How would you add zones to my central heating setup?

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

R.O.S.S.I

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I want to add zones to my heating at home as we have just one Nest thermostat that turns on the UFH and radiators all at once which is less than ideal.

I ideally want the UFH to be controlled independently of the upstairs radiators (and vice versa) and have all of the rads on Smart TRVs so I can control the temp in the rooms more specifically.

What would be the easiest way to achieve this as i've spoken to a couple plumbers and they've offered different solutions and have tried selling me on whole new systems (Honeywell ones).

I know i'll likely need some new pipework and valves adding to my system, and i'm not averse to getting a new thermostat/system but just wondering if anyone has had this kind of work done previously and what was actually needed?

If i was to change system i'd probably opt for the Drayton Wiser with smart TRV's which doesnt look too expensive, however if I'm able to achieve this with my existing Nest thermostat (for less cost ultimately) then i'd explore that.

Anyone any ideas?
 
Smart TRVs is fine, just keep in mind that heat will go where it will go, especially if you have kids who don't shut doors. We have had more success at keeping the house at a steady temperature throughout.

I have some drayton wiser kit as it seems well regarded, but for other reasons it is going back. It seems to be pretty straight forward to use. I have had very good results with Tado in the past, as geofencing worked very well four our circumstances.
 
Zones and radiator valves have limited value in many houses because people leave doors open and have open stairwells and all the air just mixes around all the time. If you get up and go to bed at predictable times and can isolate the upstairs behind a closed door, then there are your ideal zones. If you have rooms you never use. Or perhaps you have an office at home that you are only in during working hours and the door is closed all the time.
But, yes, the most important thing in zone control is doors. :cry:
 
Our entire downstairs is open plan, hence the UFH. The Smart TRV's and valves for the rads upstairs are more so so we can just heat specific rooms at night rather than the entire house, and have more control over the nursery for example to make sure it stays at a comfortable temperature.
 
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I think the smart trvs alone will do what you want? They'll allow you to control the upstairs independently of the downstairs just by configuring each smart trv?
 
danlightbulb said:
I think the smart trvs alone will do what you want? They'll allow you to control the upstairs independently of the downstairs just by configuring each smart trv?
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But if i say I want the nursery alone to be 20c it will fire up the UFH too as currently theres no way to turn that on and off, so when heating comes on the UFH comes on, no matter which radiators are open/close upstairs.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
But if i say I want the nursery alone to be 20c it will fire up the UFH too as currently theres no way to turn that on and off, so when heating comes on the UFH comes on, no matter which radiators are open/close upstairs.
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Ah yes I see.

Seems an omission not to have that on its own zone then. If you'd had radiators downstairs, they'd have been individually controllable through TRVs, but you've completely lost that functionality by having the underfloor heating. Its acting like an open rad on the system.
 
Diggsy said:
Wiser do a UFH controller too, if that’s any help. Haven’t used one but know they do it
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Yeah that's an interest take lol. Does UFH need power too? Could you do a heath robinson to this and just turn off whatever critical component the UFH demands via a smart plug or something? :cry:
 
If you’re based near South London, let me know. I’m looking to remove my 15 Dayton Wiser TRVs and I have a spare Wiser underfloor heating controller - bought a couple at a discount but only needed one in the end. An expensive mistake!

I’ve gone open loop since moving to a heat pump. The smart TRVs are not much good to me anymore!
 
Coran said:
If you’re based near South London, let me know. I’m looking to remove my 15 Dayton Wiser TRVs and I have a spare Wiser underfloor heating controller - bought a couple at a discount but only needed one in the end. An expensive mistake!

I’ve gone open loop since moving to a heat pump. The smart TRVs are not much good to me anymore!
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Please bear in mind that selling is only allowed in the MM here.
 
dlockers said:
The nest controller is pretty good. It does multi zone and opentherm.
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Do I need multiple Nest thermostats to do mult-izone? Just trying to figure it out.

Have had quotes in and plumbers are quoting me all manner of works including replacing everything with Honeywell Evohome stuff which I don't really want to do.

Think I basically just need 2 valves fitting which can control upstairs and downstairs heat and get an extra nest thermostat for the upstairs to control that.

Does that sound about right?
 
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