Thermostat out in the hallway - any point!?

martin2345uk

Hi guys,

we have a gas central heating system, that we are just starting to use more regularly now it's getting a bit parky...

Thing is, there is a thermostat knob on the wall, but it's in the hallway, which is always cold (as there's no point heating the hallway as it's blocked from the lounge by a door!).

Is this a totally pointless thermostat? Is the temperature sensing part of the thermostat actually in the control knob thingy??

I have a feeling we're just going to have to keep turning the heating off ourselves when it gets too warm!

Mildly confused by it all...

:huh:

Myser

In the past, the room thermostat was always placed in the hall. It is supposed to give an average temperature of the house.

Modern wireless thermostats allow you to have the sensor in whichever room you want.

You can replace the wired thermostat for a wireless one and place the sensor wherever you want.

If you have TRVs (Thermostatic Radiator Valves) on all your radiators, you may find that the radiator closest to the room thermostat may not have one installed. This is something to bear in mind when siting wireless thermostat sensors.

martin2345uk

Thanks - any idea how I could tell what type of thermostat it is? The house is only 10 years old...!

A.Penny.Saved

The thermostat is meant to be in the coldest room of the house which might explain why it is there. However if there is a more suitable place such as a landing, then it might be worth having it re-fitted.

A wireless thermostats might be an option worth considering.

If you cannot move it then it is not likely to be a wireless thermostat.

martin2345uk

A.Penny.Saved wrote: »

The thermostat is meant to be in the coldest room of the house.

Ee, I'm not sure I understand the main point of a thermostat in that case!

I thought how it worked was, when the room gets to a certain temperature, that you set on the thermostat, like 22 degrees, it sends a signal to the boiler to turn off....

But if it's in the coldest part of the house then surely that temperature will never be reached there so the heating won't shut off..?

keystone

Is there a radiator in the hall?

as there's no point heating the hallway

is the key to your misunderstanding of how your system works. The roomstat in the hall will continually call for heat if you don't heat that space. If you don't heat that space you will be continually turnig the system off because the rest of the house is too hot.

Cheers

mymedi

martin2345uk wrote: »

Ee, I'm not sure I understand the main point of a thermostat in that case!
But if it's in the coldest part of the house then surely that temperature will never be reached there so the heating won't shut off..?

Of course it will - when the coldest part of house is not "cold" anymore!
The point of a house thermostat is to make sure the WHOLE house is warm. And there is a reason for this. Outside walls are usually insulated in recently built houses, the inside walls, especially if solid, will act as a heatsink if you only heat them from one side. If you heat the lounge but not the hallway, the heat gets sucked into the wall between them and the boiler keeps running. If you heat all spaces (maybe some slightly less than others, but without major temp differences), everything inside a house heats up properly and then the boiler only has to run occasionally to keep the average temp up. The actual expense of heating the whole place (if insulated) continuously is actually less than not heating it all or not heating it all the time (having it on a timer)...

martin2345uk

Ah okay I see... looks like it's down to a choice then...

For me heating the hall is a waste of money currently, as the front door has a fairly wide gap between it and the door frame, so heating that space will be like burning money!

Gracias!

martin2345uk

mymedi wrote: »

Of course it will - when the coldest part of house is not "cold" anymore!
The point of a house thermostat is to make sure the WHOLE house is warm. And there is a reason for this. Outside walls are usually insulated in recently built houses, the inside walls, especially if solid, will act as a heatsink if you only heat them from one side. If you heat the lounge but not the hallway, the heat gets sucked into the wall between them and the boiler keeps running. If you heat all spaces (maybe some slightly less than others, but without major temp differences), everything inside a house heats up properly and then the boiler only has to run occasionally to keep the average temp up. The actual expense of heating the whole place (if insulated) continuously is actually less than not heating it all or not heating it all the time (having it on a timer)...

Oooh now there's something to think about...!

forgotmyname

Add a couple of thick curtains to the front door, And add the rubber strip draught excluding foam to larger gaps.

Even with heating the allway you may find yourself using less power to do it.

We added a single thick lined curtain and it makes a huge difference. You no longer feel the coldness from the front door when walking past in the winter.

I think adding some mylar film to the door could well save us even more money on the heating.

Biggles

martin2345uk wrote: »

I thought how it worked was, when the room gets to a certain temperature, that you set on the thermostat, like 22 degrees, it sends a signal to the boiler to turn off....

But if it's in the coldest part of the house then surely that temperature will never be reached there so the heating won't shut off..?

22 deg won't be reached in the hall.

Which is why you have a hall thermostat set to 17 deg (that's an example, in case you think I know exactly how your house works, I don't). Adjust it slightly up or down until your lounge temperature is how you want it. The other rooms should then also be at roughly the right temperature, those that aren't need the radiator valve adjusting slightly to balance the heating system.