Don't move a boiler unless you're rich or desperate. It's a nightmare.
Are you thinking about moving your boiler to a new location within your home?
In this post, we will run you through some of the most common boiler relocation scenarios and attempt to give you a better idea of how much it might cost you.
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The quick answer? It depends on where it's moving from, to.
But - it's costly, several hundred to several thousand on top of your standard quote!
Looking to relocate your boiler?
Boilers are often big and cumbersome and with limited space, it makes perfect sense to want to move them out of the way, to lesser used and more discreet areas of your home.
Commonly, ideal locations to house a boiler include attic space, garages, or a storage cupboard in some other area of your home.
Learn all about combi boilers in our what is a combi boiler guide.
Cost of moving a boiler?
Typically, you can expect to pay between £400 and £1000 for the average central heating boiler move (on top of your standard quote). Although, you should be prepared to pay more if the engineer will be required to do substantial pipework and/or flue work.
Materials | Cost Guide |
Boiler flue | £100-£150 |
Flue pipes | £45 per meter |
Magnetic filter | £120-£140 |
Controls | £80-£700 |
Pipework | £300-£700 |
How long to move a boiler?
Again, the answer depends on the amount of work they will be required to do i.e. moving a boiler a few feet will take a lot less time than moving one from downstairs up to the attic space.
However, on average, relocating a standard boiler will take around 2 days to complete from start to finish.
Looking to pay for your new boiler monthly? Refer to our boiler on finance guide for more info.
Moving an existing boiler
It may be possible to have your current boiler relocated to a new location, but it is important to consider whether this is practical or makes financial sense.
For example, if your boiler is relatively new and has 8 years of a 10-year warranty remaining, then it may make sense to simply pay for the relocation fees alone.
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When does it make sense to install a new boiler instead?
If your boiler is quite old and has very little warranty period remaining, it may be a better option to have a brand-new boiler installed in the new location. If not, you will have to pay for both the relocation and then a new installation in a relatively short period of time.
Availability of parts may be limited
Another factor to consider is the availability of parts. If the parts of your boiler are difficult to source or expensive, it may not be possible or may make more sense to have a boiler replacement.
A common scenario is a boiler that is no longer in production, the flue parts can be difficult to source making a relocation next to impossible.
Modern boilers are energy-efficient
It is also wise to factor in the financial advantage of installing a brand-new boiler. Modern, energy-efficient boilers can save you money by using less fuel and having a long and fresh 10-year warranty period.
For example, according to the Energy Saving Trust, if you replaced an old G-rated gas boiler with a modern A-rated gas boiler, you could save as much as £315 a year on your fuel bill.
If your boiler is over 15 years old, it is likely a G-rated boiler, meaning it runs at 70% efficiency. Compare this to a modern A-rated model that runs to at least 92% efficiency and it is clear to see where your savings are coming from.
New boiler = a new warranty
Besides, a new boiler means a new warranty and since the best boiler brands now offer 10-year warranties, you will be covered for any manufacturing issues, offering additional peace of mind.
If you do have an old boiler, soon coming to the end of its warranty, then a potential repair can end up costing you well into the hundreds of pounds. And remember, an old boiler is more likely to break down and need repairs, so it is easy to see why a new boiler can make good financial sense.
Check our new boiler costs guide and use our boiler size calculator if you want to get a better understanding of how our fixed-price boiler quote tool works.
Where can you move your boiler to?
By now you have probably scouted an ideal location to house your boiler, thankfully, in most situations, you can relocate your boiler to many locations, commonly including the following:
Airing cupboard
Attic
Bathroom
Bedroom
Garage
Kitchen
Utility room
Unfortunately, in some cases, where you can relocate your boiler will be limited. If you have a combi boiler, this does not tend to be an issue, but certainly is with a cylinder that utilises an immersion heater, a regular boiler or a system boiler.
Why?
Regular and system boilers are larger, have more external components and have both a boiler and storage cylinder.
System boilers require a large water storage cylinder, which is typically housed in an airing cupboard.
Regular boilers have both a boiler unit and a storage cylinder as well as a feed and expansion tank, which must be kept in the attic as it needs to be above the boiler to function.
Does the type of boiler impact the price of moving a boiler?
The cost of moving a boiler is not typically determined by the type of boiler you have.
Engineers typically have a set fee to move boilers of a standard weight, however, if you have a heavier-than-average boiler and/or want to move the cylinder too, this can drive the cost of moving it upwards.
How come? An engineer typically works alone, but if the boiler is heavy, they may require additional help to move the boiler.
If like most UK households you have a combi boiler, then this is not likely to happen. Heavier types of boilers include the likes of oil boilers.
Is your boiler leaking or losing pressure? Use our quick and easy tool to get your fixed price boiler replacement.
Although less common, if you want to move a boiler from one property to another, you may need the help of a local moving company.
How long will moving your boiler take?
Again, the boring but correct answer is that it depends on your situation. Moving a standard combi boiler a few feet away will not take long compared to moving a heavier system boiler from the garage up to the attic.
Typically, an engineer will take two days to move a boiler from one location to another. In short, this involves tasks such as moving and lifting the boiler, boiler installation, fitting additional pipework and flue installation.
Curious to know which boiler brand performed worst? Find out in our report of the worst boilers.
Learn all about the process of installation in our combi boiler installation guide.
Factors impacting relocation costs
Boiler weight has already been covered and is one of the main factors when it comes to boiler relocation costs.
But other factors can influence the cost of boiler relocation and in some cases increase it significantly.
Essentially, the thing to bear in mind is that if the installation requires more time, more materials or is heavier and more difficult to handle, the cost will be higher.
With that in mind, here are some common reasons boiler relocation may be more costly than you may have initially thought:
Boiler Conversions
A boiler conversion means you are converting from one type of boiler to another e.g. from a back boiler to a combi boiler.
The most common reason for this is when someone is converting from an old, outdated boiler e.g. a back boiler (which is no longer supported), to a modern combi boiler.
Since back boilers were designed to be installed behind a fireplace, your new boiler will inevitably need to be moved to a new location.
Additional Pipework
The amount of pipework required will have a big impact on boiler relocation costs. These are fed from your mains to your new boiler and so if you are moving your boiler a significant distance, more pipework will need to be used.
Copper pipes are used in central heating systems and it is by no means a cheap material to source.
They are not simple to lay either, typically requiring floors to be lifted and holes to be made through walls to navigate them through.
So, it is worth bearing in mind that you will be paying for the cost of the copper pipes as well as the engineer's time and labour.
New Flue Installation
Boilers use gas as their fuel, which is burned via the process of combustion, which creates hot and toxic exhaust fumes as a by-product. These need to be funnelled out of your home, to the outside world, which is achieved with a flue system.
Therefore, when you move your boiler, you will also need to move your flue or in most cases have a new one installed.
Your face after seeing the additional costs of relocating a boiler.
For instance, the cost of moving your boiler if you are relocating your boiler from a wall within your home to the loft may be higher since you will need a vertical flue going up through the roof as opposed to a horizontal flue going out through a wall.
This requires the engineer to source new parts e.g. the flue and install it, which involves drilling and creating holes up through the roof, requiring additional time, labour costs, and materials.
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