Can you have a boiler in your bathroom or will it watch you on the toilet? Find out.
In most cases, modern boilers are fitted in or next to a kitchen, bathroom, or utility room.
The reason for this is that modern condensing boilers need a waste pipe to rid the system of wastewater.
Therefore, you can see why having a boiler installed near a waste pipe makes sense.
But with that said, that doesn’t make it impossible to have a boiler added to a bedroom, just perhaps a little trickier.
So, what’s involved in having a new boiler in your bedroom and are there any safety concerns?
Let’s dive in!
Can you have a boiler in the bedroom?
Here we will address all the considerations that have to be made to determine whether or not a boiler can be installed in a bedroom:
Legality and Safety
Before discussing the various pros and cons of having a boiler installed in a bedroom, we need to look at whether it is safe and legal.
First things first, as mentioned, yes you can have a boiler installed in a bedroom, albeit this is only if the installation can safely meet the regulations.
Moreover, no matter where you have a boiler added, it must be installed by a Gas Safe Register engineer.
Safety Concerns
Before looking in more detail at what the law and regulations require, there are additional safety steps you can take.
You might be worried that a boiler in a bedroom won’t be safe. The main concern you might have is that of carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, one simple way to protect against this is to have a fully functioning carbon monoxide alarm added to your bedroom which could sound when it has detected harmful gas.
Be sure to check it at least once a month by pressing the test button to verify that it’s still working. Of course, you may want to test it more often (e.g., once a week) for even more peace of mind.
If it’s not working, the batteries would likely need replacing. Once this is done, check that it’s now working okay. If it still isn’t working, that would suggest a fault that needs fixing ASAP.
The good news, however, is that these alarms tend to last for about 5 to 10 years in total before they need replacing.
Of course, durability and the expected lifespan of a given carbon monoxide detector will vary from product to product, so do be aware of this.
Secondly, we strongly advise having your boiler serviced annually. While it is not a legal requirement (unless you are a landlord), annual servicing can keep you and your family safe as with each servicing, the engineer will be able to detect any issues that are present so that they can be addressed before they worsen.
What’s more, as part of servicing a boiler, the heating engineer will perform some minor maintenance (e.g., cleaning out your heating system’s magnetic filter, if it has one).
Lastly, having a boiler serviced is not only important from a safety perspective but it will likely be required to keep your boiler warranty active.
Laws Concerning Boilers in the Bedroom
Returning to legal concerns and regulations, any boiler fitted since January 1996 (so virtually every boiler in the UK at this stage), cannot have a gas boiler added to a bedroom that has a power rating of 14kW or more unless it is a room sealed appliance.
But what does it mean to have a boiler room sealed?
In this scenario, the boiler system would take air from the outside to use for combustion whilst emitting all fumes outside via a boiler flue.
The flue, in turn, releases these harmful gases into the atmosphere.
All in all, you can see why a room-sealed boiler would be important from a safety point of view if having a boiler added to a bedroom.
If the boiler is not room sealed, it must come with a device to automatically turn off the gas supply to prevent a dangerous (and potentially level) accumulation of fumes.
Boilers in the Bedroom Regulations
On a related note, some regulations also apply to having a boiler in a bedroom.
First and foremost, as would be the case with any boiler installed in any location, there needs to be enough space around the boiler to allow adequate circulation.
The heating engineer installing your boiler should check the installation manual to see what the exact requirements in this area are for your specific boiler.
After all, this can vary from model to model.
Moreover, your boiler will need a sufficient air supply and a fully working boiler flue. Once more, as already mentioned, a boiler in your bedroom would need to be roomed sealed too.
What Else Should I Consider?
Aside from the most important concerns that are related to safety and legality/the regulations, it’s worth spending some time figuring out whether or not a boiler in a bedroom is right for you.
While you can have a boiler installed in a bedroom (once it’s safe and legal/meets the regulations), you should weigh up a range of benefits and disadvantages to having a boiler added to the bedroom in question.
That way, you could determine whether it is actually sensible in your case.
Sound Concerns of a Boiler in the Bedroom
Unless you have an electric boiler installed (although today we’ve to focus on gas boilers), your boiler won’t be silent.
Gas boilers have a lot of activity going on inside them and noises such as the heat exchanger heating the water or the flame igniting means that a boiler in your bedroom may be a bit of a nuisance.
This would be especially so if you need absolute silence to easily fall asleep.
Of course, having your boiler installed inside a cupboard would be a great way of minimising how noisy it is, while also hopefully making your room more visually appealing than it would be with an exposed boiler.
Concealing a boiler inside a cupboard must be done in line with regulations (e.g., there must be certain spaces between the top/bottom of your boiler and the inside of the cupboard per the manufacturer’s instructions).
Over time, boilers can suddenly or gradually become noisier. This would be a sign of an underlying issue.
So, if your boiler suddenly becomes noisier (e.g., you hear a gurgling noise), you should hire a qualified heating engineer as soon as possible so they can take a look and resolve whatever the problem is.
Additional Warmth from a Boiler in the Bedroom
Note: If your boiler is actually hot to the touch (at any time of the year), this may mean there’s a problem. In this case, you should turn off your boiler and hire a heating engineer to take a look.
Boilers have to work hard to generate hot water.
As a result, even when you’re not using the heating (but continue using your shower, hot water taps, etc.), your actual boiler can still generate heat because of how much it needs to work to produce hot water for direct use like showering.
As a result, this additional heat may as a result end up warming up your bedroom a little during the summer months.
If you want to avoid this, you might want to consider having your boiler cupboard insulated to keep the warmth inside the cupboard itself.
Be sure that this is done by a qualified heating engineer in line with the regulations and safety concerns, particularly with regard to how it would impact the boiler during the winter when it’s more in use.
Space Available in the Bedroom
While modern boilers are fairly compact, you still need to consider how much space a boiler would use up in your bedroom.
After all, space will not only be needed for the boiler but more room will be required for the pipework and to ensure there is sufficient space around the boiler for proper air circulation. Lastly, if you have a cupboard added, this will use up a little more space.
So, with these spaces being needed for a boiler, the pipework and perhaps a cupboard too, you should consider whether you actually want to sacrifice this room.
All in all, whether the sound, used space, or potential summertime warming issues associated with a boiler in a bedroom are an issue or not will depend on your preferences and priorities.
Boiler in the Bedroom Pros and Cons
In summary, here are the upsides and downsides of having a boiler in a bedroom:
Pros of a Boiler in the Bedroom:
Can free up space elsewhere (e.g., if you have a small kitchen, you won’t have to worry about a boiler and its pipework using what precious room you have).
Depending on how it's done and the value of freeing up space elsewhere, having a professional move your boiler location to a bedroom could increase the value of your property. Of course, the opposite could also happen. It would really depend on a range of factors.
Cons of a Boiler in the Bedroom:
Not all bedrooms are suitable for a boiler installation.
More legal, regulatory, and safety considerations.
The noise or/and space being used may be an issue for you.
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