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Frank Watson
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank
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BigWallop
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times


"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank


Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job. The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and leave
out the micro-switch connections.


  #3   Report Post  
Mike Faithfull
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank


Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job. The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and

leave
out the micro-switch connections.


I can see how such an arrangement could turn the rad OFF when everything
else was working, but .... What about the boiler controls? And are you
expecting this one radiator to have its own individual circuit complete with
pump from the boiler? Doesn't sound very practical ...


  #4   Report Post  
BigWallop
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times


"Mike Faithfull" wrote in message
...
"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank


Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job.

The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be

connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and

leave
out the micro-switch connections.


I can see how such an arrangement could turn the rad OFF when everything
else was working, but .... What about the boiler controls? And are you
expecting this one radiator to have its own individual circuit complete

with
pump from the boiler? Doesn't sound very practical ...



Then you've answered the original question perfectly. :-)


  #5   Report Post  
Frank Watson
 
Posts: n/a
Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:11:13 +0100, "Mike Faithfull"
wrote:

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank

Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job. The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and

leave
out the micro-switch connections.


I can see how such an arrangement could turn the rad OFF when everything
else was working,


Why not? You can turn a radiator off manually, so it must be equally
feasable to turn it off osing a motorised valve, no?

but .... What about the boiler controls? And are you
expecting this one radiator to have its own individual circuit complete with
pump from the boiler? Doesn't sound very practical ...


Why would a raditor need it's own individual cirquit before it can be
turned on and off?

Frank


  #6   Report Post  
Niel A. Farrow
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

In article ,
Frank Watson wrote:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:11:13 +0100, "Mike Faithfull"
wrote:

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank

Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job. The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and
leave
out the micro-switch connections.

I can see how such an arrangement could turn the rad OFF when everything
else was working,


Why not? You can turn a radiator off manually, so it must be equally
feasable to turn it off osing a motorised valve, no?

but .... What about the boiler controls? And are you
expecting this one radiator to have its own individual circuit complete with
pump from the boiler? Doesn't sound very practical ...


Why would a raditor need it's own individual cirquit before it can be
turned on and off?


Many bathroom towl/rads come with elcctric heaters (as well as being
centrally heated). Perhaps you could retro fit your rad with one of these
and have and have a timer included.
Neil

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Roger Mills
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times


"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 09:11:13 +0100, "Mike Faithfull"
wrote:

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank

Hi Frank,

A motorised valve run from a separate timer switch would do the job.

The
valve would be fitted to the pipe supplying that one rad' and be

connected
to a nearby power supply. You'd only need to use the motor supply and
leave
out the micro-switch connections.

I can see how such an arrangement could turn the rad OFF when everything
else was working,


Why not? You can turn a radiator off manually, so it must be equally
feasable to turn it off osing a motorised valve, no?

but .... What about the boiler controls? And are you
expecting this one radiator to have its own individual circuit complete

with
pump from the boiler? Doesn't sound very practical ...


Why would a raditor need it's own individual cirquit before it can be
turned on and off?

Frank


It all comes down to *exactly* what you want to achieve. In your original
post you said that you wanted to make one radiator come ON and OFF at set
times. This implied that there may be times when you want ONLY this radiator
on without any others being on. In such a case, you clearly need to make the
boiler and pump come on at the same time!

If what you *actually* want to do is just to turn this radiator OFF when all
the others are on, and NEVER to run it on its own, you can achieve this with
a motorised valve controlled by a timer.

However, before doing this, make sure that there are no circumstances where
this radiator is the only path between the boiler flow and return. Depending
on system design, you may need to install a separate by-pass circuit.

Roger


  #8   Report Post  
Frank Watson
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 22:43:32 +0100, "Roger Mills"
wrote:

It all comes down to *exactly* what you want to achieve. In your original
post you said that you wanted to make one radiator come ON and OFF at set
times. This implied that there may be times when you want ONLY this radiator
on without any others being on.


No, I cannot envisage such a situation - except if all the TRVs in the
system had shut off their respective rads - which is possible, but
unlikely to be a problem since they are not likely to remain off for
long - unless the outside temperatuire had warmed up enough to prevent
the main thermostat from switching the boiler on.

However, before doing this, make sure that there are no circumstances where
this radiator is the only path between the boiler flow and return. Depending
on system design, you may need to install a separate by-pass circuit.


