Problems with radiator valves

ronn

I've TRV valves fitted on my rads, if I turn them to 3 the house gets too hot, so I tried adjusting them to 2, but the rads just switch off if I turn them back to 3 they heat back up,
Even if I set them to 2 before I turn on the heat the rads won't heat up,
Any suggestions what's wrong.
Also my gas boiler can be set between 40 and 80, what's this mean is that what the rads will heat up too,??
Thanks

ronn

Anyone have any ideas

Wearb

The pin under the TRV head might be sticking. Take off the head and see if the valve pin is sticking when you push on it and springing back when released.

ronn

I've tried that, well I'd turn the valves to 0 then back to 5, the back to 2 on some rads and 3 on the others, the rads on 3 will heat up but the rads on 2 won't and some are on different zones,

Would it have anything to do with the thermostat's on the walls, I've both of them set to 22.

Or do I have the boiler too high, I currently have it set to 50.
Thanks for the help

Dtp1979

ronn wrote: »

I've tried that, well I'd turn the valves to 0 then back to 5, the back to 2 on some rads and 3 on the others, the rads on 3 will heat up but the rads on 2 won't and some are on different zones,

Would it have anything to do with the thermostat's on the walls, I've both of them set to 22.

Or do I have the boiler too high, I currently have it set to 50.
Thanks for the help

If the rad is set to 2 and doesn't come on then the room is warm enough according to the setpoint of the valve. It's that simple. Try 2.5 if you feel the room isn't warm enough

Wearb

ronn wrote: »

I've tried that, well I'd turn the valves to 0 then back to 5, the back to 2 on some rads and 3 on the others, the rads on 3 will heat up but the rads on 2 won't and some are on different zones,

Would it have anything to do with the thermostat's on the walls, I've both of them set to 22.

Or do I have the boiler too high, I currently have it set to 50.
Thanks for the help

How can you say you've tried that and then go on to describe doing something different?

ronn

Dtp1979 wrote: »

If the rad is set to 2 and doesn't come on then the room is warm enough according to the setpoint of the valve. It's that simple. Try 2.5 if you feel the room isn't warm enough

Now I set 6 rads on 2 and only 1 heated up, so I moved it to 2.5 and 2 rads heated up and now I've them all on 3 and there all heating up,

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

How can you say you've tried that and then go on to describe doing something different?

Would turning the valve knob from 0 to 5 not be the same as unscrewing the valve and pushing the pin??

Wearb

ronn wrote: »

Would turning the valve knob from 0 to 5 not be the same as unscrewing the valve and pushing the pin??

No, not if it's sticking. You need a smooth compression and a smooth spring back.

One more thing, a setting of 2 on one radiator might give the same results as 3 on another. Because of convection currents, curtains, etc.

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

No, not if it's sticking. You need a smooth compression and a smooth spring back.

One more thing, a setting of 2 on one radiator might give the same results as 3 on another. Because of convection currents, curtains, etc.

Ok I'll give that a try and see how it goes,
Thanks for the help

ronn

So I took the valves off 6 rads and pushed the pins in, but only 1 rad heated up out of the 6.???
When I turned it to 3 they heated up no probs,

Any suggestions be appreciated

Wearb

ronn wrote: »

So I took the valves off 6 rads and pushed the pins in, but only 1 rad heated up out of the 6.???
When I turned it to 3 they heated up no probs,

Any suggestions be appreciated

Well if you keep ignoring parts of my advice you are never going to find the problem.
Once again, did you get smooth compression and smooth spring back when you pressed and released the pin?

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

Well if you keep ignoring parts of my advice you are never going to find the problem.
Once again, did you get smooth compression and smooth spring back when you pressed and released the pin?

Smooth as a baby's bottom,

Wearb

Good. Now that is ruled out as being a problem.

With them all heating at 3, it seems that it's just a matter of patient adjustment.

Do you have room stats in the same room as any TRV's? They can disrupt each other. If you have, explain what the room stats are controlling. Also remove head or turn to fully on, any TRVs in same room as room stat.

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

Good. Now that is ruled out as being a problem.

With them all heating at 3, it seems that it's just a matter of patient adjustment.

Do you have room stats in the same room as any TRV's? They can disrupt each other. If you have, explain what the room stats are controlling. Also remove head or turn to fully on, any TRVs in same room as room stat.

On zone 1 there's a stat in the hallway with one small rad 2meters away from it, and anytime I try what you say the rads are cold( I'm guessing the stat wouldn't effect the trvs if there coming on from cold??)

I'll try remove the head and turn it to full,
Thanks again

Wearb

ronn wrote: »

On zone 1 there's a stat in the hallway with one small rad 2meters away from it, and anytime I try what you say the rads are cold( I'm guessing the stat wouldn't effect the trvs if there coming on from cold??)

I'll try remove the head and turn it to full,
Thanks again

What is the point of turning it to full when removed?

