Which heating thermostat

twopenny

I've had to have a change to my heating. Where it ran happily on TRVs for 6 years, now it has been kettling and banging and looks like the pipes will need to be redone as it's badly laid with no clips or insulation.

Currently the 7 small rads - 6 on TRVs and one without in living room are working but it goes to around 18c which is nice

Also I can't leave it on low any more if icy. I'm guessing the constant heat is going to be expensive with no control of temperature on one rad.

I've been advised to have a thermostat.

The heavy nudge is to the 'digital' one (more money for the engineer) you take from room to room but this place is tiny, basically a big room divided and this seems expensive overkill. I'm not keen on having to remember to keep moving it.

Seems overkill for 4 small rooms.

I don't need programmable. House heats quickly and retains heat once off.

Don't need warm bedroom, study (2nd bed) seldom, bathroom and ensuite, kitchen are warm.

I think I'd be happy with the simplest wall thermostat that could be located in the hall which warms about the right time the lounge does.

Is this reasonable?

Any for or against

Bungalow, 14 strides long, 8 wide (I said it was small ;-)

So very many to choose from.......I'd like simple and plain.

I used to have one of these in my old house. It was fine

https://www.screwfix.com/p/honeywell-home-1-channel-wired-mechanical-room-thermostat/696FV?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI76X-jvC9iwMVQ4FQBh3KMAH2EAQYASABEgKTuPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

There are smarter white flat ones that have a digital display of the current temperature

They look nicer but is there a difference?

I have a thermometer for that being a small place I can easily move it around.

It's going to be sited in a narrow hallway so needs to be slim and inconspicuous and not going to be

knocked.

The pump and immersion in cupboard on left.

This is not my choice of carpet but it won't wear out

 .

All thoughts or experience welcome - try not to confuse me further with too many more choices!

ThisIsWeird

twopenny said:

I've had to have a change to my heating. Where it ran happily on TRVs for 6 years, now it has been kettling and banging and looks like the pipes will need to be redone as it's badly laid with no clips or insulation.

Currently the 7 small rads - 6 on TRVs and one without in living room are working but it goes to around 18c which is nice

Also I can't leave it on low any more if icy. I'm guessing the constant heat is going to be expensive with no control of temperature on one rad.

I've been advised to have a thermostat.

The heavy nudge is to the 'digital' one (more money for the engineer) you take from room to room but this place is tiny, basically a big room divided and this seems expensive overkill. I'm not keen on having to remember to keep moving it.

Seems overkill for 4 small rooms.

I don't need programmable. House heats quickly and retains heat once off.

Don't need warm bedroom, study (2nd bed) seldom, bathroom and ensuite, kitchen are warm.

I think I'd be happy with the simplest wall thermostat that could be located in the hall which warms about the right time the lounge does.

Is this reasonable?

Any for or against

Bungalow, 14 strides long, 8 wide (I said it was small ;-)

So very many to choose from.......I'd like simple and plain.

I used to have one of these in my old house. It was fine

https://www.screwfix.com/p/honeywell-home-1-channel-wired-mechanical-room-thermostat/696FV?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI76X-jvC9iwMVQ4FQBh3KMAH2EAQYASABEgKTuPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

There are smarter white flat ones that have a digital display of the current temperature

They look nicer but is there a difference?

I have a thermometer for that being a small place I can easily move it around.

It's going to be sited in a narrow hallway so needs to be slim and inconspicuous and not going to be

knocked.

The pump and immersion in cupboard on left.

This is not my choice of carpet but it won't wear out

 .

All thoughts or experience welcome - try not to confuse me further with too many more choices!

Hi 2'.

Yes, have a thermostat fitted. No, don't move it around :-)

The good news is that the best room to have it in is the main living area - the sitting room - and the rad in that room should not have a TRV fitted, and yours doesn't.

So, have it wall-mounted in the sitting room, and use the TRVs on the other rads to determine the temps for these rooms.

So, yes, your basic 'analogue' stat will do. And you don't need a prog type. But, how do you currently time your heating? When and how does it come on? When and how does it go off?

A ProgStat will make your heating come on at the time you want and at the temp you want. It can then be set for the temp to go up and down during the day whenever you want - for instance, if you like it a bit cooler during the day when you are moving about, but then warmer in the eve when you are sitting down, you can set it to do this automatically, and you'll always have manual control over it too when you want.

