Soundproofing a boiler in the wardrobe!

[Lobster]

I'm doing up a 1-bed house at the moment which has an Ideal combi in the wardrobe (don't start, it seemed like a good idea at the time; there's nowhere else for it to go; and it ain't moving now!) It hasn't been fired up yet, due to lack of electrics in the house, but I am concerned that when the CH kicks in at 5am it's likely to be too noisy for the incumbent. The more I think about it, the more I think it's going to be an issue, and would like to pre-empt it...

The boiler sits in the recess to one side of the chimney breast, and there are full height sliding wardrobe doors which go the full width of the room, ie across the chimney breast and the recesses. I'm trying to get my head round what I could do to muffle the boiler noise while still remaining safe and legal.

Presumably to do the job properly, I'd have to seal the boiler inside an airtight case or box, as any air gaps would also release sound - right?

And I couldn't do that, because you can't even have gas pipes within unvented boxing, let alone a whole boiler - right?

So I've been mulling over the idea of constructing a baffle of some sort (see asciiart attempt below); this would be a box about 36"x18"x3" deep which would fit across the chimney breast alcove, with vertical battens fixed to the walls and solid shelves above and below the boiler, thus effectively enclosing it. Inside my baffle box would be 2-3 thin plywood plates, staggered as shown, like a car silencer. It would have foam draught excluder behind, and held in place by easily removable toggles or something.

Is this idea barking mad, or worth trying? Is it legal? Any other better ideas welcomed!

Thanks David

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[Lobster]

I forgot - a related question... the boiler was fitted by a competent plumber, but who has let his CORGI membership lapse since formally retiring recently. So the installation requires Corgi-ratification... if I get a landlord's gas certificate issued for the house, as I will need to do shortly anyway, will that inspection cover this anyway?

Thanks David

[Richard Porter]

I'd be scared of having a gas boiler in a bedroom, legal or not.

Set the timer for 7 am.

[IMM]

Yep. the installation is fully inspected and tested.

[John Rumm]

Would it not be simpler to work out if you have a problem first before you set about solving it? I.e. get it running and listen to it for a bit with the cupboard door shut.

My Ideal boiler is actually pretty quiet in operation. I expect if it was inside a cupboard it would be acceptable enough for many people.

[IMM]

He has a problems. It is a fan flue and in the bedroom. That will be noisy for a bedroom. It requires soundproofing.

[Ian Stirling]

Personally, I'd want a CO, and gas alarm, with a sensor inside the cupboard.

[John Rumm]

Put it this way, the fanned flue on my boiler makes no more noise than the burner. Since the fan speed modulates and there is no click from spark ignition you get no sudden change in volume level either.

Since the OPs boiler is already in a cupboard it will have a fair amount of baffling as it is. So my advice still stands, try it first and see what the problem (if any) is, then set about trying to fix it. It may save unnecessary work.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Why more than any other room that the boiler might be in?

I'd be more concerned about open gas fires or cookers than a modern room sealed boiler...

[rockdoctor]

My old flat had a combi-boiler in a cupboard at the head of my bed. They are very quiet in operation, but as a previous poster said, set it not to run while you are alseep. In practice, even if it does wake you the first few times you use it, your mind will learn very quickly to 'switch off' the sound. In the same way that a moan from a baby's cot will wake you when an aeroplane flying over the house won't, the boiler sound will be heard as 'normal' by your subconscious, and it won't wake you.

[Lobster]

Mm, point taken, it's just that I'd like to get my head round what I'd need to do now in case it's necessary, since I'm in the middle of refurbing the place and the solution might well be a lot easier to instigate now rather than later (eg the slidey wardrobe doors aren't in place yet.)

Also, as this place will be let out to tenants, I'd probably want to wait and see if *they* have a problem with any noise, ie while sleeping there, and then if so, go in and fix it as quickly and easily as possible. (Unless it's obviously *really* bad, in which case I'd do something anyway.) Eg, if you guys think my 'baffling' idea is feasible/sensible/legal etc (and surprisingly, noone's commented yet!), what I might do is fit suitable deep shelves across the recesses above and below the boiler, to which I could attach a retro-built and -fitted baffle assembly.

Thanks David

[Ian Stirling]

Because in a kitchen/..., you can potentially get a warning. "Oh, I've got a headache." Check CO card stuck next to boiler, where you keep the painkillers.

In a bedroom, the first indication of a problem you might get is waking up dead.

Yes, I know that balanced flue boilers will require several faults to put CO in the room.

I also know that mine would likely have done this, if I left it much longer. (water running down inside, corroding case, leading to holes in case, corroded exhaust pipe of balanced flue leading to the input air being rich in CO, leading to the case (with holes in) emitting CO, though probably only when an east wind was blowing.