The kitchen often appears to be the most obvious place to site a boiler, but with UK homes getting smaller it could be worth considering other options. Jon Phillips, Head of Strategic planning at Baxi, highlights some other possible locations around the home.
When it comes to siting a domestic boiler, the kitchen has become a very popular location – and knowing that this is the case, many manufacturers advertise the fact that their boilers will fit into a standard kitchen cupboard. However, in space-poor homes with very little kitchen storage available, it could be worth looking at other options.
UK homes are, without doubt, getting smaller. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) suggests the average UK new home is now 76m² – half the size of the houses built in the 1920s. In RIBA’s ‘The Case for Space’ report, 35% of respondents said that they didn’t have enough kitchen space for appliances like toasters or microwaves. RIBA also found many families have no space to store large supermarket shops, particularly when buying promotions.
Another report estimates the average kitchen in London has shrunk by a third since the 1960s, and suggests that the kitchen accounts for a smaller proportion of the total living space in new build developments and conversions in the capital than ever before.
Space saving
Bearing such building trends in mind, siting a boiler elsewhere could be a good option to free up much-needed space in the kitchen. Airing cupboards, cloakrooms, cellars, lofts and even outbuilding such as garages are all feasible alternatives, providing there is a suitable wall (and the homeowner doesn’t rely heavily on these areas for storage of course). The homeowner might already have their own ideas about where they want their boiler to be fitted – but it will be down to the installer to check whether it’s feasible or not.
Obviously, there must be enough space for installation and maintenance in the chosen area. If the space is confined or restricted, installers should take particular note of the required clearances for the sides, top and bottom of the boiler. These will be specified within the installation manual, and must be adhered to.
Future access
It’s important to consider future boiler engineer visits, with access being needed for servicing, maintenance and repairs. Homeowners will also need access to the boiler from time to time, so it’s worth thinking about the customer’s abilities. For example, an elderly person is unlikely to want to climb loft stairs, and outbuildings might be a problem for them in poor weather. Even if the heating controls are fitted in an easily accessible place, the customer might still need to check the boiler in the event of a fault or might want to change the settings.
For certain locations, there will be specific guidelines to consult. For example, for loft installations BPEC CEN1 Guidance can be referred to. If the boiler is fitted in a room containing a bath or shower, reference must be made to the current I.E.E. Wiring Regulations and the Building Regulations. If the boiler is to be installed in a building of timber frame construction then reference must be made to the current edition of Institute of Gas Engineers Publication IGE/UP/7 (Gas Installations in Timber Framed Housing).
If a boiler is fitted in a typically cold location (such as a loft, cellar or outbuilding), the installer should ensure the boiler has frost protection, and pipe insulation is a must.
Flue options
Of course, much will depend on the layout and length of the flue and the position of the flue terminal, in accordance with BS5440, and whether pluming will cause a nuisance to neighbouring properties (or indeed the actual customer) – but today’s flue kits and plume displacement solutions have made things much easier.
At Baxi we offer a full range of industry-leading flue kits which provide extra siting flexibility to help make installation easier. Most flue lengths and configurations can be catered for, even if there is a need to manoeuvre around tight spaces or joists. Our flue terminals are available in several colour options to help them blend into the property.
While it is possible to extend a boiler’s flue system with these kits, each specific boiler will have a maximum permissible flue length that must be adhered to – further detail can be found in manufacturers’ installation manuals.
Plume displacement
As installers will know, due to the nature of condensing boilers, a plume of water vapour will be discharged from the flue, which should always be taken into account when siting the flue terminal. If the position of flue terminal is going to result in nuisance pluming and relocation is not an option, plume displacement and defector kits can be used. These essentially extend the terminal in order to move the pluming to a point where it will be less noticeable and won’t cause a problem.
Boilers with additional rear flue options have also been introduced in recent years to make boiler siting more flexible and easier for the installer – our EcoBlue Advance Heat is one example. When deciding on a suitable location it’s also important to consider where the condensate will drain to, and to guard against the condensate pipe freezing in cold weather – again, manufacturers should provide guidance in their installation manuals.
Installing a boiler in a kitchen has its merits, but in today’s space-poor homes, other locations might be more appropriate. There are several other suitable options available, with flue and plume displacement kits making siting more flexible and much easier.
