Wireless thermostat

[martyc]

Hi guys,
Ive a basic vented CH system....i think all but one of my rads have TRV's fitted.(the one in the bathroom hasnt a TRV and it gets real hot even though i have the rad turned right down on the feed side)
Ive ordered a wireless thermostat (digistat RF1) as just leaving the boiler on all day the house gets too hot even on a low setting...and on a low setting it takes longer to heat up in the morning.
What is the normal procedure here?
From reading here I understand the following.
I should ideally put the thermostat in the hall (small enough house...semi d)...Change all rads to TRVS except the hall one.
Turn the boiler to its max setting and let the thermostat do the rest.
That sound Ok?
Also...ive just noticed that the thermostat operates @ 433MHZ...the same as my garage door!!...anyone ever have interference issues...dont ant my garage door opening and all my stuff getting nicked every time the hall temp drops below setpoint!!
Cheers,
Marty.

 

[Diyisfun]

The RF2 is better as you can control the temp at pre set times. I had RF1 to start with

 

[martyc]

Cheers Diyisfun,
I realised that after i bought the thing!!
I see there is an RF3 too...surely i can use a controller in conjunction with the RF1??...or cant i??
If i wire a normal timer prior to the receiver (SCR) then there will only be power available to it @ preset times....so it wont fire up unless the temp is low AND the timer is on.

Actually...anyone recommend a nice and simple/robust 7 day timer (say 2 or times per day)...for a basic boiler(not a combi)

Or should i get an rf2..can get an rf3 for about £70 and i can sell the rf1 for about 40.

Anyway...back to my OP...does my method sound right?
Marty.

 

[bengasman]

Honeywells are the most user friendly, and you put the ROOMstat in the living room, that is why it is not called a hall-stat but a room stat

 

[gas4you]

Is the hall not a room then ?

Surely by your deduction it should be called a lounge stat

 

[bengasman]

Is the hall not a room then ?

Could be argued, but I would not call the hall a room. Regardless of the definition of the status of the hall, I do not remember CheSS recommending the stat in the hall.

 

[gas4you]

I agree, but hall is the traditional place, although I fit where ever my customer wants it or I deem the best room

 

[bengasman]

I fit where ever my customer wants it or I deem the best room

my customers always agree with me. escpecially when i am the one holding 2 feet of 22 mil in my hand

 

[Diyisfun]

If you install an RF stat it can be in your pocket if you want it to be.
Mine is fitted in the hall, but after I had fitted it there, I used to take it in the living room, but the novelty soon went.
Yes & to fit a timer in the circuit as well gives very good contol as it will stop the heating coming on regardless of the rf stat settings.

 

[ChrisR]

Back to marty's question:

I see there is an RF3 too...surely i can use a controller in conjunction with the RF1??...or cant i??
If i wire a normal timer prior to the receiver (SCR) then there will only be power available to it @ preset times....so it wont fire up unless the temp is low AND the timer is on.

Yes that's OK. The only advantage of using a programmable stat is that you can have different temps at different times of the day or night.
If you get one you can just leave your programmer on 24hrs.

Avoid the old style rf3, particularly. The square ones. They're about as nice to deal with as a hippo on heat.

The newer ones (oblong) with a "+" in the name, look to be better.

The website's hard to find - here it is!
http://www.invensyscontrolseurope.com/InvensysControlsEurope/en/ProductsServices/

For ordinary programmers, ones which tell you more are nice. The Drayton Tempus 7 is/was popular, though there are now several others.

 

[D_Hailsham]

Honeywells are the most user friendly, and you put the ROOMstat in the living room, that is why it is not called a hall-stat but a room stat

The latest Honeywells (CM921 and 927) use 868MHz, so they will not open your garage door when you are out.

Where the stat is located needs careful consideration. If you put it in a place which warms up quickly, the stat will turn off before the other rooms have reached the temp set on their TRV; so the TRV will never operate and the room will not get up to temp. It does not matter if the stat location warms up slower than the rest of the house as then the TRVs will be able to operate.

Of course, none of this will happen if the heating system has been properly designed, each area having exactly the right size radiator and the whole lot accurately balanced. But that's wishful thinking for most installations.

 

[martyc]

Sorry for delay replying,
Thanks for all the replies...some good info there, never thought about the different temps at different times, sounds a good idea but really i think i dont need it to be that elaborate.
My system since i got it all up and running there a week or so ago is actually working really well...spent a lot of time balancing it and the whole place heats pretty uniformly.
If the RF1 operates my garage door at least i can go for the honeywell...thanks for that!!
The only room downstairs that i could put the stat in other than the hall is the sitting room...but theres usually a fire lighting there if its cold enough for heating and hence hotter than everywhere else...ill play with it sure but i think the hall is a good place.

Should i convert my one last rad to a TRV?
Cheers,
Marty.

 

[D_Hailsham]

Should i convert my one last rad to a TRV?

You must not have a TRV on the rad in the hall; this needs to be controlled by the stat.

I take it you are asking about a TRV on the rad in the bathroom. Does this rad keep warm in the summer, when the heating is off? If it does, it will be fed after the pump and before the motorized valve(s) and will be acting as a by-pass. Ideally you should have an automatic bypass valve (ABV) when you have most of the rads with TRVs. If you don't have a bypass the pressure in the circuit will increase, as the TRVs close, to more than the pump can handel and the flow rate throught the boiler will reduce below manufacturers spec. This can cause the boiler to overheat. The excess pressure can also make the TRVs noisy.. The advantage of an ABV is that it opens and closes in accordance with the excess pressure.

 

[martyc]

Hi D-halisman,
The one in the hall has a TRV...the one in the loo doesnt.
My heating is not on during the summer(its not a combi boiler)...so im guessing what you are talking about is some sort of heat sink?

So...i can swaop the TRV from the Hall to the loo...and put the stat in the hall, but people here are saying not to put stat in the hall!!...and im sure ive read here and elsewhere TO put the stat in the hall along with a rad with NO TRV...is this right??
Or do i only have a rad with no TRV if im running a combi
Marty.

 

[D_Hailsham]

The one in the hall has a TRV...the one in the loo doesnt.
My heating is not on during the summer(its not a combi boiler)...so im guessing what you are talking about is some sort of heat sink?

So...i can swaop the TRV from the Hall to the loo...and put the stat in the hall, but people here are saying not to put stat in the hall!!...and im sure ive read here and elsewhere TO put the stat in the hall along with a rad with NO TRV...is this right??
Or do i only have a rad with no TRV if im running a combi
Marty.

Forget about combi boilers; it's not relevant to Central Heating, which is what is being discussed here.

In your first post you said that the rad in the bathroom did not have a TRV; now you say that the one in the loo does not.
Are you using bathroom in the polite american sense or are there two rads without TRVs?

The important thing is that the rad where the room stat is does not have a TRV. What you do in the other rooms is up to you.

Heating Engineers will argue for ever over the "best" location for a thermostat. The hall is fine, if you prefer it. Just make sure it is not too near the radiator or the front door. With a wireless type you can experiment with location. If you find that the boiler turns off before the main rooms have got up to temperature, the rad in the hall is giving our too much heat and you should turn it down a bit. This is a matter of trial and error.

You don't say what boiler you have (make & full model no), so it's impossible to tell you what the mfrs specify for bypass. But current Building Regs recommend an ABV if you have a lot of TRVs. If you decide to put a TRV on the bathroom/loo rad, you should have an ABV.