Hydronic Plinth heater thermostat

[alphazulu]

Hi,

I'm thinking about fitting a Smiths SS5 hydronic plinth heater in my kitchen. This takes heat from the central heating system so only requires an electricity supply to power the fan. I'm thinking about just putting a plug (suitably fused) on the end of the lead and using a convenient socket. (The socket only has one cable going to it so I can't stake a spur and connect it to an FCU.) Would this be OK?

The kitchen heats up when cooking but it is cold first thing in the morning so I want to add a thermostat to the system so it is not too hot when we're cooking. Smiths make one but it is £25 so I was wondering if I could use http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Controllers/Corgi Room Thermostat/d230/sd2732/p19289 or if any of you can recommend one.

Thanks!

 

[EFLImpudence]

I'm thinking about fitting a Smiths SS5 hydronic plinth heater in my kitchen. This takes heat from the central heating system so only requires an electricity supply to power the fan. I'm thinking about just putting a plug (suitably fused) on the end of the lead and using a convenient socket. (The socket only has one cable going to it so I can't stake a spur and connect it to an FCU.) Would this be OK?

Yes.

The kitchen heats up when cooking but it is cold first thing in the morning so I want to add a thermostat to the system so it is not too hot when we're cooking. Smiths make one but it is £25 so I was wondering if I could use http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Controllers/Corgi Room Thermostat/d230/sd2732/p19289 or if any of you can recommend one.

It will be suitable.

If you want this system to be totally independent of the central heating then what you propose would be acceptable.
Of course, it would then start when the set temperature was reached whether or not the central heating was on.

Therefore it would be better to link it to the central heating so that it did not.
However, in this case, for safety, it should only be connected to the central heating wiring centre.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

For the short time you'll need it on, and the extra costs of buying and installing a wet one, have you thought about how long it will take to recoup that extra investment through lower running costs than a much cheaper to buy and install electric plinth heater?

 

[Lectrician]

I'm thinking about fitting a Smiths SS5 hydronic plinth heater in my kitchen. This takes heat from the central heating system so only requires an electricity supply to power the fan. I'm thinking about just putting a plug (suitably fused) on the end of the lead and using a convenient socket. (The socket only has one cable going to it so I can't stake a spur and connect it to an FCU.) Would this be OK?

Yes.

The kitchen heats up when cooking but it is cold first thing in the morning so I want to add a thermostat to the system so it is not too hot when we're cooking. Smiths make one but it is £25 so I was wondering if I could use http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Controllers/Corgi Room Thermostat/d230/sd2732/p19289 or if any of you can recommend one.

It will be suitable.

If you want this system to be totally independent of the central heating then what you propose would be acceptable.
Of course, it would then start when the set temperature was reached whether or not the central heating was on.

Therefore it would be better to link it to the central heating so that it did not.
However, in this case, for safety, it should only be connected to the central heating wiring centre.

These hydronic heaters have a pipe thermostat, and will only operate (in heat mode) when there is a flow of heated water through them. The stat may call for heat for the room, but nothing will happen unless the rads are on, and water is circulating.

I have the middle size of this range in my kitchen, and it is not as good as I thought it was going to be - It will not be replaced when I renew the kitchen later in the year. I am having to replace the floor in there due to a leak, and am considering UFH, as not much wall space for a radiator, and I wouldn't want a hydronic again.

 

[alphazulu]

I did think about an electric one but I like the idea of it coming on and off with the heating in the rest of the house. I know the electric ones have built-in thermostats but I wouldn't want it coming on in the middle of the night when the kitchen cools down but I would want it to come on just before we get up in the morning.

I did some calculation on the electric one and I worked out if we only use it for two hours a day for 100 days a year the hydronic one would have paid for itself in just over a year. I'll be fitting it myself but I wish I had thought to put it in when I removed the radiator!