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Replacing TRV heads

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  • 27-09-2020 8:48pm
    #1
    spongerobinson
    Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I have TRV's on most radiators in the house - the brand is Orkli, and I'm thinking they are pretty cheap and generic? They don't seem to do much to be honest. Does anybody know what better quality TRV's would be compatible with the valves, so I can just screw off the old ones and replace with new heads? I'm thinking Drayton TRV4 from what I'm reading online.

    Also, in my living room the radiator is behind a couch and the TRV is right in the corner of the room buried away. I can't see it working too well here? Currently I just leave it fully open and turn the heating on for an hour or two. It gets very hot and then slowly cools down over the rest of the evening. I'm thinking of a few possible options to increase the comfort in this room:

    1) Some sort of smart TRV that can link to an external thermostat elsewhere in the room.
    2) A mechanical TRV with an external sensor.
    3) Extending the thermostat wiring from the hall into the sitting room, and placing the thermostat for the whole of the downstairs in the sitting room, with the TRV fully open.

    Any thoughts on this?

    Thanks a million.


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    #2
    John.G
    Registered Users Posts: 3,474 ✭✭✭John.G


    Read thread "Smart Radiator Valves" on here.

    I have 10 rads, 8 on TRVs, I have the roomstat in a combined dining/sitting room in which the remaining two rads are located (no TRVs) and I find that this gives me quite reasonable control using this as the master controller, IMO having the roomstat in the hall is virtually useless. I have the bedroom+hallway TRVs set to keep the rooms at ~ 17C, the others, kitchen etc maintain ~ 20/21C. I find a TRV life is around 8/10 years and would certainly recommend replacing the entire TRV whatever route you go down, I have mainly bi directional EPH fitted now with a few Myson still going strong after 11 years or so. To give a more representative room sensing temperature I have them on the radiator return with the sensing heads horizontal. One thing to remember about properly functioning TRVs is that the slightest change in settings can make a enormous difference to the room temp as they have a very small hysteresis between fully open and fully shut, for example a setting of 2.2 might give a room temp of 16/18c but 2.5 might result in 20c or so. I would suggest starting with a 2.5 setting and then fine tune them with a room household thermometer, I havn't touched some of mine for years after initial setting up.
    If you are replacing them in the original rad locations then you can leave the rad/TRV fitting in place and attach the new body to it (after system drain down of course). I paid ~ €12/13€ for mine.
    I also have a motorised valve + cylinder stat on my HW cylinder coil but this does not switch the boiler on/off as I find my normal room stat timer enabled time of 15 hrs/day gives all the hot water I require at 60C.

    One maybe not recognised advantage of using TRVs is that they can result in a very low rad/boiler return temperature which will enhance the condensing benefit of a HE boiler.


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    #3
    spongerobinson
    Registered Users Posts: 569 ✭✭✭spongerobinson


    Thanks for the comprehensive reply John!

    I guess maybe my first port of call should be to move the thermostat into the main living area so - unfortunately it will have to live on the same wall as the radiator, about 2 foot to the left of it and 2 foot above it. I guess I can counteract that by upping the temp slightly if needs be? Unfortunately, DIY-ing a wireless one isn't an option I think, as there's no neutral or permanent live at the existing thermostat - just a switched live that comes on when the timer fires up the boiler. From the research I've done, wireless ones need power at the link box all the time.

    After that, if it's likely I'll need to drain the system to change the TRV's, I think I'll need to call in a plumber! I had hoped I could just change the heads by screwing them off and replacing with new ones, but I think it's likely the thread diameter and size is not the same.


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