diff --git a/administrator/components/com_config/model/application.php b/administrator/components/com_config/model/application.php
index 8c96c10f1d03d..45d1a383046eb 100644
--- a/administrator/components/com_config/model/application.php
+++ b/administrator/components/com_config/model/application.php
@@ -279,20 +279,95 @@ public function save($data)
 			$data['caching'] = 0;
 		}
 
-		$path = JPATH_SITE . '/cache';
+		/*
+		 * Look for a custom cache_path
+		 * First check if a path is given in the submitted data, then check if a path exists in the previous data, otherwise use the default
+		 */
+		if ($data['cache_path'])
+		{
+			$path = $data['cache_path'];
+		}
+		elseif (!$data['cache_path'] && $prev['cache_path'])
+		{
+			$path = $prev['cache_path'];
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			$path = JPATH_SITE . '/cache';
+		}
 
 		// Give a warning if the cache-folder can not be opened
 		if ($data['caching'] > 0 && $data['cache_handler'] == 'file' && @opendir($path) == false)
 		{
-			JLog::add(JText::sprintf('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE', $path), JLog::WARNING, 'jerror');
-			$data['caching'] = 0;
+			$error = true;
+
+			// If a custom path is in use, try using the system default instead of disabling cache
+			if ($path !== JPATH_SITE . '/cache' && @opendir(JPATH_SITE . '/cache') != false)
+			{
+				try
+				{
+					JLog::add(
+						JText::sprintf('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CUSTOM_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE_USING_DEFAULT', $path, JPATH_SITE . '/cache'),
+						JLog::WARNING,
+						'jerror'
+					);
+				}
+				catch (RuntimeException $logException)
+				{
+					$app->enqueueMessage(
+						JText::sprintf('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CUSTOM_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE_USING_DEFAULT', $path, JPATH_SITE . '/cache'),
+						'warning'
+					);
+				}
+
+				$path  = JPATH_SITE . '/cache';
+				$error = false;
+
+				$data['cache_path'] = '';
+			}
+
+			if ($error)
+			{
+				JLog::add(JText::sprintf('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE', $path), JLog::WARNING, 'jerror');
+				$data['caching'] = 0;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Did the user remove their custom cache path?  Don't save the variable to the config
+		if (empty($data['cache_path']))
+		{
+			unset($data['cache_path']);
 		}
 
-		// Clean the cache if disabled but previously enabled.
-		if (!$data['caching'] && $prev['caching'])
+		// Clean the cache if disabled but previously enabled or changing cache handlers; these operations use the `$prev` data already in memory
+		if ((!$data['caching'] && $prev['caching']) || $data['cache_handler'] !== $prev['cache_handler'])
 		{
-			$cache = JFactory::getCache();
-			$cache->clean();
+			try
+			{
+				JFactory::getCache()->clean();
+			}
+			catch (JCacheExceptionConnecting $exception)
+			{
+				try
+				{
+					JLog::add(JText::_('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_CONNECTION_FAILED'), JLog::WARNING, 'jerror');
+				}
+				catch (RuntimeException $logException)
+				{
+					$app->enqueueMessage(JText::_('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_CONNECTION_FAILED'), 'warning');
+				}
+			}
+			catch (JCacheExceptionUnsupported $exception)
+			{
+				try
+				{
+					JLog::add(JText::_('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_DRIVER_UNSUPPORTED'), JLog::WARNING, 'jerror');
+				}
+				catch (RuntimeException $logException)
+				{
+					$app->enqueueMessage(JText::_('COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_DRIVER_UNSUPPORTED'), 'warning');
+				}
+			}
 		}
 
 		// Create the new configuration object.
diff --git a/administrator/components/com_config/model/form/application.xml b/administrator/components/com_config/model/form/application.xml
index d5387811c40d2..094878e68a2b1 100644
--- a/administrator/components/com_config/model/form/application.xml
+++ b/administrator/components/com_config/model/form/application.xml
@@ -13,6 +13,15 @@
 			filter="word"
 		/>
 
+		<field
+			name="cache_path"
+			type="text"
+			label="COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PATH_LABEL"
+			description="COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PATH_DESC"
+			showon="cache_handler:file"
+			filter="string"
+			size="50" />
+
 		<field
 			name="memcache_persist"
 			type="radio"
diff --git a/administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_config.ini b/administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_config.ini
index a422debb0f63f..d0eb65e67bb07 100644
--- a/administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_config.ini
+++ b/administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_config.ini
@@ -22,10 +22,13 @@ COM_CONFIG_COOKIE_SETTINGS="Cookie Settings"
 COM_CONFIG_DATABASE_SETTINGS="Database Settings"
 COM_CONFIG_DEBUG_SETTINGS="Debug Settings"
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE="The cache folder is not writable: %s"
+COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_CONNECTION_FAILED="Could not connect to the cache handler to clean the cache."
+COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CACHE_DRIVER_UNSUPPORTED="Could not clean the cache, the configured cache handler is not supported by this environment."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_COMPONENT_ASSET_NOT_FOUND="The asset for the component could not be found. Permissions have not been saved."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CONFIG_EXTENSION_NOT_FOUND="The Global Configuration extension could not be found. Text filter settings have not been saved."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CONFIGURATION_PHP_NOTUNWRITABLE="Could not make configuration.php unwritable."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CONFIGURATION_PHP_NOTWRITABLE="Could not make configuration.php writable."
+COM_CONFIG_ERROR_CUSTOM_CACHE_PATH_NOTWRITABLE_USING_DEFAULT="The folder at %1$s is not writable and cannot be used for the cache, using the default %2$s instead."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_HELPREFRESH_ERROR_STORE="The new Help Sites list could not be saved."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_HELPREFRESH_FETCH="The current Help Sites list could not be fetched from the remote server."
 COM_CONFIG_ERROR_ROOT_ASSET_NOT_FOUND="The asset for global configuration could not be found. Permissions have not been saved."
@@ -39,6 +42,8 @@ COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PLATFORMPREFIX_LABEL="Platform Specific Caching"
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PLATFORMPREFIX_DESC="Enable or disable platform specific caching. Enable when HTML output on mobile differs from other devices. (Default disabled.)"
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_LABEL="System Cache"
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_DESC="Enable or disable caching and set caching level. Conservative level: smaller system cache, Progressive level (default): faster, bigger system cache, includes module renderers cache. Not appropriate for extremely large sites."
+COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PATH_DESC="Please specify a folder to store cache files."
+COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_PATH_LABEL="Path to Cache Folder"
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_TIME_DESC="The maximum length of time in minutes for a cache file to be stored before it is refreshed."
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_CACHE_TIME_LABEL="Cache Time"
 COM_CONFIG_FIELD_COOKIE_DOMAIN_DESC="Domain to use when setting session cookies. Precede domain with '.' if cookie should be valid for all subdomains."