(I was not suggesting it was a particularly good solution - just one that you see quite commonly used).
I was not aware that MOVs had a particularly limited number of cycles, or were you just referring a limited energy dissipation per use?
I was thinking of the mains rated devices like:
Can I put and 2 port value and a 3 port value in same system
Yes - but why? My fully-pumped system has just a single two-port valve.
Perhaps a 3 port for DHW and zone 1 and then additional 2 ports for zones 2,3,...n?
I cannot see a problem as long as the system is designed properly and a controlled has the necessary means of control.
Indeed. All the required info for wiring etc, can be found here:
Have you shares in Honeywell? ;-} PA
Peter Able snipped-for-privacy@home.com wrote in news:vmiga6$23k1r$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
Not actually as much of a joke as you think. Default setting for Honeywell stats is to cycle them multiple times an hour for closer temperature control. Do that and your expensive motorised control valves will need changed every couple of years.
Voice of experience from one with a one zone per room heating system using motorised valves, soon to be switched to thermal actuators. Honeywell stats changed to simple on-off control ones in the interim.
I too have one zone per room heating (not Honeywell stats) and in the 21 years that I have had it, the most frequently switched (hot water cylinder) has failed (motor only) a number of times and the least used (kitchen kick-space heater) similarly. The rest just continue to run and run.
Who was joking! ;<}}
My single 2-port valve system has been up and running since 2002 - with nairy a failure.
The most reliable component is the one you design out of the system.
K I S S
But you can't set different times and temperatures for each room, to only heat them for the times that you are likely to use them. We put our system in when our first child was born, to give us the ability to heat the living room in the day, his bedroom at night, the kitchen in the evening, the hall and stairs, plus the bathroom, when we were likely to be using them, keep a minimum temperature in our bedroom at night. Later heating the "spare" bedroom, when we had other children and, as the children grew older, the conservatory - used as a computer room, so as not to have gaming noise in the through living room.
Our system is more complex, but allows for a great deal of flexibility and only heating rooms as and when needed.
Of course it does - at the cost of higher investment and lower reliability.
I can set each room's target temperature - just not when each is being heated. Is that a problem?
My current annual gas and electricity consumption is, today, 14 MWh and
4MWh respectively. That's in a 2800sqft detached house on the colder side of the UK. Currently just below 2°C out there.
It sounds exhausting to me! What happens if the rooms aren't used as planned - someone's out, or watching TV when they'd usually use the computer?
I did have a Hive system with linked wireless TRVs. I could programme a number of presets - watching TV, having a bath, at the computer, on holiday, whatever. It worked after a fashion but I'd often forget to change modes, and in the end I'm not sure I was any more comfortable or wealthy.
Now (I've moved) I just adjust the TRVs manually, and/or use electric convection heaters. Not sure yet if it's any more economical, but it's certainly more comfortable.
Most rooms tend to be used at the same times on the same day's each week (the timer/stats allow different programs to be allocated to each day if required, but we just use a weekday and a weekend program).
If one is being used when it normally isn't, just hitting the on override button on that room's timer/stat will bring it on, either to the next off time or for how ever many hours you select. Similarly hitting the off override button will turn heating for that room off, if you are not going to use it.
If I were to do my house again, Id do it this way - a zone valve per room, timed and thermostat controlled .
Once set up, things work pretty OK.
I did it because we had a baby (in 2003) and wanted to control the temperature in his room separately. At the time, Maplin were selling timer/thermostats for just £14 each and B&Q where having a clearance and selling off Honeywell motorised valves for just £18 each. At that price, I thought it well worth doing.
Prior to that, we only had hot water vs heating control.
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