One radiator on okay?

System

Cardew wrote: »

Hengus,


Are you sure about that? I understood Building Regs made a room thermostat mandatory.


http://forum.housingenergyadvisor.com/heating-controls/need-room-thermostat-t82-10.html




http://www.mybuilder.com/questions/v/5277/is-it-a-legal-requirement-to-have-a-room-themostat-fitted-with-a-new-boilerheating-system


You are normally up to date on these matters, but I have trawled the web and every site states a room thermostat has been mandatory since 2002.

Mea culpa. Cardew: I have looked again at the various planning portals and you are of course correct that when basic TRVs are used a room thermostat has to be installed on all new installs and, recommended, when a boiler is replaced.

There is though a caveat on some planning sites which indicates that a room thermostat is not required in all circumstances:

quote It would be acceptable for each heating circuit to be controlled by individual networked radiator controls in each room on the circuit unquote

I installed Honeywell's Evohome system last year and I have neither a timer nor a room thermostat. I have a controller that schedules target temperatures in all my rooms at scheduled times. All my radiators are fitted with SMART TRVs which 'demand' heat from the boiler as when it is required.

The above is no excuse whatsoever for poor advice given that most people will not have zoned heating.

Cardew

I dislike room thermostats as the room in which it is situated determines if heating can be on in other rooms.


In a reception room that reaches the desired temperature, then no heating to rest of house.


In a hall? why should the hall temperature determine the temperature in living rooms and bedrooms?


A portable remote thermostat isn't the answer either, albeit it is better. The room where that thermostat sits still determines the heating in the rest of the house.

facade

I moved my thermostat to the living room, and fitted TRVs everywhere else.

With a bit of fiddling, I've got it so the bathroom heats up first, which I need in the morning, then the living room gets more and more flow, until it reaches temperature, and cuts the boiler off.

Tough luck on the rest of the spaces, with the door shut the hall & kitchen can get a bit chilly as they receive no heat until the living room temperature drops, but I only move through them, I live in the living /room.

reeac

JC1440 wrote: »

Is it okay to have just one radiator on and the rest (in my case other three) turned off? Sometimes I just need heat to the one room I'm in, but I wondered if it won't damage the boiler doing this? Thanks.

Your boiler will be supplying heat to only a quarter of the designed heat outlets and so will do a lot of cycling on and off. May not harm it but not really a good situation.
Overall you're getting away from the whole concept of Central heating by having just one room at a comfortable temperature and putting up with the cold elsewhere. (Back to the pre 1960s). OK if you need to economise but not ideal.
Re. TRVs , I regard them mainly as a way of fine tuning the rads.to the different rooms with the room stat setting the overall temp for the house. If the system design is correct then you won't need TRVs.