I installed the system myself, several years ago. It's a combi-boiler
system. AI am fairly sure there is no need to have any rad permanently
on, serving to keep the cirquit flowing in case all others are turned
off, since I seem to remember the boiler has its own built-in
pressure-operated by-pass, bypassing the whole rad cirquit in that
eventuality.

Thanks also to the other respondees.

Frank

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dave @ stejonda
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

In message , Frank Watson
writes
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

what's wrong with just turning said radiator on/off by hand when you
need it? or is your bathroom so large that it takes a long time to warm
up? - if so getting a wall-mounted electric fan heater would be simpler

the bathroom radiator is often used as a by-pass circuit ( I think
that's the right term but if not someone will correct me) for the boiler
- if it is on your system then AIUI you shouldn't set a valve to block
it off at all.

--
dave @ stejonda
  #10   Report Post  
Frank Watson
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 14:14:22 +0100, "dave @ stejonda"
wrote:


what's wrong with just turning said radiator on/off by hand when you
need it? or is your bathroom so large that it takes a long time to warm
up? - if so getting a wall-mounted electric fan heater would be simpler


It's only a small bathroom - actually a shower-room. From experience,
I know that turning the rad on by hand when I enter the room to take a
shower, the room will not be comfortably warm by the time one has
finished one's shower. Fitting a larger-than-necessary radiator would
speed up the warming of the room. If all else fails, I might have to
resort to that idea. I'm not keen on the idea of an electric fan
heater ( I sense danger, breached safety regulations, and high running
cost) but thanks for the suggestion.

the bathroom radiator is often used as a by-pass circuit ( I think
that's the right term but if not someone will correct me) for the boiler
- if it is on your system then AIUI you shouldn't set a valve to block
it off at all.


Good comment - but my boiler does have a built-in pressure-operated
by-pass.

Frank


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Frank Watson
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times

On 28 Aug 2003 08:00:05 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
(Frank Watson) writes:
On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 14:14:22 +0100, "dave @ stejonda"
wrote:


what's wrong with just turning said radiator on/off by hand when you
need it? or is your bathroom so large that it takes a long time to warm
up? - if so getting a wall-mounted electric fan heater would be simpler

It's only a small bathroom - actually a shower-room. From experience,
I know that turning the rad on by hand when I enter the room to take a
shower, the room will not be comfortably warm by the time one has
finished one's shower. Fitting a larger-than-necessary radiator would
speed up the warming of the room. If all else fails, I might have to
resort to that idea. I'm not keen on the idea of an electric fan
heater ( I sense danger, breached safety regulations, and high running
cost) but thanks for the suggestion.


I really like having a fan-heater in the bathroom, and several people
who have visited me have liked it so much they've gone home and fitted
their own too. A properly fitted bathroom fan heater is not going to
be dangerous, and you only need it on whilst you are in the room (and
possibly only once you come out of the shower), so running cost is
going to be tiny. Mine is high up on the wall above a mirror, so you
can stand under it, effectively using it as a hairdrier, and a whole
body drier too.


I hear what you are saying, and thankx for the suggestion. However,
I'm keen to utilise the radiator as the heat source - not the least
because it is directly under the towel rail... (Nothing like a nice
hot, dry towel when you step out of the shower - one of life's special
pleasures, ranking in second place to the shower itself, and each,
better than sex IMO)

Frank
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Roger Mills
 
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Default How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times


"Frank Watson" wrote in message
...
How to make one CH radiator come on and off at set times?
Ideally, I guess I'd like a TRV with a built-in timer - but I guess
that might be unlikely..

So what is the cheapest, simplest way to do it? It's for a bathroom
rad, which I only need on for a couple of hours in the morning.

Thank you

Frank


To achieve this in a perfectly general way you would need to divide your
system into zones - with each zone being controlled by a motorised valve,
and with each valve being controlled by a programmable thermostat for the
zone. The *valve open* contacts from all zone valves would need to be
connected in parallel and would need to switch the boiler and pump on
whenever one or more zones required heat. Within this scheme, your bathroom
radiator would need to have a zone all to itself.

Alternatively, if you want to achieve something more specific, there may be
other solutions. For example, I like my bathroom and en-suite radiators to
get hot for a short period each day - even in the summer - to warm the
towels. I have arranged my system so that these two radiators can be made to
get hot whenever the hot water is being heated (but can revert to being
*normal* radiators in the winter). If this is what you want, come back and I
will make some suggestions about how to achieve it.

Roger


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