Maintain temperature in house?

paperclap

Hi all,

So, here is our central heating setup.

Potterton Profile 40e boiler
Old, probably not the most efficient, but don’t want to change it out just yet. Can’t afford it and “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

Potterton ep2001 programmer
Works okay, but is a little primitive. Can’t programme central heating and hot water separately.

Honeywell T6360B thermostat
Wired up. But frankly not sure it works. Only ever affects the boiler (turning off and on) when I click it at 15 degrees. It’s weird.

Drayton TRV4s
We do have these lovely TRVs. I installed them alongside new radiators and pipework. Set them to the “Max” setting and never thought anything of them.

Anywho. Really, all I want to do is keep my house at a consistent temperature. Say, 18°C.

Do I need to invest in a new (working!) thermostat, leave the boiler “on” 24/7, and let the thermostat do its thing?

Or, perhaps leave my setup as is, and maintain a temperature via the TRVs?

Thank you in advance.

grumbler

Not sure about the technicalities, but maintaining constant temperature isn't the most efficient strategy. In my house it's 15C at night or when everyone is away.

And you really need a working thermostat. Preferably wireless.

Norman_Castle

Pointless fitting trvs then leaving them at maximum. Set them halfway which is about 70 degrees then adjust to suit over days or weeks.

paperclap

Thanks both.

I mean, I wouldn’t want 18°C. Even 14°C would do just fine.

Are the newer, modern digital thermostats (like the Google Nest) compatible with the older non-condensing boilers like mine?

grumbler

I have a modern smart thermostat with a 30y.o. boiler and a hot water cylinder.

But I don't understand why  your system doesn't allow controlling HW and CH independently.

rob7475

Is your current setup heating the house well or is it struggling? It sounds like quite an old install so it may be worth checking if the system is running on a one or two pipe setup. If it's only a single pipe running round all the radiators, you'll find that the radiators furthest from the boiler may be struggling to get hot. 

Also, if the radiators are old, they may not have the fins on which help distribute heat better.

If the thermostat isn't working properly, I'd look at getting that replaced too.

paperclap

The programmer does allow for CH and hot water independently… but not on a timed programme independently.

I’ve installed new column radiators, which in a way, do act as massive fins! They get super toasty.

It doesn’t help that we have no ceiling-level insulation right now. That’s being done Monday. But even still, while that will help, the heating will still need to go on to maintain that hopeful even temperature.

Grumbler, that’s good to know! What thermostat do you have?

Norman_Castle

paperclap said:

I mean, I wouldn’t want 18°C. Even 14°C would do just fine.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-lm&q=trv+setting+temperatures

paperclap

Norman_Castle said:

paperclap said:

I mean, I wouldn’t want 18°C. Even 14°C would do just fine.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-lm&q=trv+setting+temperatures

That’s handy to know.

So theoretically, I could/should leave my boiler on 24/7, and set all the TRVs to 3?

Maybe it would even be beneficial to remove the thermostat? It’s in the hallway, directly opposite another TRV.

Norman_Castle

paperclap said:

Norman_Castle said:

paperclap said:

I mean, I wouldn’t want 18°C. Even 14°C would do just fine.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-lm&q=trv+setting+temperatures

That’s handy to know.

So theoretically, I could/should leave my boiler on 24/7, and set all the TRVs to 3?

Maybe it would even be beneficial to remove the thermostat? It’s in the hallway, directly opposite another TRV.

The thermostat controls the boiler. There shouldn't be a trv on the radiator near it. Turn that one to maximum, set the thermostat to 70 degrees and the other trvs to halfway and adjust over the next week to suit each room. 

Ectophile

I wouldn't leave my heating on 24/7.  I don't need it overnight, and heating the house during the day, when I'm out, would be a waste of money.  That's what timers are for.

Thermostats do break.  The old style mechanical ones wih a rotary dial use a bi-metallic strip that springs back and forth to turn the heating off and on.  Eventually, that spring can get weak, or break.  New thermostats aren't expensive.