Heating bathroom radiators in summer months?

[brawlero]

Hello,

I'm finally a homeowner again so lots of projects to contemplate but initially just trying to get to grips with how the house 'works'

The CH system seems to work well apart from one thing which I am trying to figure out how best to set up.

There are two CH circuits in the house, upstairs and downstairs.
The main thermostat for upstairs is in the master bedroom. All other bedroom and bathroom rads have TRV's except the one in with the room stat (I understand this is the norm). The bedroom is always warm and does not require heating however I still want the rads to be on in the bathrooms.
I can turn the room stat up and the rad without the TRV right down so that the bathrooms will heat up and shut off via their own TRV's but is this the best way?

I checked the FAQ's but couldn't see anything specific to this. Any help and comments much appreciated.

 

[kbdiy]

No. If you turn off the room stat rad and all the TRV's are turned down what will happen when the bathroom temp is satisfied and the TRV shuts down? Answer, the pump will be trying to circulate water on a completely closed circuit, which is asking for trouble.

You will need to remove the TRV head completely from the bathroom rads to ensure there is always an open circuit. However this also means you will have no control over the temperature as the room stat will continue to call for heat.

Time for a rethink.

 

[brawlero]

How about moving the room stat into the bathroom then?

 

[kbdiy]

Possible, but you would have to leave the TRV head off or change the valve to a normal rad valve, so that it can remain open.

However you will probably find it harder to control the level of heat upstairs when the bathroom is in use. The heat produced will cause the stat to shut down, so in winter the rest of the upstairs will go cold whenever the bathroom is in use.

Do you have a combi or system boiler?

 

[brawlero]

It's an unvented system

 

[JohnD]

have you got a hot water cylinder? Is it near the bathroom?

 

[kbdiy]

have you got a hot water cylinder? Is it near the bathroom?

I suspect we are thinking along the same lines - plumb the bathroom rads as a boiler bypass?

 

[brawlero]

The bathroom and en-suite are adjoined but on the opposite side of the landing to the airing cupboard where the tank is (guess it would be ideal if it were next door?)

 

[JohnD]

if you can run a pair of pipes to the bathroom radiator from the primary pipes to the HW cylinder, then the bathroom radiator will come on (subject to TRV) whenever the cylinder is heated. This will typically be in the mornings, and during and after running a bath. This is a very convenient time for the bathroom radiator to come on.

If the boiler happens to be underneath the bathroom, the pipes may well run under the floor.

 

[brawlero]

Thanks for the suggestion, this is something that I will look into.
Cheers!

 

[ALEC1]

I find the best thing for towel rails is an electric one....with proper controls...putting them on the primaries of the cylinder means they will be warm twice a day or so, and on the heating circuit won't be on in summer as pointed out.

put a dual fuel towel rail in and will not be turned off in winter wasting electricity, etc etc...

a thermostatically controlled and times 150w element will do the trick!

 

[simond]

Honeywell Evohome.

I've fitted nearly 250 valves in the last 4 weeks.

 

[JohnD]

...putting them on the primaries of the cylinder means they will be warm twice a day or so...

but they will come on when you run a bath or shower, which is the ideal time.