Heating on/off or just on?

Johnandabby

The valves on the radiators with numbers are thermostatic radiator valves - they just control the amount of water flowing through the radiator, and therefore how much heat they give out. They would normally be installed in conjunction with a room thermostat, which would normally be installed in the hallway, with the radiator there not having a thermostatic radiator valve. The boiler would generate heat until the room thermostat has reached its set temperature, and then turn off - the thermostatic radiator valves are then only used to balance systems, rather than being used constantly to turn up or down the heating.

I see that you rent the flat. The landlord should have fitted the room thermostat at the same time as the radiator valves - that's the cheap bit, and the bit that would prevent them needing to replace the radiator valves in the future when they break from constant use! They will probably also need to replace the boiler early if it doesn't turn off when the flat is at the required temperature.

jennifernil

katgirlie wrote: »

Thanks, again, although whilst we do have what you describe, valves with numbers on them, they don't seem to do as you say above. They control how hot the radiator is, but the boiler doesn't shut off, ever, even when the room is really, really warm. And with ref to macman's comment about not being able to 'blast' it, I was referring to the radiators - having them on full means that they run much much hotter - if I have them hot for 15 mins this will warm the room faster than having them on warm for 15 mins, no?

But thanks to all who have replied; unfortunately fitting any kind of thermostat doo-dah isn't an option, as we rent the flat, so I'll just stick to having the radiators come on hot hot hot for short periods on and off throughout the day and night!

No, the room will not heat faster.

The TRVs do not control how hot the radiators get, the boiler stat does that. The TRVs should control how hot the rooms get.

Turning them on full does not mean the room heats up faster, only that the room will get hotter. (this is what macman meant when he said you cannot "blast it")

The temperature of the water circulating in the system is what determines how fast your rooms will heat up.

Have you tried setting them to about 3 and turning down the boiler thermostat a little? (Have you found the boiler thermostat?) The boiler stat governs how hot the water in the system gets, and once the TRVs close, the boiler should stop heating the circulating water untill the TRVs call for heat again. The pump will continue to run to circulate the water in the pipework.

When a TRV closes, that radiator will of course cool down, this is how the room temperature is controlled

When you have the TRVs turned up full and the radiators are hot, if you turn the TRVs to a lower setting, can you hear that the valve shuts and stops the water flow? And if you turn them up again, can you hear the water starting to flow into the radiators? How old do you reckon the system is?

If the TRVs are working correctly (can you check that the heads are properly fixed in place?) the system can be perfectly well operated without a room thermostat, our system is 24 years old and has been operating in this manner all that time. These days, best practice is to fit a room stat, as Johnandabby said, as this will shut down the circulating pump too, thus saving on fuel.

So possibly desirable, but not essential. We prefer to let the TRVs work as intended.

If you try what I suggested, and your system still does not work as described, there must be a fault somewhere. Have you got instructions on how to operate the boiler?

jennifernil

Is this a double or single glazed window? Is there anything in the room that produces moisture, houseplants for example?

Does it happen if you keep the door closed?

Norman_Castle

I was referring to the radiators - having them on full means that they run much much hotter - if I have them hot for 15 mins this will warm the room faster than having them on warm for 15 mins, no?

No. If they are trv's they simply switch that radiator off when it reaches a certain temperature and on again when the temperature drops. They are fitted to stop you overheating a room. The half way setting is 70 degrees. Set them halfway and adjust according to room temperature, not radiator temperature, in small amounts over a few hours to suit you.

As your flat is rented your gas heating will have an annual inspection. Ask whoever does this about your heating controls.

So if the heating is on at the boiler and the radiators are on full the flat will just get hotter and hotter until we turn it off again!

Is there a dial under a removeable cover on the boiler?

penguine

If you have a condensation problem, you might consider getting a dehumidifier. They are widely available, even Argos has them for under £100 and when we lived in a flat we used ours a lot in the winter (without much of an increase in our electricity bills, approx £5 extra per month). By drying out the air they make it feel noticeably warmer (and it means you don't have to open the window and let in cold air in order to clear the condensation).

Johnandabby

Tippytoes wrote: »

Double glazed, as is the rest of the house. Only things producing moisture are me and DH - condensation even if we sleep in another room! No plants.

If the water is forming on the inside of the window, then it could be a problem with the window seal. The condensation forms when warm, moist air from inside meets a cold surface (ie glass) - the air gap within the double glazing should keep the inside piece of glass warm enough to not form condensation (like your other windows), but any problem with the seal could then make the glass cold enough to create a problem

katgirlie

Okay... so taking on board all that jennifernil, johnandabby and norman castle have said (and, by the way, I really appreciate all your input - it must be very frustrating to explain things that are so basic to a simpleton like me!), would it, in fact, cost a great deal more to heat the flat by leaving the heating on continuously at the boiler and controlling when the radiators come on and off by using the TRVs (see - even using the lingo - I'm learning here!!) compared to having it come on, heat a cold room for 20 mins with the TRV on the hottest setting and then switch off again, several times a day? If the TRV switches off the radiator when the room is warm enough as suggested, surely it's effectively doing the same thing I'm doing with the timer but without me having to adjust as the weather gets colder? Or have I completely misunderstood the whole thing?

jennifernil

I am not entirely sure you have understood correctly....

1. Leaving it on all the time will be more expensive than using your timer.

2. The rooms WILL NOT heat up quicker just because you turn up the TRV to the highest setting.

3. If you use the highest setting the room will be far too warm.

Neither of your options are sensible IMHO.

You should first set the heating to be on only when you are actually in the flat.

Then you should set each TRV to give the temperature you want in each room.

Then you should experiment with the boiler stat (you have found it?) till you find the setting at which the boiler turns off when the lounge temperature is just right for you. This will likely be between 3/4 and max setting.

It is not sensible to heat an unoccupied flat.

If the condensation on the window bothers you, you could fix up some "temporary double glazing", or get a dehumidifier.

jennifernil

Other thoughts......where are the radiators situated? Is there good circulation of air round the TRVs?

It's bad to have them "boxed in" by furniture as they will turn off too soon.

Conversely, if they are in a draught then they will stay on too long.

Radiator below window is not that good either IMHO, especially a single glazed window, too much heat will be wasted.

Norman_Castle

On my previous boiler there was a removeable panel, the width of the boiler and approx 6" high, held in place by magnets. Behind this was a temperature control. Does your boiler have this?