I’m hoping there are one or two people on here that know a little bit about central heating ?
Basically all i’d like to do is to replace my ageing thermostat in the living room. Our old one I don’t think is reading very well as we have to have the thermostat on really high to get any type of heat in the house.
What i’d ideally like is to do a straight replacement for our old one (no extra wiring etc), but one that I can programme so that I can set a different temprature at night than through the day. I’ve had a look on eBay etc for something, but there’s so many on there and to be honest I have no idea what i’m looking for.
Does anyone know whether what I want to do is possible and if so any recommendations for a thermostat.
Honeywell make good stats, or so I’m told. Our new one’s on a new heating system are brilliant. Wireless, so you can stand them where ever you want, 7 day programmer with something like 6 daily time periods which can have different temperatures. I’m impressed with them, and easy to programme, some apparently are tricky! I assume you could use one of these and replace your wall stat with the wireless receiver.
Which make and model of thermostat do you have? Do you know if it carries mains current, or is on a 24 volt circuit from the gas solenoid? Very probably, dirty contacts are the cause. If it is the older mechanical type, retain it! the new electronic thermostats are short lived, plus they are never the same size etc. so leave a mark on the wall. I have cleaned the contacts on my own thermostat a couple of times, it works perfectly and it is only 48 years old! They do not make them like they used to!
Quick test for the existing stat, preferably with the system turned off. If the stat is marked with temperature settings, then turn it off - right down, then turn it slowly on till you hear a click - that’s just above the normal room temperature and the point where the system should be on. Check it against a thermometer. Is the stat near a rad? This could affect the system performance. Best place for a stat is at the centre of the house, and if you have the cash, separate stats on non-critical rad’s.
How old is the system? It may (as mine certainly does) need power flushing, which ain’t cheap, but does clear away all the crap that builds up in pipes and valves especially, thus affecting overall performance. You may also need to check for air bubbles in the system, bleed each rad. to make sure. A quick hand check at the top of each rad will tell you if there are blockage or air problems, they should all be at the same temperature - eventually.
Best place for a stat is at the centre of the house, Now, that depends on what you mean by the centre of the house. Many thermostats are located in the hallway, but nobody lives in the hallway! The best place for a thermostat is the lounge, or room where you ‘live’ or spend most time. Other rooms can be lower and central heating systems can be balanced by the use of thermostatic valves on the radiators. For example, many people, I am one, do not like warm bedrooms, aired yes, cold no, hot no. A matter of personal preference, but, by experiment, keeping each room at the temperature which suits you saves fuel, i.e. money.
