Hive Radiator Valves

[Roger Mills]

Hive apparently now offer smart replacement heads for TRVs which enable individual room temperatures to be programmed and controlled remotely, using an App - as long as you've got a Hive Hub. In addition, if your heating is controlled by a Hive thermostat, there is a 'heat on demand' mode which boosts the overall heating if necessary to achieve the individual room temperature you're calling for.

Have any of you bought and installed any of these valves? If so, do they do what it says on the tin?

I currently use a Hive Heating and Hot Water control system - mainly because it allows remote operation - with non-programmable TRVs on most of the rads. I'm wondering how useful it would be install some of these Hive valves.

Any shared experiences - good or bad - will be appreciated.

[Tricky Dicky]

I recently replaced our mechanical TRVs with the Hive valves, if you have the Hive Active Heating programmable thermostat then you can set temperatures for separate rooms through the app or even through Alexa. The only slight criticism I have is the 15min hysteresis for individual valves to fully open.

Richard

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Unless you keep all the doors shut, would not the interaction between rooms cause the thing to oscillate up and down if there was no delay built in? Bit like the servo chatter we used to get in radio control systems. Brian

[Tricky Dicky]

You might be right Brian, myself I thought it might be more to preserve battery performance. Once going you do not notice the hysteresis and I have got to say they do a far better job of maintaining accurate temperatures than the previous TRVs, it is just not to expect an instant response or wonder why your radiator still feels cool several minutes after either the programmed switch on or by direct use of the app or Alexa. I am not sure what the actuator is as I never hear them opening but they do sound a bit like servos when they shut but then again so do normal central heating valves and they are just motors. Bottom line is I am pleased with them they are doing what I wanted them to do.

Richard

[Chris J Dixon]

Does the Hive head measure the temperature around the head, or is there a separate room temperature detector?

Chris

[Tricky Dicky]

It measures temperature at the head but according to the blurb uses an algorithm to work out the temperature in the centre of the room. When setting up you do have to tell it if the head is mounted vertically or horizontally and it goes through a learning process at the start to learn the chachteristics of the radiator. I do not know if it is all BS but when I set them up some did their learning over a few hours but on one radiator it took all night. As I said they work for me and I am happy with the results.

Richard