Drayton wiser

J30

Just looking for true opinions of Drayton wiser? Considering getting this. Currently have an old style Drayton thermostat so looks easier enough for switch to the new system. 

To start with I wouldn’t get the individual radiator valves, would just start with the thermostat and I can add these later on. 

But wanted to see people’s thoughts on this. Any good? 

Mister_G

I installed the Wiser Multi-zone kit 2 about a year ago. The thermostat is in our living room which has two radiators with conventional Drayton TRVs (normally left fully open).  The smart TRVs are on the main bedrooom and bathroom radiators (replacing conventional TRVs.)

All other radiators have conventional TRVs.

The system works well and has given us adequate control over the whole central heating system.

I bought the kit when it was on offer at £150.  It does seem to have lept up to nearer £250 now!

There does seem to be a few Black Friday offers around at the moment.

Something to note is that the smart TRV heads fit directly onto the newer Drayton TRV bodies (TRV4), but need an adaptor to fit on the older ones (TRV2).

J30

Mister_G said:

I installed the Wiser Multi-zone kit 2 about a year ago. The thermostat is in our living room which has two radiators with conventional Drayton TRVs (normally left fully open).  The smart TRVs are on the main bedrooom and bathroom radiators (replacing conventional TRVs.)

All other radiators have conventional TRVs.

The system works well and has given us adequate control over the whole central heating system.

I bought the kit when it was on offer at £150.  It does seem to have lept up to nearer £250 now!

There does seem to be a few Black Friday offers around at the moment.

Something to note is that the smart TRV heads fit directly onto the newer Drayton TRV bodies (TRV4), but need an adaptor to fit on the older ones (TRV2).

Thanks for your advice. If I was to start with just the thermostat and not the TRVs - can I control the whole of the house heating just from one thermostat? I assume I can? And then I can add the TRV’s later on. Thanks 

Reed_Richards

I've had a Drayton Wiser for over three years.  It controls two physical zones (with motorised valves), each with its own room thermostat.  I have one Smart TRV which I use to keep a "sun room" (where I overwinter tender plants) colder than the rest of the house.  Generally i have been very pleased with it.  It has a "Comfort Mode" which will turn the heating on earlier than the set time to bring the house up to temperature and an "Eco mode" which will turn the heating off early to save money (if it thinks the room will keep warm enough).

You can control the whole house heating with just TRVs and one room thermostat but you need the room thermostat to be in a room that doesn't heat up too fast because when it reaches temperature it will cut the heating to the whole house so all your other rooms need to reach their desired temperature at least as fast as the room with the thermostat or they will remain too cold.  You may need to balance your radiators to fix this.

if you mix Smart TRVs with room thermostats then the heating will remain on until both have reached their desired temperature.  So if the room with the Smart TRV is slow to heat up then this could cause the room with the thermostat to overheat.  I had this problem in a room with an undersized radiator and had to return the Smart TRV I had fitted there.    

Mister_G

Yes, but obviously the thermostat will only actually control the temperature in the room that it is located.

The system is very flexible and you can certainly add the smart TRVs as you go.

I have this option available to me, but so far have not bothered with it, mainly due to the layout of our house.

I note there's a pack of 3 on Amazon at the moment for less than £100.

J30

Mister_G said:

Yes, but obviously the thermostat will only actually control the temperature in the room that it is located.

The system is very flexible and you can certainly add the smart TRVs as you go.

I have this option available to me, but so far have not bothered with it, mainly due to the layout of our house.

I note there's a pack of 3 on Amazon at the moment for less than £100.

But, if I only have the thermostat say in the dining room…..it wouldn’t be able to control the heating for that room would it without the TRV on the radiator?

Essentially what I’m asking is if I start with just the thermostat to begin with, will that control the heating for the whole house? (Based on the temperature of the room I place it in) 

Reed_Richards

J30 said:

But, if I only have the thermostat say in the dining room…..it wouldn’t be able to control the heating for that room would it without the TRV on the radiator?

Essentially what I’m asking is if I start with just the thermostat to begin with, will that control the heating for the whole house? (Based on the temperature of the room I place it in) 

Yes, of course it would.  You don't need any TRVs in the room with the room thermostat.  The radiator just heats up the room until the temperature sensor in the thermostat shows that the room has reached its set temperature.

If you do have TRVs you have to make sure that they don't get into a fight with the room thermostat.  If the TRV is set to a lower temperature than the room thermostat then it will cut off the water to the radiator before the temperature reaches that set on the room thermostat so the heating will stay on and perhaps never go off.  So make sure those TRVs are set to a high or Max setting.   

J30

Reed_Richards said:

J30 said:

But, if I only have the thermostat say in the dining room…..it wouldn’t be able to control the heating for that room would it without the TRV on the radiator?

Essentially what I’m asking is if I start with just the thermostat to begin with, will that control the heating for the whole house? (Based on the temperature of the room I place it in) 

Yes, of course it would.  You don't need any TRVs in the room with the room thermostat.  The radiator just heats up the room until the temperature sensor in the thermostat shows that the room has reached its set temperature.

If you do have TRVs you have to make sure that they don't get into a fight with the room thermostat.  If the TRV is set to a lower temperature than the room thermostat then it will cut off the water to the radiator before the temperature reaches that set on the room thermostat so the heating will stay on and perhaps never go off.  So make sure those TRVs are set to a high or Max setting.   

Thank you for your response! I’m going to start with just the smart thermostat to begin with to see how I get on and add the smart TRV’s later down the line for greater control of the heating.

i was just worried that I HAD To buy the TRVs initially 

Reed_Richards

J30 said:

i was just worried that I HAD To buy the TRVs initially 

No, absolutely not.

But how is your hot water controlled at the moment?  You may or may not need your new Drayton Wiser to take over that control.

QrizB

Reed_Richards said:

J30 said:

But, if I only have the thermostat say in the dining room…..it wouldn’t be able to control the heating for that room would it without the TRV on the radiator?

Essentially what I’m asking is if I start with just the thermostat to begin with, will that control the heating for the whole house? (Based on the temperature of the room I place it in) 

Yes, of course it would.  You don't need any TRVs in the room with the room thermostat.  The radiator just heats up the room until the temperature sensor in the thermostat shows that the room has reached its set temperature.

Are we talking about dumb TRVs or smart TRVs?

Because according to RR's previous post:

Reed_Richards said:

if you mix Smart TRVs with room thermostats then the heating will remain on until both have reached their desired temperature.  So if the room with the Smart TRV is slow to heat up then this could cause the room with the thermostat to overheat.  I had this problem in a room with an undersized radiator and had to return the Smart TRV I had fitted there.    

You don't need a smart TRV in the room with the thermostat, but you might need a dumb one?
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick (which is quite possible)?

J30

Reed_Richards said:

J30 said:

i was just worried that I HAD To buy the TRVs initially 

No, absolutely not.

But how is your hot water controlled at the moment?  You may or may not need your new Drayton Wiser to take over that control.

I have a combi boiler so that comes on and when I run the hot tap (on demand)