If coming on from cold and the TRV's are at a setting that satisfies the temperature of that setting, then they wont come on, even if the room stat is calling for heat.

Setting up TRV's can be time consuming. It often means small adjustments one day at a time. Then you could have them setup correctly, but leave a door open (or closed if it had been open when setting it up) and the setting that was comfortable could become too cold or too hot.

They usually work well. It takes time and sometimes minute adjustments. Don't expect the settings in one room to give the same results on a TRV in another room. Don't have them competing with a room stat.

Lastly, remember that if something isn't calling for heat, the rads will not heat, no matter what the TRV is set at.

agusta

ronn wrote: »

So I took the valves off 6 rads and pushed the pins in, but only 1 rad heated up out of the 6.???
When I turned it to 3 they heated up no probs,

Any suggestions be appreciated

Thermostatic radiator valves simply sense the air temperature around then,They work by regulating the flow of water through the radiator which they are fitted to.you can set each trv to a temperature best suited to each room.
So if you have a device for measuring the air temperature near the trv you will know exactly whats happening with the different setting on the trv,s

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

What is the point of turning it to full when removed?

If coming on from cold and the TRV's are at a setting that satisfies the temperature of that setting, then they wont come on, even if the room stat is calling for heat.

Setting up TRV's can be time consuming. It often means small adjustments one day at a time. Then you could have them setup correctly, but leave a door open (or closed if it had been open when setting it up) and the setting that was comfortable could become too cold or too hot.
They usually work well. It takes time and sometimes minute adjustments. Don't expect the settings in one room to give the same results on a TRV in another room. Don't have them competing with a room stat.

Lastly, remember that if something isn't calling for heat, the rads will not heat, no matter what the TRV is set at.

So how do I adjust the trvs to come on when there set at 2,

Wearb

You don't need to take off the head to adjust it.

As for having them come on when set at 2, that will depend on the room temperature. If the room is cold enough it will come on at 2. Why do you need them to come on at 2?

I am starting to feel my leg being pulled here.

Flippyfloppy

I've just started following this thread because we have one room with a thermostatic rad. Ours doesn't come on until 3 / 15C either, but the problem is that when it comes on its absolutely boiling, and suddenly the room is around 25C for the duration of the heating being switched on. A plumber looked at it and said its fine but I'm thinking of switching to a normal radiator!

ronn

Wearb wrote: »

You don't need to take off the head to adjust it.

As for having them come on when set at 2, that will depend on the room temperature. If the room is cold enough it will come on at 2. Why do you need them to come on at 2?

I am starting to feel my leg being pulled here.

When the rads are set two 3 the house becomes uncomfortably hot. So far to regulate the heat I'm turning it off and back on again, so I'm reckoning if I've the valves set to 2 it won't be as hot,??

Flippyfloppy

ronn wrote: »

When the rads are set two 3 the house becomes uncomfortably hot. So far to regulate the heat I'm turning it off and back on again, so I'm reckoning if I've the valves set to 2 it won't be as hot,??

Because the heating would only come on when the temperature is lower than it would at 3.

John T Carroll

Flippyfloppy wrote: »

I've just started following this thread because we have one room with a thermostatic rad. Ours doesn't come on until 3 / 15C either, but the problem is that when it comes on its absolutely boiling, and suddenly the room is around 25C for the duration of the heating being switched on. A plumber looked at it and said its fine but I'm thinking of switching to a normal radiator!

TRV's ideally should be fitted horizontally on the return of the radiator(s) as it gives more representative measurement of the room temperature. I know horizontal fitting doesn't look great and can be used as an unwelcome "stepping stone" by children, I have only fitted a number of mine in this manner where they are not too conspicuous, they work quite well in the vertical plane as well (on the return). I have a number of them fitted on the radiator(s) inlet side but I do have all these mounted horizontally. I use a mixture of relatively cheap Myson, Instantor and Sanbra Fyffe?. I have two radiators in a combined dining room/sitting room (double room) which don't have TRV,s but the Boiler Firing request is then controlled by the room thermostat, as the room thermostat is rarely satisfied then the boiler normally fires continuously for its programmed time so constant hot water is available at the TRV,s which no doubt helps a lot. They all work quite well, I have the settings between 2 and 2.5 on most, when the room is cold they open up fully, judging by the roasting hot rad temperature but then, as the room heats they cut back and depending on the rad size etc will cut back until the rad(s) are just hot/warm. They will never give spot on temperature control but work quit well for me, at any rate. As far as I can remember one of the instruction leaflets states that a setting of 2 gives 14C to 17C at the sensing element and a setting of 3 gives 17C to 21C or something like that.

Here are the fitting instructions for one type, I think some of the older ones are uni directional which would mean that they can only be fitted to the rad inlet but mine are bi directional, judging by the two arrows on the valve body.