Heating temperature while away.

[wedge69]

This year we have had a fancy progammable roomstat fitted that allows me to regulate the temperature through out the day. Previously we only had TRVs. When I used to go away in the winter I used to set the timer on the boiler so the heating would come on for a few hours in the morning and a few in the night in an attempt to keep the house from freezing up while I was away.

Now I have the programmable stat, what is the best temperature to set it at if we go away for a few days? I set it down to 10 the other day, but when I came home, the dial on the front of the boiler said the water temperature was near zero!

My friends who rent had a letter from their landlord saying they need to keep the temp to a minimum of 16 degrees through winter.

So what should I do the next time we go away for a week in the winter? Set it to 16 and leave it?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

 

[Tipper]

Look at your insurance policy.

You may find you have an obligation to keep it above 12 or 15 C or so or else you have to drain down!

 

[dextrous]

16 seems excessive - 10 will keep the frost away easily. Take it that the new stat doesn't have a "holiday" feature then?

 

[wedge69]

Oh yeah, it has a holiday facility, but you still have to set a temperature for that....

 

[D_Hailsham]

Now I have the programmable stat, what is the best temperature to set it at if we go away for a few days? I set it down to 10 the other day, but when I came home, the dial on the front of the boiler said the water temperature was near zero!

If the boiler is in the house, it's not surprising that the boiler temperature is near zero (how low, exactly?). It just means that the house did not drop below 10°C, so there was no need for the boiler to come on.

Next time you go out, leave the stat on 10. When you come back, turn the stat up slowly until the boiler clicks on. That will give you an idea of how much heat has been lost while you are out. The rate of heat loss is proportional to the difference in temperature between inside and outside. So most of the heat loss occurs in the first few hours/days, depending on how well your house is insulated.

If the boiler is in the garage, you should install frost and pipe thermostats to prevent the boiler and pipes freezing up.

 

[wedge69]

The boiler is in the house in the airing cupboard. The roomstat is downstairs in the lounge.

It's an old Vailant Turbomax 242, but it's a good boiler. The dial on the front is just a needle, and to me it seemed dangerously close to zero!

I've insulated the loft, (overlayed space blanked on the original insulation) and put that foam pipe lagging around the outside tap pipe.

I might split the difference and set the roomstat to 12!