How Can I Heat My Flat?

[Scarlett]

Please can I have the advice from someone who understands gas central heating! I have a very old draughty, large flat, and tend to stay in one room. The thermostat is in the hallway, and usually reads 15.5-16 this time of year. I have all the other radiators switched off, other than the one in my room. This means that if I set the thermostat to 17, the boiler seems to be chugging away constantly, trying to get the flat up to 17, but can't because all the radiators are off.
This is obviously costing me more money, to run the boiler.

Would it be more cost-effective to turn the radiators on, and try to get the whole flat up to 17, so the boiler can have a rest?

What's everyone else doing?

[ToraToraTora]

Might be worth turning off altogether and getting an electric fire in the room you need it.

[donny48]

Move your thermostat to the room you use, it's a simple job for any handy man.

[youngmafbog]

//Move your thermostat to the room you use, it's a simple job for any handy man.//

Not if it is wired into the wall which in a flat it most likely will be.

The problem you are having is that the boiler is trying to raise the temp up to 17 in the hall.  Assuming you have shut the doors it should get up there reasonably quickly if you turn on the hall rad.  Turn the thermostat to just above the temp of the hall and let it just get to that, your room with the rad should heat up to the temp you want(so long as the door is shut).

It is a bit of a bodge though.  Just out of interest do you have TRV's on each rad?

[bhg481]

As donny says, the simplest thing is to get the thermostat moved into the living room. Whilst it's a simple job in theory the layout of the flat might make it a fiddle job wth either exposed wiring or re-decorating required.

If the living room is connected directly to the hall the quickest thing to do is to leave the door open and set the thermostat to the temperature you want to living room to be at. With all other doors closed and all other radiators turned off you will be heating the hall and living room to the same temperature but nowhere else. Not the most economical solution but certainly the quickest with least disruption.

[donny48]

You could also do as I have done and install a wi-fi system with a portable controller so you may heat whatever room you are in.

More expensive than moving existing thermostat. I have the advantage of being able to self install.

[donny48]

Even in a flat it would depend on on position, if the stat is on a common wall it would be simple.

 

[The Builder]

You can do away with the wall-stat completely if you want.

BUT ONLY  if you have TRVs on your rads (thermostatic radiator valves.) They're the things with numbers on them (1 to 5). If you don't have TRVs then the boiler will never know when the required temperature has been reached.

OR.. if no TRVs then change the wall-stat for a wireless one. It will come with a control unit that you can carry to any room. Putting in your 'main' room means that it will sense whatever temp. you've set it to, and stop the boiler when it gets to that temp.

 

[The Builder]

Sorry to duplicate what the others have said. They all sneaked in while I was typing. 😋

[ToraToraTora]

something like this may help though not sure if this is the exact thing but the stat you have now can be replaced by one unit and the sensor goes in the living room...I think but the write up is non existant. May be worth goint to your local plumbing shop.

https://tinyurl.com/mrxuuef5

 

[ToraToraTora]

^^^^ might be what builder was talking about.

[The Builder]

That's the sort of thing I was talking about 3T .

A boiler-man would have to check that it's compatible with the boiler and wall-stat wiring. Probably is, but anyway, there'll be one somewhere that is.

[bhg481]

It's a long time since I made changes to my CH system, so I've got out of touch with what's available. That wireless thermostat seems a perfect way of changing the location of the current thermostat with minimal disruption.

[Scarlett]

Thank you everyone. The radiators do have TRVs but I have to say, they seem to be the same temperature weather on 1 or 5. I don't think I can move the thermostat, and it's probably not worth bothering my landlord, as I try and keep a low profile. I've turned the radiator on in the hallway, and it is now the same temperature as the thermostat, but the boiler is still running! I kind of hoped it would stop once it reached the temperature, like a fridge does?

[The Builder]

That's a common misconception Scarlett. Boilers don't work on a strictly 'on-off' basis the way fridges or even electric fires do.

Boilers send out hot water to the whole house just in case a rad somewhere is 'calling.' The water comes back to the boiler on the 'return' pipe. The boiler senses the temperature of the returned water and switches itself off only when the temp. in the 'return' has gone down. That's why there is inevitable 'boiler overrun.'

There's more to it, but I won't bore you with all that.  😊

[Atheist]

Scarlett. The TRV will respond to room temperature and will allow the radiator to get hot and stay hot until the room is warm enough. It will then close off the hot water supply to the rad and the rad will gradually cool down.

[Scarlett]

Thanks, builder! 
Atheist, I switched my main room, radiator to the Asterix sign – does that mean frost? Either way, it was on all night and cost me loads! 

[Atheist]

Scarlett; the asterisk does mean frost protection, i.e. the valve will open to let heat into the rad if the room temp drops very low. Is there a programmer on the wall or on your boiler? By that I mean a way of allowing the heating to come on only at certain times.

[The Builder]

Assuming all the other rads are off, and you just have this one rad on 'frost setting', then I agree with Atheist. It's a timer control issue.  I don't know where you are Scarlett, but where I am, it would have to be absolutely 'Baltic' for a 'frost setting' to be needed. 

I would say... set the boiler timer to go off overnight with TRV setting on '3'. Then, when the timer fires things up in the morning, you should have some background heat. Then you can adjust the TRV to whatever you like for the rest of the day.

[Scarlett]

Unfortunately, I know nothing about my boiler.

 

Unfortunately, I know nothing about my boiler.It's hidden away in a cupboard that I can't reach. I will try and get some help. Next time someone comes over. The thermostat has a timer on it, but I've never been able to work it out!

[Atheist]

We don't have a timer. We simply turn the room thermostat well down to maybe 10 degrees at night and then turn it up in the morning. At least you can stop the heating from running all night. Of course, you need to be warmly tucked up in bed overnight. If you do get cold at night you could try leaving the thermostat on a bit higher overnight.