Hot rads or nothing

[silverfox179]

Hi.

In August we moved to a bungalow which has been empty for 5-6yrs.

Anyway, we want our rads on constantly but at a relatively low temp.

My CH and HW is on constant at the boiler control box. We have a thermostat dial in the hallway. If I turn the dial to just over 24 degrees, rads (except the one in the hallway!!) are all working. The house then becomes too hot (especially in the late evening/night) as it's a 2bed bungalow. If I turn the thermostat dial down below 22 degrees, it seems to shut off, I hear a click and then the rads are cold again!!! So we are either in a hot or cold house, no happy medium.

Any ideas?

Also, why would that 1 rad not be working? Does it just need bleeding?

Thanks.

DIY Novice.

 

[D_Hailsham]

As the house has been empty for so long, it would be a good idea to get the heating system checked over by a Gas Safe registered engineer - unless you had that done before you purchased the bungalow.

 

[silverfox179]

No we didnt. Just jumped in feet first!

Hopefully it's not too bad and we'll be getting a new boiler when we get the loft conversion done in the Spring but hoping for a suitable fix in the meantime covering us for this winter. Might just have to get someone round.

Thanks anyway.

 

[muggles]

What boiler is it?

 

[stem]

If I turn the dial to just over 24 degrees, rads (except the one in the hallway!!) are all working. The house then becomes too hot (especially in the late evening/night) as it's a 2bed bungalow. If I turn the thermostat dial down below 22 degrees, it seems to shut off, I hear a click and then the rads are cold again!!!

That is how a room thermostat works. It is simply an on/off switch. It has nothing to do with the temperature of the radiators. The room thermostat is measuring the air temperature of the room it is located in. If the room temperature is below the set temperature, the radiators are switched 'on' if the room temperature is above the set temperature, the radiators are switched 'off'. This is the 'click' you hear. The temperature of the radiators (when switched 'on' by the room stat) is dependent upon the boilers thermostat setting.

If the room thermostat is not maintaining a comfortable temperature, there could be several reasons. For example:

1. The thermostat will only control the temperature based on the room in which it is located. Siting the thermostat in the wrong room (or location) can cause problems for the other rooms.

We have a thermostat dial in the hallway....radiators (except the one in the hallway!!) are all working.

In your case, the thermostat is located in the room with the faulty radiator, so it is unlikely to work properly. How will it know that the rest of the rooms are getting hot?

2. If you have an old mechanical type thermostat, they can become inaccurate over time, so for example if it was set to 22 degrees, it may not switch off until 23 and not come back on until the temperature drops to 20, giving an uncomfortable 3 degree differential. Modern electronic thermostats are accurate to fractions of a degree.

 

[silverfox179]

What boiler is it?

It's a GloWorm of some sort. I'm not at home to look at it though.

 

[silverfox179]

If I turn the dial to just over 24 degrees, rads (except the one in the hallway!!) are all working. The house then becomes too hot (especially in the late evening/night) as it's a 2bed bungalow. If I turn the thermostat dial down below 22 degrees, it seems to shut off, I hear a click and then the rads are cold again!!!

That is how a room thermostat works. It is simply an on/off switch. It has nothing to do with the temperature of the radiators. The room thermostat is measuring the air temperature of the room it is located in. If the room temperature is below the set temperature, the radiators are switched 'on' if the room temperature is above the set temperature, the radiators are switched 'off'. This is the 'click' you hear. The temperature of the radiators (when switched 'on' by the room stat) is dependent upon the boilers thermostat setting.

If the room thermostat is not maintaining a comfortable temperature, there could be several reasons. For example:

1. The thermostat will only control the temperature based on the room in which it is located. Siting the thermostat in the wrong room (or location) can cause problems for the other rooms.

We have a thermostat dial in the hallway....radiators (except the one in the hallway!!) are all working.

In your case, the thermostat is located in the room with the faulty radiator, so it is unlikely to work properly. How will it know that the rest of the rooms are getting hot?

2. If you have an old mechanical type thermostat, they can become inaccurate over time, so for example if it was set to 22 degrees, it may not switch off until 23 and not come back on until the temperature drops to 20, giving an uncomfortable 3 degree differential. Modern electronic thermostats are accurate to fractions of a degree.

Thanks eversomuch. So the 'temp' on the thermostat dial is the temp in which the boiler kicks in and turns the rads on? So what if I have set the timer on the control panel for the heating to come on at say 5am but it is a hot morning and hotter than the kick in temp on the thermostat? Does the timer override the thermostat?

 

[JohnD]

Also, why would that 1 rad not be working?

If you're really lucky, the previous occupier might just have turned it off at the knob. Try that first. You may need a small spanner at one end. Then try bleeding it. Check if there is any warmth whatsoever at either of the pipes.

Your boiler probably has a knob to control its own temperature. If you want constant low heat, you can do that. If the radiators are a bit small, they will not be able to fully heat the house if the circulating water is only warm.

So what if I have set the timer on the control panel for the heating to come on at say 5am but it is a hot morning and hotter than the kick in temp on the thermostat? Does the timer override the thermostat?

The CH will only come when both the timer and the room stat are "on"