Help with tado and non tado valves
I need some help, we originally had a 3 bed semi but recently had an extension downstairs and now have a 5 bed semi. We now 4 x radiators upstairs, 1 x tado TRV in bedroom 1, 1 x tado TRV in bedroom 2 and a hallway radiator (dumb trv) and a bathroom radiator (dumb trv).
We then have 7 radiators downstairs, 1 x tado TRV in living room, 1 x tado TRV in bedroom 3, 1 x radiator in bedroom 4 (dumb TRV), 1x radiator in office (dumb TRV), 1 x radiator in bathroom (dumb TRV), 1 x Radiator in hallway (dumb TRV) and 1 x Radiator in Kitchen (dumb TRV).
We have a gravity fed system, hot water tank upstairs and boiler downstairs.
My issue that I'm having is that when the Radiators with the tado TRVs come on (typically set for 5am so it's warm every where in the house in the morning). All the radiators come on upstairs and the ones downstairs without the tado TRV do not come on. The ones that don't turn on are the last Rads on the run.
I tried turning all the Radiators off in the house and isolated the ones that weren't getting heat downstairs one by one and lo and behold they turned on, I assume cause all the water is being sent that radiator only.
Am I correct in thinking it's a balancing issue and the rads upstairs are stealing all the heat and not sending them downstairs in time?
If so I can't figure out how to sort it so that the downstairs ones get heat..
Am I better off getting an extra tado TRVs on the ones that aren't getting heat and getting them to turn on first somehow?
Comments
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I wouldn’t use Tado TRVs to try to sort that. The system needs balancing.
Shut the lock shields on the greedy rads and just open them about 1/8th turn. If they work, stop there. If not, add a further 1/8th. Start with the rads that get hot first if you can. Work towards the slowest ones.
You might need to complete a few laps.
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Should have said, open or remove TRVs to make the job easier. Otherwise you’ll be fighting those too.
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@Deemi786 Hello. Sorry to hear that the heating is not working well after the extension build.
I’d agree with you and @Montage that balancing the system is a start.
However, it’s important to understand the full picture. Call me old-fashioned … this is a professional engineer issue …. Heating system sizing, boiler, rads, pipework, controls, implementation etc etc. Was the builder responsible for the extension, including the heating?1 -
The builder was responsible for the heating in the new extension but all my calls to him have been rejected , apparently once he has been paid that's it as far as he is concerned.0
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It’s a widespread problem. What’s needed is a heating engineer. What we get is a plumber or a builder. If lobbing a white box on the wall and connecting it up is complete, they are finished. Or stick some more rads or UFH onto an existing set up.
Be nice to think there would be heat loss calculations and a few basic checks. Have a delta T for the design temperature. Work out the best control strategy.
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@Deemi786 Sorry to hear that the builder has left you in the lurch.
Other than balancing the rads, there are too many known unknowns. I'd strongly recommend engaging a competent heating engineer to look at what is going on and help you decide what to do.
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