ᐅ Gas valve and handbrake of the heating system: Is this explanation correct?
Created on: 22 Nov 2020 15:05
V
vaderle
Hello everyone,
I have been living in my new house for four months.
Our house (16cm (6 inches) aerated concrete precast walls + insulation) has underfloor heating on both the ground and first floors, as well as a heating system (air-to-water heat pump) from Vaillant.
In every room, I have individual temperature controllers, and at the location of the heating system (utility room), there is a separate control panel from Vaillant where I can set the general desired temperature as well as time-limited temperature adjustments (for example, lowering the desired temperature by 4°C (7°F) at night).
At first, I set the temperature in many rooms to around 21°C (70°F), 19°C (66°F) in the bedroom, and 22°C (72°F) in the bathroom. The central control panel was set to a desired temperature of 23°C (73°F).
Since it was almost always warmer in the rooms than the temperature set on the controllers due to good insulation and outside temperatures, heating was almost never activated. Only in the utility room did it seem like continuous heating took place during the day. As a result, the temperature there was around 24-25°C (75-77°F). This was clearly too warm for me because food is also stored there. Both the separate room controller (set to 18°C (64°F)) and the central control panel (with the central desired temperature of 23°C (73°F)) in the utility room were set lower. I therefore spoke with the heating engineer.
He explained the following:
The central control panel is like the gas pedal of a car, and the individual room controllers are like handbrakes.
So I was always “driving with the handbrake on” (individual room controller set lower than the central control panel in the utility room). This caused the warm water in the underfloor heating system to accumulate in the utility room.
He advised me to set all the room controllers to a higher temperature (for example, 25°C (77°F))—in other words, release the handbrake—and then slowly lower the central desired temperature setting (the gas) until the desired effect is achieved. This way, the air-to-water heat pump would run continuously because the actual temperatures in the rooms would never match the set values, and the utility room would no longer experience this accumulated heat. He also said that in a house with insulation and an air-to-water heat pump, it is good for the system to run continuously.
Is this explanation using the gas pedal and handbrake analogy correct?
I have been living in my new house for four months.
Our house (16cm (6 inches) aerated concrete precast walls + insulation) has underfloor heating on both the ground and first floors, as well as a heating system (air-to-water heat pump) from Vaillant.
In every room, I have individual temperature controllers, and at the location of the heating system (utility room), there is a separate control panel from Vaillant where I can set the general desired temperature as well as time-limited temperature adjustments (for example, lowering the desired temperature by 4°C (7°F) at night).
At first, I set the temperature in many rooms to around 21°C (70°F), 19°C (66°F) in the bedroom, and 22°C (72°F) in the bathroom. The central control panel was set to a desired temperature of 23°C (73°F).
Since it was almost always warmer in the rooms than the temperature set on the controllers due to good insulation and outside temperatures, heating was almost never activated. Only in the utility room did it seem like continuous heating took place during the day. As a result, the temperature there was around 24-25°C (75-77°F). This was clearly too warm for me because food is also stored there. Both the separate room controller (set to 18°C (64°F)) and the central control panel (with the central desired temperature of 23°C (73°F)) in the utility room were set lower. I therefore spoke with the heating engineer.
He explained the following:
The central control panel is like the gas pedal of a car, and the individual room controllers are like handbrakes.
So I was always “driving with the handbrake on” (individual room controller set lower than the central control panel in the utility room). This caused the warm water in the underfloor heating system to accumulate in the utility room.
He advised me to set all the room controllers to a higher temperature (for example, 25°C (77°F))—in other words, release the handbrake—and then slowly lower the central desired temperature setting (the gas) until the desired effect is achieved. This way, the air-to-water heat pump would run continuously because the actual temperatures in the rooms would never match the set values, and the utility room would no longer experience this accumulated heat. He also said that in a house with insulation and an air-to-water heat pump, it is good for the system to run continuously.
Is this explanation using the gas pedal and handbrake analogy correct?
I still have one question.
I have now set almost all the room thermostats to 23 degrees Celsius (73°F) and the central controller on the system to a target temperature of 17 degrees Celsius (63°F). However, the system still manages to heat the rooms up to 23 degrees Celsius (73°F). I actually don’t want the temperature to go above 21 degrees Celsius (70°F). So, I need to lower the target temperature on the central controller even further, right? At some point, the system’s supply water temperature should no longer be sufficient. At least, that’s what I would expect.
I have now set almost all the room thermostats to 23 degrees Celsius (73°F) and the central controller on the system to a target temperature of 17 degrees Celsius (63°F). However, the system still manages to heat the rooms up to 23 degrees Celsius (73°F). I actually don’t want the temperature to go above 21 degrees Celsius (70°F). So, I need to lower the target temperature on the central controller even further, right? At some point, the system’s supply water temperature should no longer be sufficient. At least, that’s what I would expect.
T
T_im_Norden25 Nov 2020 10:59Turn it down until you feel cold, setting all the valves fully open at first—not just to 25°C (77°F).
If you can’t achieve the desired temperature in the utility room, you need to study hydraulic balancing and adjust the heating curve settings.
If you can’t achieve the desired temperature in the utility room, you need to study hydraulic balancing and adjust the heating curve settings.
Oh, okay. So I can set a maximum of 35 degrees on the individual room controllers. The idea is to do this everywhere and then continue lowering the temperature at the central control unit until the desired temperature is reached.
And only activate the "handbrake" in rooms (e.g., bedrooms) where I want less than 21 degrees.
Still, I wonder how rooms reach 23 degrees when I set the desired temperature downstairs to only 17 degrees. The heating curve must be really unusual. Or maybe I’m not accounting for the heat generated by people/appliances and the insulation of the house in my calculations.
And only activate the "handbrake" in rooms (e.g., bedrooms) where I want less than 21 degrees.
Still, I wonder how rooms reach 23 degrees when I set the desired temperature downstairs to only 17 degrees. The heating curve must be really unusual. Or maybe I’m not accounting for the heat generated by people/appliances and the insulation of the house in my calculations.
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