Room Thermostat comes on and off too regulary

[efficiencyman]

What do you think "normal operation" is ??

Please explain then we can have a helpful and meaningful discussion.

I would add that it could be quite a "normal operation" for heating in a poorly insulated house. Heat loss will cause far more "ON" cycles ! Have you done repeated smoke tests and sealed all drafts ?.
Are you running the boiler temp too hot on an over sized system ?.
Stat not installed as per industry standards i.e. location etc.
A high heat loss cure would be money well spent, than over concern with a stat that seems to be doing what it should. Tell us different info perhaps !
PS. I have come across faulty stats or the acceleration device within it, experiment by disconnecting it, it could be over compensating, just let the room temp effect it only (not the accelerator heater).

 

[iceman2010]

I would add that it could be quite a "normal operation" for heating in a poorly insulated house. Heat loss will cause far more "ON" cycles ! Have you done repeated smoke tests and sealed all drafts ?.
Are you running the boiler temp too hot on an over sized system ?.
Stat not installed as per industry standards i.e. location etc.
A high heat loss cure would be money well spent, than over concern with a stat that seems to be doing what it should. Tell us different info perhaps !
PS. I have come across faulty stats or the acceleration device within it, experiment by disconnecting it, it could be over compensating, just let the room temp effect it only (not the accelerator heater).

Yes agree, it looks like it could be normal operation. When its colder outside it cycles more often. house insulation is not great being a semi with solid walls however rooms stay warm for long but the hallway where the stat is located gets cooler quicker having a large single glazed window at the top of the stairs.

i would like the move the stat to possibly the living room.

I did have a look inside the old stat that i removed as both are v similar and couldn't see the heat anticipater. I thought that these could be adjust.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Yes agree, it looks like it could be normal operation. When its colder outside it cycles more often. house insulation is not great being a semi with solid walls however rooms stay warm for long but the hallway where the stat is located gets cooler quicker having a large single glazed window at the top of the stairs.

i would like the move the stat to possibly the living room.

I did have a look inside the old stat that i removed as both are v similar and couldn't see the heat anticipater. I thought that these could be adjust.

The anticipator is a heater that keeps the bi-metal strip warm thus making it more sensitive to temperature changes and - sadly like a lot of wives cannot be adjusted.

As for puting the thermostat in the living room, I have always thought this is the best place for it anyway and that's where I've always fitted them.

What's the point in accurately controlling the heat in the halway where you're not going to be sitting in??

It's an old fashioned idea that was used by Noah in the ark and should have stayed there.

 

[Besoeker]

get a cheap bog standard stat and see it that cures the problem. if so, then it's a faulty stat.

If the temperature is being maintained at set point, as indicated by the adjacent thermometer, what problem is there to cure?

 

[andyelectric]

The anticipator is a heater that keeps the bi-metal strip warm thus making it more sensitive to temperature changes and - sadly like a lot of wives cannot be adjusted.

As for puting the thermostat in the living room, I have always thought this is the best place for it anyway and that's where I've always fitted them.

What's the point in accurately controlling the heat in the halway where you're not going to be sitting in??

It's an old fashioned idea that was used by Noah in the ark and should have stayed there.

I agree completely. Unless there is a great need for the whole house to be 'toasty', the living room is the best place for the stat. And with wireless stats theres no excuse not to move it there if thats what you want.

 

[iceman2010]

I agree completely. Unless there is a great need for the whole house to be 'toasty', the living room is the best place for the stat. And with wireless stats theres no excuse not to move it there if thats what you want.

Ok, so what options are there for a good wireless stat. I already have a programmer honeywell st699 so i think all i need is a basic wireless stat. Reliability is priority though closely followed by price.

Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[efficiencyman]

Ok, so what options are there for a good wireless stat. I already have a programmer honeywell st699 so i think all i need is a basic wireless stat. Reliability is priority though closely followed by price.

Any recommendations greatly appreciated.
thanks

That is simple to answer "there are`nt any"
they all need batteries replacing,
none of them are as reliable as a simple room stat,
they all cost much more & can be problematic with RF dropping out.
PS what area of London are you in ?

