen towards the entrance hall as well, and the sloping bit where the boiler currently is will become part of the new kitchen. If there was no side extension involved, then the boiler would have had to stay where it is, but with the new side extension, we can give it a new space, we didn't know where exactly (i.e. which floor). I think first floor would be reasonable as there are two main bathrooms there, so it will be quick to heat the water in the bathroom taps. The shower room in the loft will be used on an occasional basis only.

laundry room sounds excellent - thats where I got mine.

But mine is also near my kitchen sink so hot water reaches that tap quick.
Depends on your lifestyle but I would prefer to wait longer for hot water upstairs and have almost instant hot water in kitchen where I turn on taps several times per day.

I prefer to vent the flue though a wall, holes in roofs give opportunity for leaks.

If it is in, or adjacent to, a bathroom, ktchen or utility room, it should have easy indoor access to an indoor waste pipe, but think about it in advance so no-one feels tempted to run it outside.

If you put it upstairs, you will presumably have to extend the gas pipe. A modern boiler will probably need a 22mm gas pipe, the installer can calculate it the size required, which increases with length from the gas meter.

If you are going for a Megaflo, the boiler itself can be about the size of a 500mm kitchen wall cabinet, so smaller than you might be used to.

I prefer the cylinder (a megaflo is an improved cylinder) to be close to the kitchen, because you probably run the kitchen tap much more often than the bathroom hot tap.

Yes, I agree - our laundry room will be just above the kitchen and adjacent to the two bathrooms on the first floor. So, it will be close enough to both kitchen and bathroom taps.

The flue can vent through the outside wall upstairs as I hope it will be in no position to inconvenience anyone (basically, our side extension borders the pavement, so the laundry room will be above all that). I will now talk to our builder and see what he says based on the feedback received. Thanks again for all your input!

We have a similar sounding house and have a boiler and megaflo. These are both in the garage which has never caused any problem at all. The megaflo thing is massive so bear that in mind if you are thinking of putting it in a laundry.

they are available in various sizes.

Would you not need a certain size for a certain size of house though - I just commented on the size of mine as the OP's house sounds a similar size to mine?

A Megaflo is a pressurised hot water cylinder, so the suze depends on how many baths and drencher showers you want to run before it runs out. Assume 100 litres per bath. A modern boiler will take about 20 minutes to reheat it. If you have two people running baths at about the same time you would want about 200 litres which is about twice the size of an ordinary cylinder.

There are other factors, like how much water your incoming main can deliver per minute, and, provided the boiler is on, it will start reheating the cylinder while the baths are running. Modern cylinders with modern boilers heat faster than you might expect, and are very well insulated.

A pressurised cylinder such as a Megaflo (there are other brands) will give its best with a modern or upgraded water supply pipe and plumbing to provide the high flow and pressure. It can deliver more flow than a domestic combi.

Some have provision for solar and/or electrical and/or woodburner heating as well as the boiler. They are made of stainless steel inside an insulating case and must be installed and serviced by a person with an extr qualification due to safety of the high pressure.