any roomstats with a low maximum temperature?

[Mudman]

Hi just wondering if anyone knows of a room stat which has a maximum temperature below 27degrees? Most seem to have a 30 degree max temp, a few 35 degrees (who would want that!?) and Sunvic seem to be the lowest, having 27 degrees max.

I've been asked by a friend who's a landlord if there's a way to reduce the house's heating usage by stopping tenants putting the heating up to the max of 30 degrees! the boiler can never get a 200 year old house to that temperature so it keeps going non-stop and at this rate it won't last much longer- quite apart from the environmental nightmare!

I suggested that if he could get the thermostat to go no higher than, say, 22degrees, they would be physically limited to being reasonable! I've thought about taking the existing stat apart and trying to jam it so it cannot go above this sort of temperature- may yet explore that! but the simplest way would be to have a stat that cannot go very high.

anyway, if anyone knows of a room stat which would help, we'd be very grateful- or other (legal) suggestions about how to restrain the tenanats! high bills do not seem to have made much difference- they were there last winter as well and just seem to think it's a price worth paying.

MM


 

[johnrae]

Can't quote a make but most decent "rotary" thermostats have a set of internal mechanical stops which limits the available range of adjustment.  However fly tenants will simply remove the cover and reset the stops unles you glue them into position
jack

[Brandon]

use a frost stat? they top out at 10^oC IIRC

up the rent to allow for a boiler replacement in 4 years?

[KLD]

Could you install a second room 'stat in series? That one could be "tamper proof" model, preset to whatever you think the tenants deserve 

Klaus

[Philip R]

Depending on how big the rads are relative to the room size, wall area, heat losses etc, how hot do the rooms get to with the stats turned up with say outside temperature of -1degC? (design base for calculating heat losses).

Have you considered thermostatic rad valves, you can set the stops at predefined levels to limit max temp. Removal of said valves allows max flow to rad, not so good.

Another method is using a Danfoss boiler Energy Manager, (BEM 5000?) a compensator that sets water flow temperature as a function of outside air temperature, you set this and limit the tenants radiator flow temperature, ha ha ha. But when heating HW cylinder, drives to limit of boiler stat to limit cycling.

Another way is for the rooms to their own boiler and you install get secondary meter, however one must ensure gas pressure drops within spec. Otherwise put tenants rent up or buy them a fleece!

[solarcycle]

What about using a programmable room thermostat? Although more expensive the honeywell cm67 I have has a hidden installer menu where you can set an upper limit which cannot be exceeded by the user (unless they find the key sequence to enter the hidden menu).

[solar_cambridge]

What about using a programmable room thermostat? Although more expensive the honeywell cm67 I have has a hidden installer menu

Yes the honeywells have a hidden setting, but max limit is 21c. I would suggest a wireless stat such as the CM927 wired in series with the existing stat. Put the wireless stat in a lockable, but ventilated box or well hidden. With programmable stat you can set different max temps for various times of the day. Ie 21c between 8am-9am, 15c 9am-5pm, 21c 5pm - 10pm. that has the advantage of realistic temps and leaves the existing stat for them to fiddle with to their hearts content 

[johnrae]

If the tenant is paying for the gas I think your friend will find they can run the house at whatever temperature they like.  We are not yet a fully flegged police state and that goes for landlords as well.  Any decent boiler should be capable of running 24 hours per day 365 per year.  If he doesn't like his tenants method of lifestyle then I suggest he serves them notice to quit. When I rented out a property responsibility for all utilities and rates were transferred into the name of the tenant so it was they that the utility companies and local authority had to chase when the tenant defaulted.  Alternatively he could request his gas supplier to remove the standard credit meter and fit a prepay meter.  That way the tenant has to pay up front for the gas they use - burning a hole in their pocket will soon stop them burning gas wastefully.
jack

[solar_cambridge]

If the tenant is paying for the gas I think your friend will find they can run the house at whatever temperature they like. 

You are right if they are on an Assured Shorthold. My guess is the reason the landlord is tetchy about the gas usage is he is a live-in/live-out landlord and rents out the rooms for a fixed all inclusive amount. As the tenants never see a utility bill they have no reason to be energy conscious.

[daftlad]

Could you install a second room 'stat in series? That one could be "tamper proof" model, preset to whatever you think the tenants deserve 

Klaus

That's what I would do, simple too.
ta ta

[dinitro]

i came across this situation too, however it was for self contained flats that shared a boiler.  The landlord covers the gas.

Even though you glue the limiters in the stats the tenants remove them.  Then you have to decide are you really going to get into a fight over such a small matter.
There were even some tenants that had the heating on in summer.  ie thermostat set at max.

My solution was to put a capillary stat on the return to the boiler and then have the stat either switch the boiler on (temp drops) or a pump to drive round the water again (if return water temp high).  The bills have come down and as a result the landlord has increased the heating interval.  I think the results would be better still if it was a condensing boiler.

dinitro

[Mudman]

Thanks very much for the responses.
I think i'll go for the extra stat in serries- presumably it simply needs to go through both stats. i can get a non-tamperable stat so will fit that nearby one day and they will be none the wiser as you say!

MM

[Much]

Am quite surprised nobody has suggested extra insulation...?

(Less losses mean the temp does rise faster, the boiler has to work less hard, the tenants either get naked or discover what 30degrees really feels like, and a feedback loop is formed.)

[Mudman]

yes, insulation.... it's got 400mm in the roof and draft excluders everywhere but to do anything to the 200 year old 2-brick thick solid walls which bulge and waver as they go up would be  a major project, beyond the land lord's means. I've proposed that he put external insulation on the rear of the house which has post war bricks (must have been damaged in the war) so is flatter and also invisible (conservation area) but it's very expensive!