Conceal or Camouflage: Clever ways to safely hide your boiler

Household appliances, like boilers, aren’t visually appealing. However, appliances and unsightly pipes don’t have to ruin your home’s aesthetics. There are many ways to transform the look of a room by disguising your boiler and in turn, adding value to your property. Boiler installation experts, Boiler Central have shared their top tips to hide a boiler, without jeopardising safety. 

Top tips to conceal your boiler 

Looking to completely hide your boiler but don’t know how? There are many ways you can hide your boiler in plain sight, which can even give you something we all want more of – storage space. 

Cupboards with extra storage 

Whichever room your boiler is in, a cupboard is a good way to conceal a boiler and its pipes. Which also enables you to still quickly access the appliance. With a bit of imagination, you can even create a secret cupboard, or a whole new space for additional items. For example, you could disguise a cupboard like a bookshelf, or opt for a large cupboard and create an entire storage unit. 

Kitchens are a popular place for a boiler for energy efficiency, despite being unsightly and taking up a lot of space. If you’re not down for DIY, professional joiners can create bespoke cupboards to blend in with your existing space. You can even gain more storage this way to stash away those spices that have been cluttering your countertop!

Before you consider concealing a boiler in a cupboard, you must make sure you do so safely. All boilers have specific requirements set out in the manufacturer’s guides relating to the appropriate space needed for ventilation and required access for servicing and repairs. You will also need to ensure the materials used for the cupboard and items you plan to store within it will not be a fire hazard.

Consider moving your boiler 

If the time has come for a new boiler, you may be able to move your new boiler to an entirely different location. This will depend on the plumbing in the property and what type of boiler you have. 

Myles Robinson, co-founder of Boiler Central says “Some of the best ways we’ve seen our customers hide away their new boilers is by placing it somewhere entirely different. Popular choices to move boilers out of living spaces are utility rooms, lofts, garages, airing cupboards, under stair cupboards, cellars and outbuildings.

“Although moving a boiler out of a living space entirely is something we’d all like, it might not be feasible for some properties, or where you want it to be might not be a safe or efficient choice for your property and the type of boiler you have. We always recommend seeking advice from a specialist gas safe boiler engineer before making any decision”.

A good place to move a boiler if you don’t have any non-living spaces is to a kitchen. Most modern boilers are designed small, so they can be integrated within living spaces such as kitchen cupboards”.

Some people choose to move boilers into a spare bedroom cupboard or bathroom. However, these options can be disadvantageous. Modern boilers are made to be quieter, but will still produce some level of noise, so having them in a bedroom or upstairs bathroom may disrupt your sleep. You may also find a boiler in a bedroom could devalue your property. Bathrooms are common choices for a boiler, but there are safety concerns and regulations which must be followed to ensure water can’t reach the electrics. 

Tips to quickly and cost-efficiently camouflage your boiler

You don’t have to completely hide away your boiler for it to blend in with your living space. More and more people are getting crafty with how they improve the look of their boilers, for a small cost and quick change. 

A simple way to tidy up the look of the boiler fast is to find some pipe casing that blends in with the location, although the boiler will still be visible, the pipes will be tucked away and the area will look much neater. 

Other options that will disguise your boiler are; specially designed boiler stickers, boxing in a boiler with MDF and attaching noticeboards, chalkboards, or photo boards around it, or painting a boiler case with a safe heat and moisture-resistant paint. 

These tips are just a few ways that may help you achieve your interior design dreams and potentially provide you with a more usable living space. It’s also been said that disguising or concealing a boiler is a relatively easy way to add up to £5,000 value to your property.