 

[iceman2010]

That is simple to answer "there are`nt any"
they all need batteries replacing,
none of them are as reliable as a simple room stat,
they all cost much more & can be problematic with RF dropping out.
PS what area of London are you in ?

barnet

 

[Geordie Spark]

Ok, so what options are there for a good wireless stat. I already have a programmer honeywell st699 so i think all i need is a basic wireless stat. Reliability is priority though closely followed by price.

Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

thanks

Sorry I can't advise on wireless stats as I have never fitted one and never will.


By its very nature it's battery powered and that's just something else you have to remember to replace.

Life is complicated enough as it is without having to remember to change batteries every five minutes so it's hard wired stats every time for me.

 

[andyelectric]

For my combi (so only controlling heating) I bought a cheap £30 Salus unit. Individual day or 5/2 programming with 5 settings per day. I've no problems over the last year and batteries are still going strong. The living room is near the boiler so I can't really comment on whether rf would drop out over distance, but anecdotally it has worked well for me.

 

[telectrix]

Sorry I can't advise on wireless stats as I have never fitted one and never will.


By its very nature it's battery powered and that's just something else you have to remember to replace.

Life is complicated enough as it is without having to remember to change batteries every five minutes so it's hard wired stats every time for me.

bloody dinosaur.

 

[Leesparkykent]

Honeywell DT92E or Honeywell Y6630D. Go in to plumb centre and have a look at their own brand range as normally made by Honeywell but are half the price, same thermostat with a different label.

 

[ruston]

bloody dinosaur.

Lol , Bit me on the bum tho, Car battery went flat passenger side close to the garage wall. you have to take an awkward cover off the door handle to get to the hidden key hole, there isn't one on the drivers side or any other door.

This would also be the case if the key fobe went flat.

 

[ImpededLoop]

i use to think it was a cold hallway but since putting a wall thermometer the temperature doesnt drop within an hour, not sure if the wall thermometer is accurate enough. There are no draughts from the front door. The stat is fixed above the "under the stairs" cupboard which has a draught, however for the timebeing i have taped up the door so no draught comes through. the stat is also located approx 1m from a 70x70 rad with no trv. There is also smaller rad next to the front door which is about 3m away.

If the cycling is definately caused by the room thermostat, it's because the hallway is heating up too quickly and isn't reaching an equilibrium with heat gain vs heat loss. Have you tried isolating the radiator nearest to the room thermostat as you say there are two radiators in the hallway? Alternatively, turn the thermostat up to it's highest setting and see if the boiler still cycles as frequently. If it does, it's not the room thermostat causing the cycling.

The other reason could be that the boiler is shutting down on over temperature. If all of the other radiators in the house have thermostatic radiator valves (TRV's), it may be that there is insufficient heat loss from the one non TRV radiator for the boiler return to be cool enough, so the boiler switches itself off until the water cools down through heat loss. If this is the case, reduce the boiler flow temperature.

 

[iceman2010]

If the cycling is definately caused by the room thermostat, it's because the hallway is heating up too quickly and isn't reaching an equilibrium with heat gain vs heat loss. Have you tried isolating the radiator nearest to the room thermostat as you say there are two radiators in the hallway? Alternatively, turn the thermostat up to it's highest setting and see if the boiler still cycles as frequently. If it does, it's not the room thermostat causing the cycling.

The other reason could be that the boiler is shutting down on over temperature. If all of the other radiators in the house have thermostatic radiator valves (TRV's), it may be that there is insufficient heat loss from the one non TRV radiator for the boiler return to be cool enough, so the boiler switches itself off until the water cools down through heat loss. If this is the case, reduce the boiler flow temperature.

With the main rad in the hallway switched off the hallway will never reach tempature as the other one is way to small, on external wall and below a single glazed window. I did try putting the trv back on the main hall rad and it didnt make much difference.

there are 3 rads that dont have trv on them (2 hallway and 1 large in the downstairs backroom) so should have cool water coming back. I havent noticed the boiler switching off while heat is still being demanded, other than when the HW is doing its heating