Can you have a boiler in a bedroom?

You absolutely can have a boiler installed in your bedroom, but there are some considerations to think about first. For instance, modern condensing boilers require a waste pipe for the condensate and it’s easier to install a boiler in a location that’s close to a waste pipe. Otherwise, additional pipework needs to be installed which can take time and cost money. Plus, the closer your boiler is to your taps, the faster the hot water comes through.

If you don’t have a utility room, or you have a very small kitchen or bathroom, you may want to consider other locations for your boiler, and a bedroom is a perfectly reasonable place. Below, you can find some things you may want to think about ahead of the change:

Noise

Given all the activity that takes place within this appliance, it’s highly unlikely a silent boiler will ever be produced. They aren’t as loud as they used to be, but they will still make some noise. For example, you may hear the flame igniting or the heat exchanger heating the water in a combi boiler. It shouldn’t be very noisy, but if you’re a light sleeper, you may want to consider putting your boiler elsewhere.

If you find your boiler becomes more noisy, there could be a potential issue with it. It could be something as simple as air gurgling in the system, but a noisy boiler could be a sign that there’s an underlying problem. You could use our guide to determine why your boiler is making noises, or alternatively, you could get a suitably qualified heating engineer to look at it.

Space

Boilers are much more compact than they ever used to be – some fit inside a standard kitchen cupboard! – but they do still take up space that could be used for other things. And when you consider the additional space required for pipework and air circulation, it may be more space than you first thought. 

You should think about what space you might potentially be losing and whether you can cope with it. For example, your new combi boiler may be replacing your old system that had a hot water tank. You decided that you no longer need the tank, however, you're using the airing cupboard for towel and bedding storage. Where will these items go if your boiler goes into that space?

Storage areas are precious and can be hard to come by in modern houses, so really think about whether sacrificing this space is for the best.

Warmth

Your boiler is made to supply heating and hot water to your home, but because your boiler is working so hard to generate hot water, you may find that it becomes warm to the touch. This is completely normal, however this small amount of additional heat could warm your bedroom up in summer. 

To prevent this, you could insulate your boiler cupboard so that the warmth stays within the cupboard instead of coming into your bedroom.

If your boiler is hot to touch, then there may be a problem with it and you should call out a suitably qualified heating engineer to check that it’s running safely.

Regulations

There are some regulations that you should also be aware of if you want to put a boiler in your bedroom.

As with all boilers, there must be sufficient space around the boiler for circulation reasons. Check your boiler installation manual to see what the specified space is, as this could vary between appliances.

Your boiler needs an adequate supply of air and a fully operational flue that can remove the byproducts of combustion.

Finally, any boilers in bedrooms must be room sealed. Old boilers have an open flue, which means that air is drawn from the room to supply the boiler. The boiler requires this air in order to burn gas correctly. Any waste gas that hasn’t burned gets expelled via the flue. Modern boilers have a balanced flue. This means that the air that the boiler uses to burn gas comes from outside via the flue and is then ejected as waste gas via the same pipe. The air isn’t being drawn from the bedroom like in older heating systems.

Is it legal to have a boiler in a bedroom?

According to the Health and Safety Executive as laid out in their Gas Safety Regulations 1998, since October 1998, a bedroom, or a room used as a sleeping space, cannot contain a gas fire, gas space heater or a gas water heater (including a gas boiler) that’s over 14 kilowatts unless it is room sealed.

Appliances that aren’t room sealed may be permitted in a bedroom, but they must be fitted with a device that automatically turns the gas supply off before a dangerous level of fumes can build up.

These restrictions only apply to appliances that have been fitted after 1st January 1996.

Is it safe to have a boiler in the bedroom?

Many people are worried about having their boiler installed in a bedroom for safety reasons. The biggest concern is carbon monoxide poisoning. As long as you have a working carbon monoxide alarm placed in your bedroom, it will sound if it senses any of this harmful gas, keeping you and your family safe. You may only have minimal symptoms if you’re exposed to carbon monoxide in the short term, and a working alarm will make sure that long-term exposure doesn’t happen.

You should have your boiler maintained and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure that it isn’t leaking and is running at its best.