Why is one room always so cold?

[Amybettyb]

Hi I'm wondering if someone can help/suggest solutions.

We live in a 2 bed mid terrace Victorian house. I use our second bedroom as an office but the room is always freezing cold. We have adequate insulation in the loft and double glazing (this is old but is the same as the rest of the house). I put the heating on full and sit very close to the radiator but the room still doesn't heat up. There is a closed up chimney breast in the room, could the heat be escaping through there? If it is how would be the best way to fix this?

Cheers

Amy

 

[Static]

Do you close the door or leave it open all the time even when your in the room?

 

[Amybettyb]

I leave it closed usually.

 

[noseall]

I bet the room ain't South or West facing. More like on the North/East side?

 

[Amybettyb]

The room is North facing.

 

[RedHerring2]

With older properties it's necessary to warm up the structure and not just the air within the room(s).
So it might take anything from 4hours to a whole weekend to warm up the house/room sufficiently for comfort.

Think of newer properties wtih excellent insulation in floors, walls and roofs. Only the air needs to be warmed.
Whereas older properties, perhaps with little or no insulation in the walls, need the walls themselves warming up.

 

[A1chippy]

or could be a ghost

 

[^woody^]

If the room is colder than other rooms, and heating is used, then the radiator must be undersized for the room or not properly balanced - ie heat escapes faster than the radiator can replace it.

Unless there is a hole in the chimney, then that wont be too much of an issue

Also, is the room really cold, or do you just think that it is cold by sitting close to the radiator and then getting an artificial impression of a cold room - ie have you measured the room temperature?

The suggestion of a ghost would have associated creaking floorboards, moaning sounds at night, and possibly some re-arranging of furniture

 

[IJWS15]

Is there air in the radiator - Top half cold, bottom half warm - bleed the radiator.

Is there sludge in the radiator - bottom half cold - take the radiator off and flush it.

Are the radiators balanced properly? This one may need a valve opening a little.

Single glazing? Draughty window? Open fireplace? Bricked up fireplace with airbrick?

What do you view as adequate insulation in the loft - 250-300mm is the ideal.