So, A ProgStat could give you, for example; 20oC at 6am for a nice warm start, down to 18oC at 8am, back up to 20oC at 6pm, and then down to 15oC at 11pm - that sort of thing. If you are chilly, it's easy to tweak up. If you are too warm, it's easy to ditto. A Prog Stat will usually save you energy as it'll always do this, even if you forget.

Does that seem a useful thing to have?

If you really only want a manual control - ie you turn the heating up and down just when you want it - then, yes, the 'dial' control will do, and one with a digital display is unlikely to be any better.

twopenny

Thanks TIW......

I have a programme controller for the boiler in the airing cupboard so set to come on/off morning and eveing.

There is a boost function for the odd hour or I can just click it to on and off. Works fine as I'm so close to everything here

But I love the location and good neighbours.

I will potter with my thermometer round the living room then. Finding a space that's not a hot/cold spot.

There is only a small rad for the size of room but that's fine.

In fact the living room would make it easier to place and if I can get it nearer the garage where the boiler is then hopefully it will be easier and cheaper to wire in.

I'm not a hot house flower, 16c is probably enough but I must say I'm enjoying the 18c sauna like effect here during this eternal cold spell.

I have to turn the heating off after 4hrs afternoon/evening because it's so hot.

Le_Kirk

twopenny said:

In fact the living room would make it easier to place and if I can get it nearer the garage where the boiler is then hopefully it will be easier and cheaper to wire in.

That is going to be the biggest issue.  Posters advise wireless types because you can wire in a receiver near the boiler and the transmitter can be place (or mounted if you need to) in the living room.  No wiring is required between transmitter/thermostat and boiler/garage.

twopenny

Ooookay!

So they are more expensive to buy but cost less to install?

Googleing it it suggests that you have more control. Why?

Surely you just turn the knob on the basic wired in one and that's control.

Or you need instructions to fiddle with a digital display if you just want to turn the heating down for an hour?

And is it a a heating engineer to put in or an electrician please?

Just when I thought it was sorted

ThisIsWeird

twopenny said:

Ooookay!

So they are more expensive to buy but cost less to install?

Googleing it it suggests that you have more control. Why?

Surely you just turn the knob on the basic wired in one and that's control.

Or you need instructions to fiddle with a digital display if you just want to turn the heating down for an hour?

And is it a a heating engineer to put in or an electrician please?

Just when I thought it was sorted

Yes, wireless cost a bit more to buy in general. Yes, they are commonly fitted as they don't require holes to be drilled in walls and cables to be run to the boiler.

'Wired' can be said to be 'better' than wireless only in the respect that it's slightly more reliable, and it ofen doesn't need batteries to be replaced every couple of years. They provide no greater control per se - that comes down to the individual spec of each thermostat, regardless of type.

ProgStats - that control both temp and timings - will provide greater control than a purely manual 'stat, wired or no.

'Smart' Stats - that add phone App control, and often other sensing too - provide greater control again. For instance, when we're watching The Unforgotten, log fire churning away nicely, blanket over knees, I'll often reach for my phone and make sure the CH doesn't come on again that eve - instant saving. If we go out, I'll knock a couple of degrees off the setting, again using my phone. Before we head back, I'll dial it up again in anticipation. 

But, I'd imagine that going 'Smart' is unnecessary in your case - little additional benefit, but a lot more complexity.

However, 'Prog' is something I think you should seriously consider.

May I ask - what does your heating do overnight? Go off completely using the boiler's clock?

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: ProgStats - that control both temp and timings - will provide greater control than a purely manual 'stat, wired or no.

Programmable thermostats (and smart ones) have the potential to save 5% or more on gas consumption - Some claim up to 15%...

If the boiler is a modulating model and can communicate with the thermostat, there are savings to be had in that area - My thermostat, when calling for heat, will tell the boiler what flow temperature is required. For a little top-up to maintain the temperature in the house, it might instruct the boiler to run at 42°C. With frost outside and a need to boost indoor temperature by 2°C or more, the boiler may be running at 60°C. Lower flow temperatures equates to higher efficiencies. For me, it is only a percentage point or two, but every little bit helps.

twopenny

Thanks both. Really grateful for the infomation.

