Thermostats: Heating working too well.

[rkinsella]

Hi all,

Had a plumber in a few weeks ago and among other things he replaced the water pump of the oil heating boiler. Heating is now vastly improved, the house is only two years old but has never been this warm!

I have a brand new baby daughter and regulating the temperature of the house is becoming a problem, i.e. keeping it at ideal baby conditions, its getting too hot! There are no internal thermostats on the heating system at the moment, just an on/off timer and upstairs/downstairs isolator valve. Will it be a big job to fit thermostats and who should do it; a plumber, electrictian or other?

Thanks

Ray Kinsella

 

[D_Hailsham]

Will it be a big job to fit thermostats and who should do it; a plumber, electrician or other?

It sounds like a job for a heating engineer. Depending on your boiler, you will need a programmable thermostat and motorized valve for the downstairs circuit; and possibly another timer for your hot water.

I assume the upstairs/downstairs isolator valve is manually operated. This need to be replaced by a motorized valve controlled by a second stat or programmable stat.

While all this work is being done, which will require the system to be drained, it might be a good idea to have thermostatic radiator valves installed. You will then be able to set the baby's bedroom to the appropriate temperature without affecting the rest of the house.

PS

If the house is only two years old, how did it meet Building Regulations for the heating system?

 

[rkinsella]

If the house is only two years old, how did it meet Building Regulations for the heating system?

I have no idea, I had presumed at the time the engineer I was paying to monitor the build was looking after these kinds of things ...

Thanks for the advice, the values that are in situe are motorised.

 

[D_Hailsham]

I have no idea, I had presumed at the time the engineer I was paying to monitor the build was looking after these kinds of things ...

Then the Benchmark Book (usually in the back of the boiler's installation manual) should have been filled in; and you should have received a certificate from Corgi or the local council's Building Control Dept to show that the installation met Building Regs.

the valves that are in situ are motorised.

That's a relief! One less thing to buy.

 

[JohnD]

Ireland. (not Corgi)

 

[D_Hailsham]

Ireland. (not Corgi)

Woops! Hadn't noticed that.

OK, whoever is the responsible body for approving heating installations in Ireland.

 

[rkinsella]

Either the county council or the department of environment, I am not sure, I will need to check it out. Its weird because my parents house was changed over to gas 20 years ago and they have a thermostat control ...

Building regs got sloppy during the boom, that why I hird the engineer. I am disappointed to find Engineers got sloppy during the boom also.

 

[JohnD]

Are you sure that the radiator valves are not thermostatic ones?

 

[D_Hailsham]

Either the county council or the department of environment,

Sounds as if you are north of the border!

 

[Agile]

If you are in NI then CORGI still administer gas safety and I presume the local council is responsible for building regulations compliance.

At least thats what we think they do. The reality is that they are not interested in the owner's property meeting the regulations but merely that the regulations are being complied with.

They have no liability to the homeowner if they fail to spot anything or even dont bother to go to look at the building.

Tony

 

[rkinsella]

Hi all, thanks for your help.

I am not living north of the border, although I did live in Belfast for nine years. I am from Dublin and I live in Limerick now (of Munster Rugby fame). The Republic has a County and City councils same as the UK, and a Dept of Environment for monitoring these councils, looking after planning, housing etc. Regs got very sloppy during the boom as I said, but the greens are in are in govt now, so eco friendliness (and accompaning grants) in home building is higher on the agenda. Although this is kindof like closing the gate after the horse has bolted, as there is very little home building going on at the minute .

Back to my problem: I spoke to the plumber (the one who fixed my heating) and he said that there is no thermostat in the house and my valves are not thermostatic. He is doing me a quote to put in thermostatic valves.

Here is the question?. Given I can isolate upstairs/downstairs using the motorised valves I have. Am I better just getting an electrican to put in a thermostat upstaisr and downstairs, or should I got the whole hog on thermostatic control valves on all the radiators?

 

[JohnD]

you need room thermostats as a minimum. Usually a heating engineer does this, but some electricians can do it. It seems very strange to me that zone valves were put in but no room stats to control them.

You can add TRVs if you want as well (but not "instead" of a room stat) but the cost of this is quite high as there is a lot of labour in retro-fitting them after installation. You could reasonably leave TRVs for now (spend time Balancing the rads carefully instead) and do them later if you want. It is also a reasonable summertime DIY plumbing job as it takes time but is not very complicated, once you have done one it will get quicker and easier.

I would not want to drain the system and do all the rad valves at this time of year as the heating will be out of commission until you have finished.

 

[Mike2007]

Hi all,

Had a plumber in a few weeks ago and among other things he replaced the water pump of the oil heating boiler
Ray Kinsella

Where does CORGI ever come into it, thats OIL heating boiler??
OFTEC