Central heating/boiler dilemmas. Help?

[futureme]

I had a thread ages ago but cant find it!

We have a 1980s tiny boxy ex HA house and are planning to convert from the evil storage heaters of doom to gas central heating. We don't have a large income and want to keep costs low but also do a job we wont regret!

We have 2 quotes we like. One for a valiant, one for a glow worm (cheaper valiant). Anyhow, the questions I have,

• One has suggested placing the boiler in the kitchen diner, however it means losing the shelves in the corner -its a small ktchen. Do I need to put it in a cupboard as it would be ugly on the wall on its own in a corner woukdntit? Or is it normal to see? It would be obvious, not between units if that nakes sense.

*the other suggested pitting it where the emersion heater was with a flue thru the roof. The cupboard is right behind our heads in the hallway, other side of the bedroom, is this a problem? Im imagining it exploding and that keeping all the gas contaimed in the corner of the kitchen might be better, but this saves losing a corner of the kitchen!

Hope that makes some sense!

Modern boilers can be very small. As I type this I am looking at one 350mm wide and deep; about the size of a single wall cabinet. It should be connected to an internal drain, such as the one the sink goes into, which is probably in a duct in the corner of the kitchen.

Unless for some reason you want a combi, there may be advantages to having a separate HW cylinder.

The flue will blow out clouds of steam in winter, especially if a combi, so try to place it where it will not blow past your window, nor towards your neighbour's property. You can have an extender on the flue to take the steam further away.

Lots of kitchens have white appliances such as fridges, washers and cookers. You can hide them behind doors if you want to.

Anyone who knows these things....

Oh sorry Piglet John! Your post didnt appear when i typed my reply!! That looks so rude!

I know its single cupboard size, thats kind of the space in ky dining area it would go, rather than in the kitchen half of the room where the white goods are. Not sure if that makes sense. Small kitchen diner. Kitchen end has white goods and 2 double wall cupboards, and a single one next to cooker. I couldnt use one of those as already theres not enough room i the kitchen cuoboards for food, saucepans, plates etc.

Other end has shelves, dining table and chairs, windows etc which is where it would have to go so i think might looknout of place. Possibly not, maybe its just having not had it there id notice it.

The bathroom is next to our bedroom/airing cuoboard where it would go so the suggestion was that something goes through the roof (flue?) And the thing for the drips out under the bathroom.

Can it explode on me? It would be ace to have it in the airing cupboard and not the kitchen space wise.

All 3suggested combi boilers. Im guessing for space and cost reasons?

your boiler will not explode.

Im feeling more reassured now, thank you :)

it will have quite a number of pipes going into it from above and below, and the condensate pipe needs to run to a drain, so IMO it would be better near the sink, even if you have to move your cupboard with the plates and cornflakes to the dining end.