Though now more confused.

Defo don't want one that needs broadband or a smart one to operate from away. So that's a start.

The building is small and well insulated so don't need minor adjustments to temperature or for individual rooms.

I just need to stop it going above a certain temperature that I can control.

So it's a choice of basic wireless (? that means not used on Broadband?) and the basic wired one.

Heating is off overnight to run 7.30-10am and from 4-9pm daytime this time of year.  It stays warm for an hour or three after that.

I'd like to be able to have it on but turn the room temp down during the day so I could work at home on weekends. So I'm still leaning towards the basic wired one but wonder if I'm missing something.

Perhaps my next step should be to get costings and find someone to do it.

So electrician or heating engineer to do it?

Up until now the TRVs have worked fine and I could leave the heating on low all day but something happened when I started cleaning and replacing bits thinking it would help.

Reminds me a lot of the Flanders and Swan song When the Gas Man Came to Call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1dvAxA9ib0

FreeBear

twopenny said: I just need to stop it going above a certain temperature that I can control.

So it's a choice of basic wireless (? that means not used on Broadband?) and the basic wired one.

So electrician or heating engineer to do it?

Wireless thermostats have a receiver mounted next to the boiler and use a different radio frequency to WiFi (often 433MHz). Only the ones offering "smart" options or need an app are likely to use broadband - Although connecting to your phone using Bluetooth is possible with some.

An electrician or general purpose handyman will be able to wire up a thermostat as long as the boiler casing doesn't have to be removed - Some boilers, the terminals can be accessed from a small panel (the Baxi combi DN has is accessible this way). Most others, the front case has to be removed first (like my Viessmann 050), and this should be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

But if you already have an external timer/thermostat wired in, there is no need to touch the boiler. In which case, use who ever can do the job at a reasonable price and that you are happy with.

ThisIsWeird

twopenny said:

Thanks both. Really grateful for the infomation.

Though now more confused.

Defo don't want one that needs broadband or a smart one to operate from away. So that's a start.

The building is small and well insulated so don't need minor adjustments to temperature or for individual rooms.

I just need to stop it going above a certain temperature that I can control.

So it's a choice of basic wireless (? that means not used on Broadband?) and the basic wired one.

Heating is off overnight to run 7.30-10am and from 4-9pm daytime this time of year.  It stays warm for an hour or three after that.

I'd like to be able to have it on but turn the room temp down during the day so I could work at home on weekends. So I'm still leaning towards the basic wired one but wonder if I'm missing something.

Perhaps my next step should be to get costings and find someone to do it.

So electrician or heating engineer to do it?

Up until now the TRVs have worked fine and I could leave the heating on low all day but something happened when I started cleaning and replacing bits thinking it would help.

Ok, you don't want 'Smart' - that's the Broadband/WiFi/Phone App bit.

You just want an easy-to-use device mounted on the wall in your sitting room, that'll give you easy and accurate control over the room temp.

IF this device can be wired directly to the boiler, then that's fine. If, however, that will be tricky, then 'wireless' is the way to go. This is exactly the same to use - it just means there's no physical wire.

So, we just need to find the neatest and easiest 'stat to use.

Need to walk t'dawg now - brrrr - but will see what's out there. I will, however, be pressing you to go ProgStat, as that should fit in nicely with what you are trying to achieve above - more details to come :-)

Remind me - you have a hot cylinder? How is the heating of that timed?

(Oh, and heating engineer or sparky can do this - the latter deffo, but the former might be scared of leccy, so pass it on to a sparky...)

twopenny

No thermostat FreeBear. At all.

My friends works of TRVs too as this did but it is what it is now.

Best price is a moot point but we'll see.

TIW, hot water done on same timer. Drayton or similar in the airing cupboard

https://www.screwfix.com/p/drayton-lp112-2-channel-digital-programmer/64558?tc=AB3&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItKzHhpXBiwMVIZBQBh1mLSfdEAQYASABEgJPxvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Programmable just sounds more hassle and visible to fiddle with considering I mostly just want to change the temperature once or twice a day in the coldest months - when a wired one knob move round and back.

But I'm always willing to listen and learn.

Hope the dog appreciated the walk and it was warmer than you think. I miss having a dog (mostly) as they make you take time out and bring things into perspective. Walk, food, play and patience