Kitchen radiator problem

[Peter Johnson]

My kitchen/utility is supposed to be heated by a large (well 1090 x

610mm) double panel radiator. It warms up in the morning when the boiler comes on and gets progressively cooler during the day, regardless of whether the system is calling for heat or not. The kitchen never gets as warm as I'd expect from a radiator this size.

It is the only rad on the system with a TRV. The TRV and the lockshield are are fully open. When it cools down the pipe (microbore) into the wall at the TRV end gets cold but the lockshield end remains hot or warm. My first thought was the TRV was faulty (it might still be) or blocked. I had the system flushed last year, no difference. If I turn the TRV off the rad gets cold so there appears to be some flow through it. The system is not pressurised. The pump is a Grundfos Alpha, which changes speed as demand for heat varies - I don't know if that might be relevant. All the other rads are fine; I had to turn most of them down following recent insullation work but the kitchen problem pre-dates that. As I type this the temp on the pipe going into the lockshield end is

60 degrees C, on the pipe leaving the TRV it is half that, but feels cold. (Got one of those £7.00 MH1 infra red thermometers from eBay mentioned here on Monday - thanks for the tip.)

Any ideas on how to proceed? TIA

[Roger Mills]

What is the *actual* temperature in the kitchen?

When you say that the TRV is fully open, how do you know? Do you simply mean that it's set to max? If so, it could still be closing if it thinks that the room is hot enough.

Have you run the system with the thermostatic head completely removed from the TRV? If so, what happened? If not, try it!

[Peter Johnson]

Now, with heating still on it's 16.6 (the rad range is now between

23.50 and 20)

Yes I have tried that, over a period of days, with no change. I've checked that it doesn't need bleeding as well. Thanks for your interest.

[AlanD]

Is the TRV on the right end of the rad? Shouldn't it be on the flow and not the return (as it sounds like it is)?

[Peter Johnson]

Could that really be it? It could be. The TRV was a replacement for the original valve fitted when the house was built and fitted on the same side. I'd discounted the possibility of it being on the 'wrong' side because I thought I'd read that it didn't really matter. In the absence of any other ideas I'll get someone to swap it over - I coud dim but it'll be quicker and less risk of mess with a more experience pair of hands. Thanks.

[Kostas Kavoussanakis]

Coming in late, sorry, did you fix it in the end?

In my experience as a user, it does not matter. Those of mine (many!) fitted in the wrong pipe just knocked when approaching the closing temperature. The new ones fitted are reversible, so you may not need to swap it, just adjust it.