We have TRVs fitted to our radiators. The plumber recommended that the hall thermostat be turned up to max. Is this correct? Bearing in mind that our hall radiator is currently off due to it leaking, wouldn't this situation cause the boiler to fire up more often than it needs to?
Is it generally recommended to set your main thermostat to max if you have TRVs fitted to rads?
No. Doing so will cause poor energy efficiency and is against the spirit of the building regulations Part L1, which requires you to fit the thermostat in the first place.
Very much so.
In your situation, set the room thermostat as normal, but leave a door open from the hallway into a room with working heating. It won't be quite as good as fixing the radiator, but should help mitigate the consequences. Choose a room that is unlikely to be a fire risk, like a dining room. You don't want a fire in the kitchen blocking the hall or stairs.
Christian.
On 26 Oct 2006 03:34:52 -0700 someone who may be snipped-for-privacy@bigmailbox.net wrote this:-
Far better to turn the thermostatic valve up to maximum and let the thermostat switch the heating on and off. This does of course assume that the hall is a good place for a main thermostat to be fitted..
So if the hall radiator was working, should the thermostat be turned up to max? I don't understand why the plumber recommended this. The TRVs do not directly control the boiler, like the main thermostat does.
I think the current location of the room thermostat is wrong as it is in the hall quite close to the door, which is one of the coolest locations in the house. Would it make more sense to relocate it to the lounge?
No, this just bypasses the boiler interlock and defeats the object.
Because he is a thick as sh*t Luddite who knows how to make a compression joint, but knows nothing about HVAC design.
In some ways, a cool location is ideal for a room thermostat, as it ensures that the boiler only stops firing when even the cool parts of the house have warmed up.
Personally, I do prefer it in the lounge. Largely because that is where most time is spent, and thus you get the most accurate and comfortable temperature there. However, there are some caveats, especially if you have supplementary heating in that room, such as an open or gas fire. Also, if the layout of the house makes it naturally a particularly warm room, then it is inadvisable as a location.
Christian.
Don't you get a comfortable temp by adjusting the TRV on the lounge rad?
I have NO thermostat and electrically thermostated fan heaters. It does lead to a lot of heating being done sometimes when no heat is needed.
The heaters themselves will radiate a hundred watts or so without the fans.
I'd set the hall thermo to something like 18C and let nature take its course..if some rooms are chilly, turn it up some more.
The trouble is with ALL TRV is that you can end up with no water path at all. Then you get short cycling on the boiler.
Exactly. The theory is that the place with the thermostat is the last place that gets warm enough. THEN teh boiler shuts down. By that time all TRV's should be closed.
That is intentional as you want it in the coolest place.
Would it make more sense to relocate it to the
No.
We have one radiator which doesn't have a TRV.
The reason we had TRVs installed was to regulate the temperature in some rooms, which were getting too hot.
So basically what the plumber told me about setting the thermostat to max is rubbish. It certainly made no sense to me.
Yes, but the positioning and accuracy of a programmable thermostat is vastly superior to a mechanical expansion device next to the rad.
Christian.
Yes. You are right. Your plumber is wrong.
Christian.
(snip)
Why not get a wireless thermostat? We originally had a fixed thermostat in the hall and it drove us mad - continually getting up to adjust it as the lounge got too hot or too cold.
With the wireless thermostat we simply carry it round to whatever room we happen to be using. Even take it up to the bedroom at night, and just set it to a lower temperature. Although the wireless stat cost about £100, in the end it saves money because you only have heat where you want it.
snipped-for-privacy@bigmailbox.net pretended :
Ignoring your hall radiator problem for the moment and assuming it were working, I would still set your hall thermostat to comfortable temperature - such that it once the house is up to temperature it shuts the boiler off. Set to maximum - the boiler would cycle on and off frequently on the boiler stat, which is wasteful of energy and increase wear and tear on the boiler. Maximum is therefore bad advice.
As your hall radiator is faulty, leave doors open so the thermostat gets heat from other rooms, then fine tune the hall stat once the rad is fixed.
your plumber is wrong
your boiler will basically be calling for heat till july next year
but you should not have a trv in the same room as the room stat as this is against current building regualtions
you proberly should have called a heating engineer as you may have got better advice not someone who fits toilets and baths
heating egineer for 20 years
your plumber is wrong
your boiler will basically be calling for heat till july next year
but you should not have a trv in the same room as the room stat as this is against current building regualtions
you proberly should have called a heating engineer as you may have got better advice not someone who fits toilets and baths
heating egineer for 20 years
your plumber is wrong
your boiler will basically be calling for heat till july next year
but you should not have a trv in the same room as the room stat as this is against current building regualtions
you proberly should have called a heating engineer as you may have got better advice not someone who fits toilets and baths
heating egineer for 20 years
your plumber is wrong
your boiler will basically be calling for heat till july next year
but you should not have a trv in the same room as the room stat as this is against current building regualtions
you proberly should have called a heating engineer as you may have got better advice not someone who fits toilets and baths
heating egineer for 20 years
your plumber is wrong
your boiler will basically be calling for heat till july next year
but you should not have a trv in the same room as the room stat as this is against current building regualtions
you proberly should have called a heating engineer as you may have got better advice not someone who fits toilets and baths
heating egineer for 20 years
It was just an 'observation' he made when we asked him about the broken radiator. But when the TRVs were installed as part of a house extension build, the plumber fitted a TRV in the hall where the thermostat is located. I think I'll just leave that one fully open.
So if I were to have a new combi boiler installed, do I call a plumber or heating engineer? Or both?
What a pratt.
Good idea.
Call the asylum (unless you live alone and only like showers).
Christian.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.