Floor-standing boilers originally became popular as they were more powerful than the conventional wall-mounted. But as technology advanced, both wall and floor boilers now enjoy the same level of performance when it comes to your central heating. So, when it comes to choosing a floor-standing boiler, it is down to personal preference as well as how your home is set up. We take a look at today’s floor-standing boilers and review some of the very best you can buy.
What Are Floor-Standing Boilers?
By way of a quick and simple explanation, floor-standing boilers are boilers that are installed to sit on the floor, rather than be mounted on a wall. From a functionality point of view, floor-mounted boilers are no different to their raised counterparts, and can be regular, system or combi boilers. In fact, biomass boilers, due to their size and need for more storage, are typically floor mounted and can be located outside.
Floor mounted boilers were originally the most powerful and largest of the boilers, hence the need to locate them on the floor as they were too heavy to be mounted on most domestic walls or in a cupboard. But as boiler technology advanced, there really is no difference between the performance of wall or floor located units when it comes to the quality of the heating supplied.
However, by installing a boiler on the floor, you will need more internal space than a compact wall-mounted model so floor-mounted boilers are not necessarily suitable to smaller homes or apartments.
Are Floor-Standing Boilers Any Good?
While they are not as popular as they used to be, floor-standing boilers can be just as good as any other boiler when it comes to energy efficiency and providing hot water and heating your home. The main deciding factor as to whether you should opt for a floor-standing model is if you have the room. With space in many homes a premium, floor-standing boilers can be too bulky and are not as versatile as wall-mounted models, which can at least be tucked out of the way and give you more storage space underneath.
There are several reasons why having a floor-standing boiler as your new boiler could be a good choice:
- You are replacing an old floor-standing boiler, so already have the right pipework and set up for installation
- You have the space such as a utility or cellar which can easily accommodate a floor-standing boiler
- Many of today’s modern floor-mounted boilers are not the beasts they once were, and there are compact models which can fit in an under-counter cupboard if you don’t have enough wall space
- Your walls are not strong enough to hold a wall-mounted boiler
- You are opting for a bio-mass boilers, which are all floor-standing.
However, when it comes to fully answering the question, ‘are floor-standing boilers any good?’, you do have to take into account the inconvenience and cost of installation, especially if you are fitting one for the first time. And it can be invasive too, as you will need to make room for the floor-standing unit, which may mean re-thinking your kitchen layout or creating space somewhere else in your house.
Best Floor-Standing Regular Boilers
To help you decide whether a floor-standing boiler is the right option, we take a look at some of the best floor-standing boilers you can currently buy.
Worcester Floor Standing Boiler – Greenstar CDi FS Regular Professional
Brand Worcester Bosch
Output Up to 41kW
Warranty 7 years (standard)
A stalwart of the leading boiler brands, Worcester Bosh has one of the best floor-standing boilers in their Greenstar FS CDi Regular range. Ideal for larger properties, this is an excellent go-to if you are looking to upgrade your old floor-standing boiler as it comes with a pre-plumbing jig and wheel in tray to make installing the new model easier.
It is not too large either, which means it can also fit underneath a standard kitchen worktop. The standard seven-year warranty can be upgraded to 10 years and it comes in a choice of two sizes, 30kW and 41kW. The 30kW starts at around £1,500 plus installation costs.
Ideal Boilers – Mexico HE Boiler Range Floor Standing Boiler
Brand Ideal
Output 16kW to 38kW
Warranty Two-year parts and labour
Made in the UK, Ideal’s Mexico HE floor-standing boilers are energy efficient and are both gas and solar compatible. The size is overall compact and should fit in most kitchens, under the worksurface or in a utility room.
With built-in frost protection you can also opt for a remote user kit for total convenience when it comes to your central heating. The display is also very user-friendly, with clear temperature control and diagnostics. Not the longest warranty in our review, the Mexico is also heat only and starts at around £1,300.
Grant UK Boilers – High Efficiency Oil Fired Condensing Boilers
Brand Grant UK
Output 15kW to 70kW
Warranty 5-10 years
If you are not on the gas mains and so looking for a floor-standing oil-fired boiler, we rate the range from Grant UK. Running for more than 40 years, Grant have gained a reputation for reliability and quality and their floor-standing Vortex range are smart and well-made. With power output options from 15kW to a powerful 70kW, there’s a Grant floor-standing boiler for most homes and spaces, and many are slimline enough to fit beneath a standard kitchen work surface. You can also choose from heat only and combi and the warranties range from five to 10 years, with prices starting from around £1,500.
Viessmann Vitodens 222-F floor standing storage combi boiler
Brand Viessmann
Output Up to 32kW
Warranty 3 years as standard (can be extended up to 10 years)
Widely considered one of the best floor-standing combi boilers you can currently buy, we couldn’t leave the Vitodens 222-F from Viessmann off our best boiler list. With its thoroughly modern design and ease of use, it also comes with an A class energy efficiency rating. With full colour touch screen and Wi-Fi interface, this gas condensing floor-standing boiler can also be converted for use with LPG. However, it isn’t the smallest boiler you can get, so you still do need a bit more space and starting price is typically around £2,500 excluding installation.
Pros & Cons of Floor-Standing Boilers
As with any new home appliance, it is important to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether it is the right choice for your home. Here are the main pros as well as cons to installing a floor-standing boiler.
Pros
- The larger size of floor-standing combi boilers can offer better flow rates than many wall-mounted boilers
- Many floor-standing boilers are now designed to be pretty compact so can fit under a kitchen worktop or under-counter cupboard, so can make the best use of your existing kitchen space
- A new floor-standing boiler is the easiest and most economical way to upgrade an old boiler of the same type as you won’t have to make any significant changes to the pipework and so save on some installation costs
- You can still get floor-standing boilers with a range of fuel sources, including oil, gas, LPG and biomass
Cons
- The design of floor-standing boilers means that many are on the larger side, and so need more floor space than other types of boilers. This means floor-standing models are not really suitable for smaller homes
- With the convenience of wall-mounted boilers, you will find less choice of floor-mounted boiler models than there used to be.
The Last Word on Floor-Standing Boilers
With all the functionality of conventional wall mounted boilers and available has heat only or combi, floor-standing boilers can still hold their own, but they also need their space. And despite manufacturers’ best efforts, they are not as compact as other types of boiler. But they are durable and can be powerful and can be space efficient if you have a larger property or don’t have sufficient wall space.
If you already have a floor-standing set up and want to replace an old boiler with a new boiler model, then upgrading can make sense as you have all the pipework in place. And if you are wanting to move away from fossil fuels such as gas and move to biomass fuels for your home heating and hot water system, then a floor-standing boiler will be a matter of course.
All of this means that at the end of the day, if you have the space, then opting for a floor-standing boiler is a personal choice and there are some excellent brands and models to choose from.