Boilers can be installed pretty much anywhere in a house given the long flue lengths available. But once a boiler is installed, it can be quite expensive and disruptive to move it later. There are pros and cons to each location and here we’ll review the most common ones so you know what to expect.
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Considerations
You’ll want to bear in mind the space lost to the boiler, for instance in a kitchen you’ll lose a cupboard space at the very least.
The noise it makes can also affect you, for example if it is in a bedroom and you’re trying to sleep. Some boilers can be very quiet and installing a boiler in a cupboard will reduce the noise further but some people are light sleepers.
The distance of the boiler to the hot water tap is very important and most of the time gets overlooked in favour of installing it out of sight. If the boiler is in the garage at the front of the house and the kitchen and bathrooms are at the back, then a long piperun will be needed to carry hot water from the boiler to the taps. If you’re brushing your teeth, the water may only get warm by the time you’ve finished. So you’ve heated water only for it to now sit in the pipe and cool down again. This is a waste of energy and in the long term your gas usage will be higher than if you didn’t have to wait as long. Alternatively, some people will leave the hot water tap running while brushing their teeth. This is a waste of water and also gas because once the tap is closed, three will be a long length of pipe full of hot water cooling down.
Accessibility is also important. Although the house residents are not going to need access to the boiler for repairs, they should still be able to reach it easily to top up the heating water pressure, change hot water and heating temperatures, spot flashing warning lights and most importantly spot leaks and hear unusual noises. An issue detected and addressed as soon as it happens is far less costly than one which has gone unseen for months and has damaged the boiler beyond economic repair. Even if there are remote thermostats and apps that can control and monitor the boiler off-site, they won’t be your eye and ears!
Space, length of piperun and access are the most important considerations for the customer. Technical considerations for the gas engineer will be the flue external location, the condensate piperun and gas pipe size among others but these can all be adapted as required. They may make the install more expensive though.
Pros and cons
| Location | Pros | Cons |
| Kitchen | – Most pipes in proximity. – Rapid hot water delivery due to tap nearby – Condensate pipe easy to run – Boiler easily accessible – Noise not an issue The best location in my opinion. | – Takes up valuable space, more than a cupboard size if boiler is large – Sometimes cupboards are built around making it impossible or difficult to remove the casing |
| Loft | – Saves space in the rest of the house especially if a big boiler – Noise won’t affect household – Flue siting not a problem – Plenty of room to work on and access the boiler once up there | – Loss of heat in unheated space – pipes must be very well insulated – Not easily accessible – Leaks will go unnoticed – Out of sight, out of mind, boiler gets overlooked – Condensate pipe in unheated space will need insulation and prone to freezing – Long pipe runs – Expensive to install as loft requires boarding, permanent light, a ramp and a ladder The worst location in my opinion. Some gas engineers won’t even work in the loft due to safety reasons. |
| Bathroom | – Most pipework in proximity – Condensate pipe easy to run – Easily accessible – Noise not an issue | – Takes up valuable space – At higher risk of corrosion |
| Utility room | – Most pipework in proximity – Condensate pipe easy to run – Easily accessible – Space not really an issue as this is meant for utilities | – Not everyone has one! |
| Bedroom | – Easily accessible – Can be tucked in the corner of a built-in wardrobe, unnoticed | – May need long piperuns – Noise will disturb people sleeping at night – At risk of CO poisoning if boiler malfunctions |
| Garage | – Easily accessible – Noise not an issue – Saves space in the rest of the house – Leaks won’t damage the house | – Unheated garages will require pipes to be well insulated – Not everyone has a garage – May need long piperuns if kitchen and bathrooms are at the rear. |
| Airing cupboard | – Good use of existing space – Most pipework already there – Easily accessible – Noise not an issue | – Cupboard could be removed to make bedrooms large; a boiler does not need any floorspace – Long piperun to kitchen usually |
| Living Room | – Easily accessible – Space not an issue – Can be discrete if cupboard built over it or hidden by furniture | – Can be noisy whilst watching TV or napping – May be out of place – Leaks could be messy – May need long piperuns if kitchen and bathroom not nearby. |
Kitchen
The utility room is the ideal location as it ticks all the requirements: access, noise, space, piperun if we assume the kitchen and bathroom are close by. However, not everyone will have a utility room so the next best place is the kitchen as everyone has one. It gets even better in the kitchen if the boiler is next to the sink. You can’t get hot water any faster than that! Bathrooms are usually nearby, at least in small houses.
The big disadvantage is the limited space available and you’ll be losing a whole cupboard space. However, it is a small price to pay in my opinion – only one cupboard space when there’ll be many cupboards.
Lofts
This is a popular location amongst many people who don’t want to be bothered about a boiler and just want hot water and heating. Most of the time this location won’t be an issue but when things go wrong then regret will set in. The only thing they can notice is the lack of hot water or heating, not the boiler half fallen off the wall, nor the flue having rotted away, belching out fumes in the loft space, nor the condensate pipe having come apart and dumping acidic water all over the floor. They can’t notice any of these since the boiler is in a remote location. Not to mention the water and gas wasted with the long piperun for hot water in the kitchen all the way down. All this to save a cupboard space in the kitchen? Not worth it in my opinion.
A boiler install in the loft is much more expensive too and that’s without considering the extra pipes needed. Regulation BS6798 states that a loft installation will require a boarded floor, a handrail around the hatch, fixed lighting and a loft ladder, all for health and safety reasons.
Summary
You should have a better idea now where the best location for a boiler should be in your property. A boiler is a hard-working bit of kit, more so than a dishwasher and washing machine, so give it the space and attention it deserves.