Multiple thermostats on one zone

Weezbo

and the quality of anti freeze and the size of and duration of run time on the pump and the means of tempering of the mix to the zone, proximity of outdoors to any parts of the panel and tubing and insulation on the pipe stuff like that needs to be considered...

Lurker_2

multiple thermostats

I have a new hot water zone (a great job done by someone here; I'll post pictures one day when I acquire a digital camera -- Runtal and Myson wall-hung radiators and everything) which covers three rooms. I'm working on balancing the heat for two of them, Room A and Room B.

Room B is unique because it's an isolated guest room with 3 exterior walls that, most of the time, I want to leave cold. The thermostat is in Room A, which is an interior and warmer room.

Now, let's say that I like Room A to be 70 degrees. I frankly don't really mind if Room B goes to 30 degrees (and it will; the insulation isn't very good), though of course I don't want the radiators to freeze, so I sort of do care. However, I only want to heat Room B when I've having a guest.

Is the following solution plausible?:

(A) Set the thermostat in Room A to 70 degrees.
(B) Install TRVs on the radiators in room at, set to 71 or 72 degrees.
(C) Take the wires coming into the Room A thermostat and split them off to install a second thermostat in Room B, setting that thermostat to 40 degrees (or 50 degrees or whatever the minimum is). This prevents freezing in Room B in the event that Room A is for some reason really warm (house on fire, party, whatever), allows me to turn up the heat when someone is staying in Room B, but allows me to not bother heating Room B when I don't want to.

Does that work? Are there issues I'm introducing that I should worry about?

-Michael

John@Reliable_10

Can it maybe?

with out seeing how system is piped hard to say.
Why don't you call and ask the installer? Also ever see what damage ice and water can do from a freeze up? The amount of fuel saved may never reach the cost of what you want to do, unless the room is really large I bet.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Provided it's a two-pipe system (very likely with panels) multiple ways to do what you want.

Best would be TRVs on all the affected panels and constant circulation--then you just set the TRVs wherever you want. They will go quite low (around 45°) but not so low that there's a freeze danger.

If the constant circulation can't be done, then:

You say three rooms in the zone, right? At least one of these will be deeply set back most of the time, right?

If so:

Have your wall thermostat in whichever room has the most constant use. Install TRVs on the panels in the other two rooms. Set those TRVs at whatever level you desire. Won't be as good as the first solution, but should be reasonable. If the one exposed room is deeply set back in cold weather you may have to increase the thermostat (in the room without TRVs) somewhat to get reasonably fast response. If you know when the deeply set back rooms will be used turn them up a day or so in advance to get things nice and comfy and reasonably balanced.

paul lessard_3

michael

I think the best option is to run a three wire t-stat to room B install t-stat and buy four zone heads for manifold.

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Mellow_2

Michael

How about putting the trv's on room B and not adding the t'stat.... Room A would heat to 70 and you could turn down room B.....You need a bypass line for the heat in room B but the trv would prevent freezing. This will work well if you never want room B hotter than room A and you allow time for room B to reheat from a cold start.

jeff_51

unless the common wall to the guest room is insulated

you should heat that room the same as the rest of that zone. If you do zone it off, be careful of freezeups. I have seen alot of houses that were turned down to 55 freeze up and bust when it gets cold. I hope there is a heated basement or crawl under that room otherwise I would add antifreeze.