Sorry for the long post...
My questions are in blue.
We’ve been here a year and the heating hasn’t been that great, ideally I want to replace it with a pressurised system with new radiators (existing ones are a mix of old and older and look undersized), but I think I’m better off doing it as part of a bigger building project in a few years time rather than now.
There were 2 main issues with the heating, the upstairs loop wasn’t really heating properly and a number of radiators both upstairs and downstairs were cold (stuck TRV pins which I’ve now loosened).
I think the upstairs loop not working was due to a faulty 2 port valve. It’s a Siemens DVA2/5. It was making a clicking sound when on but wasn’t opening. The manual override was also not doing anything. When I took it off and turned it on, I could still hear a clicking sound but nothing was moving. I couldn’t see the gear from the side.
I’ve opened the valve manually and now the upstairs loop is working, but it also turns on when the hot water is on.
Conventional Y plan but with an upstairs zone controlled by a separate 2 port valve that’s dependent on the downstairs heating being on.
Boiler – Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24Ri – installed in 2013
2 Timers
2 port valve is a Siemens DVA2/5
Radiators are a mixture of old and older. The majority don’t have fins on them. But they all have TRVs, but they’re not all the same type.
There’s two of us and we work from home more days than we don’t. I know I can just manually adjust the TRVs but I want more than that.
My requirements:
I’m looking at getting a Drayton Wiser 2 channel kit (but I’m open to other suggestions).
I was hoping to keep the 2 port valve manually open and replace the timers with a drayton wiser 2 channel kit with smart TRVs on each radiator. But I don’t think it’s as simple as that especially if the upstairs radiators heat up when the hot water is on. Could I just replace the actuator with a working one, get the kit I wanted but wire the 2 port and 3 port valves in parallel to control the radiators?
Or should I be doing something else?
My questions are in blue.
- What do I need to do to fix it?
- Can I make it smart with a Drayton Wiser 2 channel kit?
Context
We’ve been here a year and the heating hasn’t been that great, ideally I want to replace it with a pressurised system with new radiators (existing ones are a mix of old and older and look undersized), but I think I’m better off doing it as part of a bigger building project in a few years time rather than now.
There were 2 main issues with the heating, the upstairs loop wasn’t really heating properly and a number of radiators both upstairs and downstairs were cold (stuck TRV pins which I’ve now loosened).
I think the upstairs loop not working was due to a faulty 2 port valve. It’s a Siemens DVA2/5. It was making a clicking sound when on but wasn’t opening. The manual override was also not doing anything. When I took it off and turned it on, I could still hear a clicking sound but nothing was moving. I couldn’t see the gear from the side.
I’ve opened the valve manually and now the upstairs loop is working, but it also turns on when the hot water is on.
Problems
- Some radiators were cold – fixed – the TRV pins were stuck, I’ve now loosened them.
- The upstairs radiator zone wasn’t working – partially fixed – I think it’s a faulty 2 port valve, I’ve removed the actuator and manually opened the valve – the upstairs radiators are now heating.
- Upstairs radiators heat up when the hot water is on – current problem – the 2 port valve is manually open.
- Some radiators are hotter at the top and cooler at the bottom – I’ve read it could be sludge and that I would have to drain the radiators to clear it or have them power flushed. – Is there a way I could do it without it taking me a whole day or more and also without removing the radiators?I think there’s a tank in the loft for feeding water into the radiators.
- Is it as simple as putting in something to dissolve the debris, attaching a hose to the lowest radiator and draining it, and refilling with an inhibitor?
System
Conventional Y plan but with an upstairs zone controlled by a separate 2 port valve that’s dependent on the downstairs heating being on.
Boiler – Worcester Bosch Greenstar 24Ri – installed in 2013
2 Timers
- Wickes RWB9 controlling hot water and downstairs radiators (presumably connected to 3 port valve)
- Siemens RWB7 controlling upstairs radiators (connected to 2 port valve)
2 port valve is a Siemens DVA2/5
Radiators are a mixture of old and older. The majority don’t have fins on them. But they all have TRVs, but they’re not all the same type.
Making the system smart
There’s two of us and we work from home more days than we don’t. I know I can just manually adjust the TRVs but I want more than that.
My requirements:
- To be able to heat individual rooms rather than the whole house.
- To be able to control it remotely.
- Integrate with home assistant.
- To still work if the internet is down.
I’m looking at getting a Drayton Wiser 2 channel kit (but I’m open to other suggestions).
I was hoping to keep the 2 port valve manually open and replace the timers with a drayton wiser 2 channel kit with smart TRVs on each radiator. But I don’t think it’s as simple as that especially if the upstairs radiators heat up when the hot water is on. Could I just replace the actuator with a working one, get the kit I wanted but wire the 2 port and 3 port valves in parallel to control the radiators?
Or should I be doing something else?
