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radiator wall heater valves -- what do they do at freezing temps? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Wall radiators have a valve that has this progression of settings: “❄ 1 2 3 4 5”. Naturally as you turn it a pin changes position which opens a mechanical valve a precise amount.

The question is what happens at “❄”? I always thought of that as zero, completely closed. But my central boiler seems to target 5°C/40°F even when off to protect pipes from freezing. So what happens if all the radiator valves are off/closed (❄) and the boiler is triggered to prevent freezing? Does each valve also have a thermostat to open at freezing?

I thought for years the snowflake just meant cold (closed). But I wonder if it actually means frost protection, where it does something smarter. There are times when it’s in that ❄ position and yet the radiator still heats up. I thought the valve was broken, but then other radiators occasionally did the same. Is that normal?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I think the trv (thermostatic radiator valves). Are wax motors. Basically they work on the thermal expansion or phase change of a wax to exert a force. With the trv set to 5, it takes a lot of expansion of the wax to push the pin to close the radiator valve. At *, only a little heat is needed for the wax to expand enough to close the valve... But the valve is a little open when cold. If the valve is set to 0, then it's truly closed at any normal temperature.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I appreciate the explanation. Interesting to hear the term “was motor”, which I always thought of as a valve but I guess the fact that the wax moves a valve it’s sensible to call it a motor. IIUC, it’s similar to thermostatic shower mixers, but with a floor temp of 5°C.