Posted 27 October 2019
Hive TRV's - I am now relatively happy with their performance.
I thought I would make this posting as there were a few people here that bought these TRV's when they were first released.
I sent 8 back because I found them impossible to get working properly. However I also had a further 8 supplied on a 'return whenever basis'. I can now report that I have them working how I originally expected them to work albeit with a few quirks that needs to be appreciated if one is to get them to work in a sensible fashion.
If anyone else is using them I would be interested in hearing their feedback
I sent 8 back because I found them impossible to get working properly. However I also had a further 8 supplied on a 'return whenever basis'. I can now report that I have them working how I originally expected them to work albeit with a few quirks that needs to be appreciated if one is to get them to work in a sensible fashion.
If anyone else is using them I would be interested in hearing their feedback
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sorted byEach radiator is on it's own schedule with different temps set for each rad at different times of the day.
When a radiator requires heat it sends a message to the main thermostat which then turns on for a 30 min boost (the main thermostat for me is set to 30 deg (ON BOOST) so it will never achieve it's temp and turn off (which mean radiators are in full control) and the valve on the radiator will open to a calibrated setting (each TRV require calibration). So if radiator requires 1 hour of heat there will be 2 x 30 min boost unless that radiator has reached it's require temp after 1st 30 mins. The system is dumb to a certain extent. If 1 radiator is calling heat for a period of 1 hour (2 x 30 min boost) and it reaches that heat after 40 mins, then the boiler will be on for 20 mins heating nothing other than the pipework. If another radiator requires heat during the any existing 30 min boost it will not create a new boost but just jump on board the existing one.
Just to expand on this. The radiator in the hallway is set at various temps BUT all those temps are higher than 16 degrees. The main thermostat in the hallway is set @ 16 degrees 24/7 and it then boosts to 30 degrees when called for my any radiator. (the 30 degree setting is not the default setting and was done for me by Hive support). This means my system is always driven by radiators demanding the heat.
There are delays on signals being sent (10-15 mins) and my suggestion would be to try and set up schedule times on each radiator to be the same as each other and just mess around with temps during those times. Because of the delay and the 30 min boost, radiators being asked to turn on for 30 - 1hr don't always perform how you would expect. If radiators are asked to turn on for 90min plus all is more predicable.
Also bear in mind that the temp being recorded from the valve is the ambient temp in close proximity. The temp of the room thermostat is about 1.5 degrees lower than the TRV thermostat temp being shown.
What I have found is that constantly looking at the app creates more issues that it solves because info from the app is not always identical to what is going on.
But the overall experience for me right now is that they are performing properly which is something I never thought was going to be possible when I first tired them in May when the central heating had to be on and I was sitting in tropical temperatures whilst testing these things (edited)
Like you mentioned, the TRVs like to be 'in the open' so it's not exactly convenient for getting accurate room temps. I did try a 'remote' thermostat which you place somewhere in the middle of the room to try to get an accurate temp but it wasn't easy to set up so I sacked it after faffing about with it for ages
The main reason I got it was so I could set different zones at accurate temps (the conservatory goes cold a lot quicker than the other rooms so wanted to be able to have the rads in there on without having to open and close the valves on all the other rads). I thought it might reduce my energy bills this way but I can't say I've noticed any difference. Still worth it though as it does solve the problem I had with the conservatory.
Not so much for the energy saving side of it but so that I can control different temperatures in different rooms.
Ultimately I got mine setup so that my vampire son can revise for his A Levels during the early hours of each day in relative comfort without the whole house being heated. As I work form home I keep my office temp at a comfortable level during the day and reduce it in the evening. So the system does what I require
There is a setting on Hive thermostat that is called heating on demand. Your boiler will only switch on if that radiator (or any other hive trv) has demand that heat. My hive room thermostat is nothing more than a slave now as each radiator demands the heat apart from the towel rail radiator in the bathroom that will always heat up if any other radiator has demanded heat. I even have a Hive TRV in the same room as the hive main thermostat which is normally not recommended. The thing to understand is that the main thermostat acts as a slave if you have hive TRV's everywhere. (edited)
Has this replaced your hall thermostat/clock? Or did you leave that side of it alone and simply limit max room temp using this kit?
I’ve been told the only way to do this is to add Hive TRVs to every rad in the house which is prohibitively expensive.
I do have manual TRVs on the other rads, but from what I understand - if I turn these all down to min, and then boost the the Hive TRV. This will ask the main thermostat to call heat from the boiler. But as this room with the main thermostat will never reach the boosted temp the boiler will be continually firing - which would defeat the point.
Im a bit confused and disappointed TBH
fantastic review mate, very detailed though does that mean your boiler is pretty much always on? if so, that cant be economical.
so with the hive trv's, the hive main thermostat which is wired up to the boiler becomes a slave and the TRV's on the rads take control?
so let me get this right Ollie, you have hive TRV's in different rooms, set to their own temps. and whenever each rad drops below its required temp setting, the boiler kicks in?
If a radiator is set to 19 and the temp is 18.5 then the boiler will fire up and that radiator will get warm not hot. If a radiator is set to 19 and the temp is 16 then the boiler will fire up and that radiator will get hot.
so let me get this right Ollie, you have hive TRV's in different rooms, set to their own temps. and whenever each rad drops below its required temp setting, the boiler kicks in?
Yes that's the deal
You have radiators set to 19? No wonder your nose is red, you must be freezing in there
I can set a TRV to 32 degrees for 2 hours and I can't get the alleged room temp from the TRV above 19 [ 21 update] degrees and it's shorts and tee shirt weather in the room. I don't have double glazing in the majority of my home and nearly all the radiators are in bay windows so the TRV temp is misleading. Just checked and 18.2 on the TRV = 21.5 on the room thermostat. In fact 18 on the TRV is comfortable for me and I do walk around in shorts and tee shirt.
it's just the outside bog that's a tad nippy first thing in the morning. (edited)
My Hive setup is 2 zone each with a thermostat. The upstairs zone's is my problem and it's thermostat is freestanding so can be located anywhere.
Like you I have a vampire son who wants his room hot 24/7. Whereas the other 3 bedrooms on zone 2 don't require heating from 10pm till 8:00am.
Would I need to fit a TRV to all 8 radiators?
Michael
I have them fitted to every radiator in the house apart from the bathroom. That stays on whenever any other radiator is calling for heat. To counteract that wastefulness of that I have reduced the underfloor heating temp and been more thoughtful on the corresponding schedule. (edited)