Can I add a room thermostat to my system???

[ric_uk]

Hi,

I'm a first time buyer and don't have any experience of central heating so please excuse my simple question!

My central heating consists of; water tank in the loft, hot water tank first floor(no electrical heater by the looks of it), a boiler downstairs in the utility room.

The boiler is gas, and heats both the central heating and hot water. This is controlled by a timer unit for both the hot water and heating.

There is no room thermostat in the house, all radiators have TCV things on them (apart from one next to the hot water tank).

At the moment I set the heating to come on in the morning and at night. This works fine, except that I get a fluctuating of heat --- i.e. the house warms up so I left the timer go off... then I get a bit cold so I put it on boost... then after I while it's cold so I pop it back on boost (1 hour).... etc etc etc

I'd really like to be able to set the timer to cover all the time i'll be in the house - say 18:00 to 23:00 - and have the boiler switch on/off automatically to maintain this temp.

Am I correct in guessing that this is the purpose of the room thermostat? I've seen room thermostats for sale and they seem pretty cheap, but are they easy to fit? And if not, what kind of price am I looking at to get someone to fit one??

Thanks!

 

[EliteHeat]

If you have independent control over heating and hot water then the answer is yes you can, in fact you should - it will save money.

Easiest to fit is a wireless programmable room thermostat - avoids the need for wiring to the thermostat. You can get just wireless thermostats but you would be missing out on a bit of extra functionality that a programmable one gives you.

I would budget on about £125 for parts and labour.

 

[JohnD]

That is the purpose of a room stat, yes. It is very poor practice not to have one. Are you sure there is not one hidden away somewhere?

Although it is very easy to fit a replacement stat, boiler control boxes have a lot of wires in them, and you might do better to get someone in to fit it if you are not used to this work. Ask round friends and neighbours for a recommendation of someone local. If he is a Corgi man he will be able to service the boiler when necessary as well, provided he makes a good impression on you.

If the boiler timeswitch is fairly modern and you have (or can get) its wiring instructions, you can do it yourself if you are confident and competent at wiring work.

Put the room stat in your main living room, away from radiators, large sunny windows, cookers, external doors and other sources of heat or cold. Turn down the rads in this room so that it is the slowest to heat up. If you use another source of heat in this room (gas fire etc) then put the stat somewhere else.

 

[gavinda]

digistat rocks.