Warm downstairs but freezing upstairs.

diywhynot

As asked by another...boiler model also size of rads upstairs would be useful.

cheeswright

this is very odd... as hot air rises so the downstairs radiators should be fighting to keep the upstairs and the downstairs warm if the upstairs radiators were too small...and it would be your downstairs that was cold.

to check how efficient your radiators are you could buy a cheap max min thermometer and keeping the internal doors shut as much as possible gradually move it around the house seeing what each room does in a normal day
there are of course a range of questions that go with this
do you normally keep your doors shut or open?
do you have windows upstairs open for ventilation in the day too- thus cooling the walls upstairs too - and making them much harder to reheat than rooms kept a higer mean temperature

you might want to move the themometer about within some rooms too
as some double glazing sadly is made at a thickness which actually allows the circulation between panes to occur at a rate which leeches heat from a room rather than insultes it...
types of lighting (halogen) and using the cooker also may be providing additional heating downstairs which could indicate your heating system overall is underpowered...and even which outside walls get what little sunshine we have can be a factor

You need to be a bit of a detective here I think

justjohn

I am with keystone on this. just check rad sizes using online calculator.
I would have thought if boiler was too small then the rads on end of line would be slightly cooler.

scooby989

Room size - 125" x 159"
Rad size - 75.5" x 23.5"
Boiler - ideal espirit 2?

We close all the doors in the day and only open the bathroom window when we shower.

scooby989

Also the rads are pressed cast iron.

justjohn

scooby989 wrote: »

Also the rads are pressed cast iron.

Are these old imperial rads eg. no fins?

scooby989

Not quite sure what they are. They are thin not like the ones you usually see in schools or village halls.

keystone

Cast iron is cast iron. Pressed steel is pressed steel. If you think about it pressed cast iron is nigh on an impossibility.

Radiator physical size and BTU size aren't necessarily related. Its the BTU size that counts.

Cheers

Meadows

We had this a while ago and moved the room thermostat now we have an equal heat throughout the house.

StuC75

Likely to be some combination of:
Room Drafts,
Single Skin vs Double skin rads & fins affecting convection.
Thermostat & heat settings benefitting down stairs first - e.g. Downstairs heats first, but cuts out when warm enough so upstairs hasnt picked up enough.. Turn downstairs TRV's down, and increase upstairs up so has more chance to get upto speed.

My Parents had issues with there heating - terraced house with heating on 3 levels. top floor barely warmed up.. They had a system flush & new mag filter fitted, had wireless room sensor fitted and now ticks over nicely.