Turning off radiators to heat one room?

Biggles

modsandmockers wrote: »

How much simpler would it be if each radiator had an electrically-operated valve which could be opened and closed from a single programmable control panel in the kitchen or hallway

That's a description of the Honeywell Evohome system; but it wouldn't be cheap.

Smiley_Dan

Or Heat Genius. A few hundred quid, depending on how many rads you need to convert (you only need to convert the ones that you control).

Or, have a movable thermostat and place it in the principle room you want to sense and therefore turn off the boiler when it reaches temperature.

System

Biggles wrote: »

That's a description of the Honeywell Evohome system; but it wouldn't be cheap.

Got it one. I have such a system and it is working very well; however, as this is a money savings forum I have to caution people about the 'up to 40% savings' used to promote the sale of smart controls. In truth, you will only get 40% if your starting position is no heating controls. In reality, the savings are much smaller.

windup

matelodave wrote: »

This is wrong - the thermostat that controls your heating has to be in a room that is heated by the heating system. If you shut the rad down in that room it won't get heated and the stat won't switch off and the heating will run continuously.
Conversly if you turn the stat down then the heating system wont come on at all.

what are you talking about, it isn't wrong

the thermostat doesn't HAVE to be anywhere, doesn't HAVE to be in any room, doesn't HAVE to be in a heated room, doesn't HAVE to be set at 20c, doesn't HAVE to be anything

Don't need lessons in how a thermostat works thanks

A wireless thermostat would be a waste of money, not necessary at all, same with all the fancy modern control gadgets, they are essentially toys for the boys - a timer, thermostat and trv's do the same job, the op already has them.

victor2

windup wrote: »

the thermostat doesn't HAVE to be anywhere, doesn't HAVE to be in any room, doesn't HAVE to be in a heated room, doesn't HAVE to be set at 20c, doesn't HAVE to be anything

Don't need lessons in how a thermostat works thanks

So it could be in the garden then?
As the thermostat is intended to control the heating system it HAS to be in an area affected by the same heating to have any chance of doing its job.

Cardew

victor2 wrote: »

So it could be in the garden then?
As the thermostat is intended to control the heating system it HAS to be in an area affected by the same heating to have any chance of doing its job.

This subject has been raised many times.


Many people have their wall thermostats in a cold draughty hall.


The argument is why should that location determine the temperature of other rooms in the house?


On the other hand if you have that thermostat in the most used living room, when that room is up to the set temperature the CH switches off and there is no heating going to other rooms.( e.g. other reception rooms, kitchen and bedrooms.)


I have a wireless thermostat, but even that doesn't solve completely the dilemma. For instance this afternoon I will be watching the rugby/football/GP in one room whilst the rest of the family will be in another room. If the thermostat is in their room, I will have no heating when their room is at the required temperature. If the thermostat is in my room - vice versa.

Shrimply

windup wrote: »

what are you talking about, it isn't wrong

the thermostat doesn't HAVE to be anywhere, doesn't HAVE to be in any room, doesn't HAVE to be in a heated room, doesn't HAVE to be set at 20c, doesn't HAVE to be anything

Don't need lessons in how a thermostat works thanks

A wireless thermostat would be a waste of money, not necessary at all, same with all the fancy modern control gadgets, they are essentially toys for the boys - a timer, thermostat and trv's do the same job, the op already has them.

Surely, you are both partly right. It doesn't matter where the thermostat is. Provided:

(a) You know how the temperature at that point corresponds to the temperature of the room you are going to be in.

(b) Variables like open doors that will change the difference in temperature between the two points are kept constant.

I don't even have a thermostat, and while it's not ideal I can get the rooms to the temperature I want using the TRVs and boiler temperature control. It's really all about learning to use the system you have to the best of it's ability.

Cardew

Shrimply wrote: »

I don't even have a thermostat, and while it's not ideal I can get the rooms to the temperature I want using the TRVs and boiler temperature control.

Lots of older CH systems didn't have wall thermostats but they became mandatory some years ago. Many people considered this a retrograde step.


Turning this thermostat up to maximum and controlling the individual room temperatures by use of TRVs achieves the same situation as you have.


P.S. I am well aware that this will cause 'cycling' i.e. the boiler will switch on/off when water temperature is reached; and thus the argument is the boiler is not operating efficiently.

st999

Turning this thermostat up to maximum and controlling the individual room temperatures by use of TRVs achieves the same situation as you have

Not really, when the temperature is reached in the room where the thermostat is situated the boiler and pump turn off.

Using thermostatic valves on the radiators controls the temperature in that room but what happens when all the thermostatic valves close when the whole house is warm enough?

The pump is still circulating water, it never turns off, just like my old smokeless coal heating when the fire died down. No hot water but the pump still ran.

Also wireless thermostats don't have to be moved from room to room, mine is fixed in the lounge, it was easier to fit a wireless thermostat than run wires.

windup

victor2 wrote: »

So it could be in the garden then?
As the thermostat is intended to control the heating system it HAS to be in an area affected by the same heating to have any chance of doing its job.

if you so wished yes, 1 degree above ambient temperature it will pump, one degree below it wont.

the wall thermostat is one of several devices intended to control the heating system, the functionality of these devices overlap. It is up to the owner how they use it. In a heating system with trv's, the wall thermostat is a global blunt override, just like a timer, it is still useful whichever room it's in, provided it is set appropriately

Telling people they must use it isn't helping the op achieve their aims, it's just likely to confuse the issue.

The aim was to heat one or fewer rooms to save money, if they don't wish to heat the kitchen, or wish to maintain a lower temperature in there, that's totally upto them, and achievable with their current equipment