Zoned vs Individual radiator control

Al Letellier_9

You're right in that the individual controls will make temperature control easier in each individual room, but I would question how he can do it for the same price. You should get detail specifications and list of equipment before making that decision. There are many ways to do this job, but I am puzzled by the quote. Check it out carefully.

Ken_45

Zoned vs Individual radiator control

I will be installing a new hot water circulating heating system in a three-story home. My contractor has given me a choice of a three-zone system (one zone per floor) or individual thermostatic controls for each radiator. There will be about 18 radiators in total in the house. The contractor is quoting the same price for either the zoned or the individually controlled radiators.

I would like to understand the factors that would help me decide which of the two options is superior. It seems to me that the individually controlled radiators would give me more flexibility in controlling each room as, in effect, a separate zone.

Is that the right way to look at it? Are there other considerations of zoned vs individual radiator controls that I should be aware of?

Thank you for any advice offered.

Brad White

Think about how you live in the house

If you have a definite need to have different parts of the house at different temperatures at different times, and automatically (e.g.: bathrooms boosted in the AM, bedrooms cool at night, kitchen warm in the AM, living spaces warm only at night, etc. etc.) then separate zones by valve or circulators may make sense but would be more costly as Al pointed out.

If your house has a rather "open plan" design, isolating certain areas expecting different temperatures is self-defeating. If your house areas are isolated by doors, wing corridors or other means of isolation, you have a shot.

Bathrooms and bedrooms are presumed to have doors unless your Inner Bohemian has a louder voice than your Sane Self.


Each "zone" would require a separate set of mains and targeted branch runouts to each radiator. A zone valve or circulator for each would also be required. Not sure how that could be achieved at the same cost/price as the next option:

If you use a manifold and homeruns of piping or tubing, or have one large zone with thermostatic radiator valves (TRV's) on each radiator, then each room would have essentially indepedent but only high limit control. This may be perfectly fine for you.

You could make any room cooler by refusing hot water flow but only one thermostat would call for the addition of heat.

Personally and on the assumption that the second approach would be less costly, that would be my choice and is what I have in my home. Bedrooms cooler, downstairs warmer but all really on one thermostat. Works fine for me but I have a relatively open plan too. Doors on bedrooms and bath of course!

ALH_4

TRV's

Thermostatic radiator valves are the ultimate in control in my opinion. They provide flow proportional to the indoor temperature while the boiler provides fluid temperature proportional to the outdoor temperature. You skip wires, transformers, thermostats, zone valves and the associated piping. These can be combined quite easily with radiant floors in bathrooms or kitchens. This is the ideal system, in my opinion.

Jeff Elston

Same price

The same price for both options! Sounds shady. Good Luck

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Ken_45

The quote is for Danfoss thermostatic radiator valves for each radiator or for the separate three zones. (The house already has three zones planned for air conditioning, so I assume the three zones for the heating system would use those thermostats.)

I realize that it is difficult to give a definitive answer without knowing the exact plan, but which option should be more expensive: the separate three zones or the one zone with individual Danfoss TRVs? (assuming about 18 radiators on three floors) By the way, in response to some of the messages above, the house is not open plan, but a typical place with separate rooms.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Is this an existing heating system? If so, I can certainly see why the TRVs would be very similar in price to substantial re-piping to "zone" the system.

If a completely new system, I'm a bit shocked that there is not cost difference, but TRVd systems typically use less components and the piping layout is often much simpler. In a three-story house I suppose it's possible that there winds up being little difference.

The contractor [might] even be giving a bit of a break on the TRVd system because he wants to learn. Nothing difficult about using them, but he really should tell you if this is the case.

Provided you're certain these quotes are legitimate, I'd CERTAINLY choose the TRVs! If you're not familiar with TRVs it does take a little while to get accustomed to them but once you are, you'll probably never want to live without them.