Is my CH thermostat purely for decoration?

[GrumpyOldLady]

Hi - newbie here, and a very grumpy old lady atm. Being a middle-aged woman living in social housing, I am treated by a lot of tradespeople as if I have lost the few brain cells I ever had, but I'm beginning to think I'm losing touch with reality.

I got my Housing Association to come and look at my CH thermostat. Years ago an engineer just fiddled with it, and now - if it clicks on at 10C the radiators are blazing away like it's polar out there! The rads do have individual controls, but these are not temp sensitive, and I really don't think I should have to spend my "declining" years rushing round the house continually turning them up or down.

However - the guy who came today told me that the temp on the thermostat basically bears no relationship to the ambient temperature - he didn't use the term ambient, but that's what he meant. He basically said that you just set it to a comfortable temperature. Err... so what if, unknown to me, I was suffering from some rare disease that meant I felt freezing at 20C - in that case "comfortable" would be around 30C and i would go bankrupt paying the gas bill.

He told me to get a thermometer - I've tried, they seem rarer than hens' teeth - but - can someone who knows what they're talking about explain - why have a thermostat if it's lying to me? And if it isn't temperature sensitive, why does the heating come on (if the timer is set to on) when I turn it up and off when I turn it down? Am I mad, or what?

Thanks for any advice that might make me a less grumpy old lady - alas, nothing will make me a young one!

Tereza

 

[cherryred]

It would be good if you had a thermometer then you could measure the temperature directly at the thermostat. If that was possible you could turn the thermostat till it clicks which should be near enough the measured temperature. That would prove its calibration.
It sounds as though the thermostat is working ok since it is capable of bringing the heating on and off but if it is located where a there is a cold draught? Then that's the temp it feels.

 

[cherryred]

Just thought you could confirm a couple of points
It is a room thermostat we are talking about?
Where is the thermostat located?
What are the radiator locations?

 

[GrumpyOldLady]

Just thought you could confirm a couple of points
It is a room thermostat we are talking about? Umm - it's the thermostat that controls the temp at which the CH comes on or off - provided the CH is set to "On" at the main controls.

Where is the thermostat located? Good point - in the hall, next to a glass door that shoves out cold air like anything. Nevertheless, it has changed since the last engineer (not the one today) "fiddled" with it. I mean,it might click on at 10C but I have NO confidence that that is the ambient temperature at that location!

What are the radiator locations?[/quote] One in every room, upstairs and downstairs. All have individual controls except the bathroom one.

Hope this is the info you need. Thanks

Tereza

 

[Space cat]

No, you aren't mad. From what you describe, the thermostat does work in as much as it controls the heating to maintain a (more or less) constant temperature. It just doesn't tell the truth about what that temperature is.

-- you just set it to a comfortable temperature --

Yes, that would work. If you feel cold all the time, turn it up a little bit. So, if it says 10°C, try it on 12°C. Likewise, if you think it's too hot, turn it down a bit. Of course that's not ideal and you really need a new thermostat. Meanwhile, something like this might help:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nursery-The...f=sr_1_1?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1323446380&sr=1-1

They're not particularly accurate but they'll give you a good idea. Stick one on the wall by the thermostat. If nothing else, it will demonstrate to the next 'guy who comes' that the thing is faulty.

 

[GrumpyOldLady]

Thanks, Space Cat - glad you don't think I'm the mad one! The guy who came today said that current thermostats don't even HAVE any figures on them

If, as you say, I need a new thermostat - as I said in my original post, my property is rented, so that should be down to the landlord - whose employee insists mine is fine!!!!

I'll have a look at that link - thanks again.

Tereza

 

[cherryred]

Just as I thought the thermostat is in a draught at the door.
Clearly its sited in the wrong location.
It would be much better in the room where you are sitting. That's where it would work properly. I doubt if there is anything actually wrong with the thermostat only its location.
If your landlord is not prepared to move it you could as space cat suggested set it down a bit, also if you could try to seal the draught that comes in the door that would also help.