Child-proofing a combi boiler in a bedroom?

[Kathleenkelly152]

We're in an Edwardian terrace and have just had the ancient back boiler and hot water cylinder replaced by a combi boiler. The gas engineer told us that the back bedroom was the only place in the house it could go.

This room will be a child's bedroom. We intend to have a cupboard built around the boiler, but I wonder how do we make it safe to leave a curious child in the room with it? Do we put the pipes and taps behind a false panel at the back of the cupboard and lock the boiler itself in a separate section? Seems a bit ott?

I know it's common for boilers to be in the smallest room so others must have dealt with this... anyone been in this situation? How have you solved it?

Thanks.

Our combi-boiler doesn't have any visible pipes and taps.

How old is the child? Can you not just tell them they are not to touch it?

Ours is in a cupboard in a child's bedroom. We just have a sliding lock high up on the cupboard door.

Safe but incredibly annoying - noisy whenever anyone turns on a hot tap.

I would avoid it if possible.

Is it really the only place it can go? I highly doubt it, potentially the easiest place but unlikely to be the only place!

Thanks for the responses. It's already been installed so can't move it. Something to do with the pressure and getting hot water to the bathroom.

It does have taps and knobs on the pipe work below the boiler it's self.

I've tested it it with the taps running and it makes a faint noise but not too bad. I'm sure a cupboard will help further. It's a new model boiler so possibly quieter than others.

The child is a baby now but with be inticed by the exciting knobs to turn soon enough!

I just want to get the decor in the room future proofed now so I don't have to worry about it in a year or so.

I guess a cupboard with a sliding lock up high should do it.

"only place "

unlikely

"easy and convenient place from the installer's point of view"

very possible

The kitchen is usually the best place. You need access to a gas pipe (might need a new, larger one from the meter); the incoming water main; an external wall for the flue, and (often glossed over) a drain for the condensate, preferably indoors because it is so annoying to have it freeze solid so your boiler stops working in cold weather. The sink waste pipe is usually convenient.

oh, already installed.

The door(s) have to be easily opened for servicing and if you need, for example, to turn off the water and gas cocks in an emergency.

I'd suggest a hinged panel over the pipes, with coat-hooks on it, and a concealed latch or lock. You can get one (Dzus fastener) that is operated by a large screwdriver, which would be very convenient, but they are normal on metal cabinets, not wooden ones. Or you could use a surface-mounted window lock, fitting the same key as your windows.

Then enclosure must be big enough that when the door is open (or lifted off) the engineer has plenty of room to remove the boiler casing and get at the parts. The boiler instructions will say, but two inches all round is usually plenty. It may need more space above if the cabinet swings upwards to remove.

If you are not fond of cabinetmaking, you can buy ready-made kitchen unit doors in various sizes (try ebay) or you can pay to have a backless kitchen cabinet made to fit a boiler (higher cost). They are usually deeper than ordinary wall cabinets.

Thanks a bunch @PigletJohn, great advice.

I think you could easily have a floor to ceiling cupboard constructed around that. A good joiner or competent diy'er could sort it easily.

Boilers such as these ,,well the big restriction on where they can go is the flue run. Sure flues have become more flexible ie they can leave the boiler rearwards,forwards,sideways and vertically through the roof but in a terraced property your choices might still be restricted. Di your hot water cylinder cupboard used to live in that corner?

yes, you could have a tall cabinet with a single locking door, but looking at the layout in the pic, I was thinking that a boiler cupboard plus a panel over the pipes, with coat hooks on it, would be useful in a small child's room. It will be some time before DC is too tall to use it, and by that time the boiler should not need to be locked away.

Yes @TDHManchester, it was where the old cylinder was, it had an airing cupboard around it that was floor to ceiling. It was handy but really cut into the room and took up a lot of space.

I like @PigletJohn's idea and I think that's that we'll end up doing. That way we'll keep a lot more floor space and hopefully it won't feel so imposing in the room!