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Original poster

Moving a boiler 'outside'?

14 replies

SawdustInMyHair · 22/07/2016 21:15

My boiler is currently in my kitchen, and takes up a lot of cupboard space in my small flat. It's old and needs replacing anyway, but I want to move it outside, and build it a little shelter to live in.

The actual moving won't be too massive a job - it'll literally be in exactly the same place on the other side of the wall. I'm more concerned with what I need to consider moving it out? Has anyone done it? Did it go on fire or anything?

OP posts:
blueskyinmarch · 22/07/2016 21:20

Our last house had oil heating and the boiler was outside. It was good as oil smells when it burns. No idea about gas though.

SweetPea79 · 22/07/2016 21:20

Gas or oil?

You can get external boilers, if you're gas it would be unlikely that regulations would allow you to box it in. So you'd have a large green box on the outside of the flat which I assume you'd need permission for if it's a communal building.

You'd basically need a new boiler installed by a qualified engineer.

Original poster
SawdustInMyHair · 22/07/2016 21:29

It is gas, I should have said!

I own the freehold, so I don't need permission, and we're on the ground floor.

I was thinking of having like a brick cupboard/mini-outbuilding for it against the back wall. Insulated and all that.

OP posts:
SayrraT · 24/07/2016 09:38

I'm not sure if you can just move an internal boiler outside. Lots of people round here (including me) have external boilers but I think they are different boilers and not just an internal one moved out.

You'd be best asking a boiler installer person.

Doje · 24/07/2016 09:44

We did this! The boiler man suggested it, and I'm afraid we followed his advice without really questioning it!

We have a cubby hole thing that is under the stairs, but accessed from outside, so perhaps slightly different to what you're suggesting.

No problem whatsoever with it, and it's freed up space inside. We're selling our house at three moment, and no one has suggested it's a problem.

SayrraT · 24/07/2016 09:54

Maybe you can then! Grin

specialsubject · 24/07/2016 10:40

Person with a smelly oil boiler - get it fixed. A correctly functioning one doesn't smell.

Original poster
SawdustInMyHair · 25/07/2016 14:19

Thanks!

I looked on the planning permission site for my borough (flats, even owned ones, don't have 'permitted development' so I'd have to get PP even for this tiny thing) and found someone not far from me who has done it, with some very useful plans! It's almost identical to what I am planning, right down to the positioning, but it doesn't say what type of boiler so I guess I'm going to have to ring around a few places and see if they've done it before.

OP posts:
Marni68 · 03/05/2019 03:40

Hi there,
Apologies, I know this is an old thread (and my first time on here) but I’ve just read a post by SawdustInMyHair (Mon/25/07/16) & wondered if you (or anybody else) could possibly share whether you managed to move your boiler to the other side of the external wall from where it was originally located ie from inside to outside? You also mention that you looked on the planning permission site for your borough (required you to get planning permission for moving boiler outside) and that you found someone not far from you who had moved their boiler almost identical to what you planned / right down to the positioning and with some very useful plans. Did you manage to get a copy of those plans or get in contact with this person? Any advice / tips regards “do’s & don’ts” / recommendations regards companies to use / preference and cost of materials would be gratefully appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

untogether · 25/07/2019 11:05

Hi there, also bumping this thread up to ask for help on this! I need the exact same thing doing at my place!

Enarussell · 09/05/2020 10:14

I too want to put my internal boiler SUPER Q 50/90 FIREBIRD BOILER directly outside the wall from where it is in my utility room. Surely this should be easy where I can just buy an appropriate external boiler box or even build and little house and insulate it. I do not want to have to buy a new boiler.

Can anyone help me with this question please??

Enarussell · 09/05/2020 10:17

Also to add my boiler is oil and not gas.

Muchlywrong · 09/05/2020 11:49

It should be easy enough to do. Moving an oil boiler outside is a lot easier to do than a gas boiler. The main issue for you is likely to be the age of your boiler and system. I imagine it is at least 25 years old and once an oil boiler gets to that age, the possibility of the heat exchanger and/or water jacket getting a leak, is very high. You would probably do better to save up to have an external boiler fitted. Your savings on efficiency and not having to build a shed/lean to/building to house the boiler, will more than make up for it. You should be looking at a 10%+ more efficient boiler and your use of oil should go down by a minimum of a fifth. Obviously, this all depends on how well you look after your current boiler too, as your savings could be more if you don't have your boiler serviced annually.

Funf · 10/05/2020 06:51

Worcester and several others make =boilers than can be housed in an outbuilding ours is in the loft only difference is it has a Frost stat so if it gets really cold outside the boiler will fire itself up for a couple of minutes just to stop it freezing. Talk to a few boiler manufacturers

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