It controls the room temperature by altering the flow of hot water to the radiator. In simple terms, it is a valve that can be set by the homeowner to turn on and off the radiator when the heating system is active based on the temperature of the room. This allows a level of temperature control in every room of the house, which one would not normally be able to achieve, even with a thermostat controlling the main heating system. Building Regulations state that all new and modified wet central heating systems must have a TRV fitted to every radiator apart from one where the room thermostat or programmable thermostat is installed, typically in the hall.
Find out more in Approved Document L, which is all about the conservation of power and energy. In Europe they are widely used, particularly where it is common to have a shared boiler supplying heat to all the flats in a block. There is a need to control the heat into each separate apartment and this is done very effectively with the use of these thermostatically controlled valves fitted to each radiator. They are thermostatic so they can control the temperature in individual rooms regardless of the temperature of the most commonly used habitable rooms, where typically the room thermostat will be located and which controls whether the heating systems as a whole comes on or goes off.
By preventing overheating you are preventing excess heat being generated, saving money and carbon being wasted on the fuel burn for unwanted heat. Other benefits include the extra flexibility that they provide the home owner by allowing them to have some control on the temperature in individual rooms.
This allows them to set the temperature to their own individual preference. If a room is not being used, they can be set to their lowest temperature setting maintaining the room temperature at a chilled level, without wasting energy or risking frost damage.
Despite being relatively simple devices, they can indeed breakdown and fail. If they are off when they break, then the radiator will fail to come on when required and could lead to condensation and other problems. If they break when on, then they will lead to overheating which is the problem that they are designed to cure. Thankfully modern TRVs are generally very reliable and generally operate for many years without major problems. However, if you are reading this project it is highly likely that you will be experiencing an issue with your radiator valves, so this is what we will cover next.
There are several core parts that make up a TRV and ensure that it operates in the manner that it should. See the image below for a full breakdown on the individual parts of a TRV:. It can be hard to identify if there is an issue with a TRV because you are actually trying the address symptom rather than the cause, which could be many other things other than a faulty TRV.
The most common issue for which TRVs can be the cause is that there is one radiator that is not getting hot, while all the others in the house are. It is important to work systematically and rule out potential issues, starting with the easiest to address:. If one of your radiators is not getting hot, then this process should help you get to the bottom of the issue, and certainly fin or rule out the TRV at the cause.
However prevention is the best cure, and there is a little simple maintenance that can be done which will make sure that you. It is recommended to maintain them to ensure that they last and perform well.
The most common problem with a TRV is that the valve sticks or catches. This means that they are either stuck open or closed. This will happen when the setting has not been moved for some time, such as after the summer.
Solution and Maintenance : Set the TRV to the highest heat setting generally number 5 which will open the valve fully. Then undo the thermostat removal nut, which you should be able to do by hand. When the thermostat unit comes off, you should see the little plunger or piston, which should be able to be depressed and then should spring back up when released. If this is very stiff or catching, give it a little squirt of WD40 and work it a little until it slides freely.
If you cannot get the plunger working again, then the valve has failed and will need to be replaced completely. See below section on how to change a TRV for help with this. If the room is warm, the spring will expand pushing the valve down, and the flow to the radiator will stop.
A common problem may be a cold room. Although the radiator is blazing hot, you may still want to go to the thermostatic radiator valve and open it up more. Adjust the TRV if you feel that the radiator remains cold. Many thermostatic radiator valves nowadays are bidirectional, and you can install them to either the flow or the return pipe of your radiator. However, we would advise you to fit the TRV on the pipe that carries water to your inlet valve — the flow pipe.
Wonder why? Well, if you mount a non-bidirectional thermostatic valve to the return pipe, you would later discover that a noisy, vibrating sound comes out of it while the water rushes through. Also, in a property with 2 rooms, one requires a room thermostat that controls the entire heating system and a single radiator.
The other room has a second radiator with a TRV attached to it. Refrain from fitting a TRV on the radiator that has the room thermostat. The room thermostat needs to have an exact reading of the maximum capacity of the heating system. Therefore, the radiator which has a room thermostat should have a fully open lockshield valve.
A heating engineer can survey your home and offer professional expertise on the matter. Bleed your radiators with a bleed key and a hose. As with most things, prices vary depending on the style of radiator valve you want to buy and — with thermostatic valves — whether they are liquid or wax filled. If you only have one pair of valves to fit, the engineer will probably just freeze the pipework and add the thermostatic radiator valves to the radiator. With well over half of the energy in your home being used for heating and hot water, if you combine a TRV with a complete set of heating controls — including timers and room thermostats — you can make substantial savings on the overall cost of your heating.
But a bedroom that has the heating cranked up to more than 20 degrees is going to be far too stuffy for even the coldest person to get comfortable in, and this is where the TRV comes into its own. Controlling these different zones in your home allows you to be more efficient with your heating.
Building Regulations do state that the heating systems in domestic dwellings have a minimum set of controls. For a system that uses a combi combnation boiler , this is done with a timer or room thermostat and the different heat settings of individual rooms are generally achieved using TRVs.
Standard practice is to leave one radiator without a thermostatic radiator valve installed, and to leave that appliance permanently switched on. If your boiler is fitted with a flow meter — that detects when all of your radiator valves are closed, you can install a TRV on every radiator if you want to.
You can leave any radiator without a TRV , but it makes more sense for you to select the radiator in the room with your wall thermostat. As your main heating thermostat is directly linked to your boiler system — a link that you will use to fire your heating up or turn it down — having a TRV in the same space will mean that they fight to control how hot or cold your room will be — resulting in something of a Thermo-Spat.
In this instance, you could turn your wall thermostat up to get rid of the chill in the space, only to find that the thermostatic valve on the nearby radiator expands to close off the supply of hot water to the radiator, cooling the room and making the whole thing a pointless exercise and a waste of time. In this space — that is very rarely heated to a constant temperature — it makes sense to leave your radiator TRV free.
Although they can prove to be pretty handy pieces of kit, TRVs are relatively primitive, especially when compared to the newer smart heating controls that are available on the market. The most common and regularly occurring problem with a thermostatic radiator valve is that the valve — or the head of the valve — begins to stick or catch.
The TRV controls the flow going through the tubing and prevents the room from getting to warm while keeping the floor warm more of the time. A few years ago, I was involved in modernizing a heating system in a house that was getting restored. This was an older historic house with tall ceilings, brick walls and giant old cast-iron radiators.
The house had been split into two apartments at some point, and after going through years of tenants, it had lost much of its original grandeur.
The house got sold, and the new owner set out to restore the house back to its original beauty. He hired me to put together a plan for the heating system. He wanted to keep the radiators, but get rid of the giant steel piping mains and the behemoth of a boiler sitting in the basement.
This boiler had pumps on it so big that I just stood there and looked for a while. RM specializes in radiant heating and hydronic heating systems. The company also provides other mechanical services to the residential and light commercial market. Ramer also provides heating system design services and consultation across the country.
Contact him at hrvramer yahoo. June 4, No Comments. How do they work? To get a visual, look at Picture C. This is how the TRV controls and modulates flow.
Pic C As simple as they are, there are still plenty of folks who want to make them complicated. Why would I use them? How should I set up my TRV system? High temperature radiator system. High-temperature baseboard system. Pic D We can still use TRVs to gain individual room temperature control, but they will be a different kind than you are used to seeing. Micro zones. TRVs are one of the greatest tools to eliminate the problems associated with micro zones. Speakman Company unveils thermostatic mixing valves for emergency plumbing.
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