Balancing the rads - more effecient?

[oldskoo1]

Hi,

Finally balanced the rads, took 4 or 5 attempts but got there in the end.

Rads are flow/return and are about 12yr old so have a wheelhead flow valve.

Upstairs it was flow on the right, return/lockshield on the left. Downstairs it was the opposite.

Couple of questions though


1) Guides say open TRV fully when balancing. I have old wheelhead valve. Therefore, should i close this to nearly shut on rads nearest boiler (just like the lockshield valve) as long as i keep a good temp. OR should i just leave them wide open.

2) Balancing gives better heat distribution between rooms but does CH become more effecient and use less gas? Or not really.


I do have some oddball questions too,

- With the idea of using less gas, is it best to let ALL rads work at full temp (regardless of room size) or is it best to tune down the temps in smaller rooms or unused rooms like i have done.

- Is it right to assume the boiling hot pipe going into the rad is the flow pipe. I noticed all upstairs was flow right, return left apart from 1. Which had the hot pipe coming into the lockshield and not so hot pipe returning on the wheelhead. Same thing downstairs, just 1 rad was that way. So just need to check i've adjusted them correctly.


Cheers

 

[gas4you]

The idea of balancing is to try to acheive the required flow/return differential for the boiler/system. ie standard boiler 11c, condensing boiler 20c.

It also acheives the greater likelyhood of all the rads heating up as fast as each other.

The temp of each radiator has nothing to do with balancing. The boiler stat sets the temp of the water in the rads. The trv's set the room air temp, so if you want a disused room to be cooler you set the trv lower.

If you do not have trv's then realistically you have the rad either on or off to a certain extent.

What you are attempting to achieve needs trv's fitted.

 

[D_Hailsham]

Upstairs it was flow on the right, return/lockshield on the left. Downstairs it was the opposite.

There is no rule saying which way round; depends on convenience and room layout.

Guides say open TRV fully when balancing. I have old wheelhead valve. Therefore, should i close this to nearly shut on rads nearest boiler (just like the lockshield valve) as long as i keep a good temp. OR should i just leave them wide open.

TRVs heads should be removed to prevent them working while balancing. Leave your wheel valve fully open.

Balancing gives better heat distribution between rooms but does CH become more efficient and use less gas? Or not really.

All balancing does is ensure that the radiator is delivering its quoted output which, hopefully, is the correct output for the room. The problem comes when radiators are selected based on aesthetic criteria, not heat loss. For example all my rads are 600mm high and the width of the window. In most cases they are oversized.

With the idea of using less gas, is it best to let ALL rads work at full temp (regardless of room size) or is it best to tune down the temps in smaller rooms or unused rooms like i have done.

Provided you keep the door closed in the rooms where the valve has been closed or you will find that heat from the other rooms will transfer into the cooler rooms. (You will still get some heat transfer, but not so much.)

Is it right to assume the boiling hot pipe going into the rad is the flow pipe.

There are two CH pipes connected to the boiler. The flow pipe is the hotter of the two. It is also the input to the pump,

I noticed all upstairs was flow right, return left apart from 1. Which had the hot pipe coming into the lockshield and not so hot pipe returning on the wheelhead. Same thing downstairs, just 1 rad was that way. So just need to check i've adjusted them correctly.

The flow to the radiator is the hotter pipe.

Normally wheel valve is on flow and LS on return. But if you find that the LS valve is on the flow and the wheel valve is on the return, you can just swap the tops over. The valve itself is (normally) identical.

PS Have you thought about installing TRVs?

 

[oldskoo1]

Thanks both,

I was just trying to understand the flow valves. I thought maybe if i restricted water coming in to unused rads it may go elsewhere.

I know TRV's detect temp and shut valve but i'm not rushing to fit them. Seems odd they "reliable" detect air temp when sitting ontop of a near boiling pipe, and they get stuck.


I did manage to get some rooms to run cooler rads by opening the flow with the smallest of turns.

From what you say D_Hailsham i should just open them fully.


Cheers


Oh also,

My system seems nicely balanced now. Got a few rads heating up very nicely when they didnt before. But, could it put strain on the pump if i haven't opened the return valve enough on some. esp. the ones furthest away?

 

[D_Hailsham]

I thought maybe if i restricted water coming in to unused rads it may go elsewhere.

Both wheel and LS valves do the same thing - control the flow through the radiator. You will have to close the wheel valve more than the LS valve before it has any real effect on the flow. Most manual valves are fully open one turn from fully closed. Balancing is done within that one turn and the LS is often less than half a turn open.

I know TRV's detect temp and shut valve but i'm not rushing to fit them. Seems odd they "reliable" detect air temp when sitting ontop of a near boiling pipe, and they get stuck.

That's due to how they are designed. The Drayton TRV4 spec quotes a "water temperature effect" of 0.8°C. Sticking usually happens because the TRV is left set to a low number all summer, so the valve automatically closes and stays closed. Open the TRV to max during the summer and you will not get this happening.

I did manage to get some rooms to run cooler rads by opening the flow with the smallest of turns.

From what you say D_Hailsham i should just open them fully.

I was talking about balancing- the wheel valve need to be fully open then. If you want to reduce the output, do this with the wheel valve.

could it put strain on the pump if I haven't opened the return valve enough on some. esp. the ones furthest away?

No!

 

[bengasman]

wheelhead valves should be fully open
restricting flow is the job of the ls valve
reducing the flow to a rad by squeezing the wheelhead will not help much to reduce your gasbill; for that you need a proper roomstat, timer and a trv on all but 1 rads