Heating Fault Setting off Smoke Alarm?

Discussion in 'Engineers' Talk' started by KellsMc, Jan 18, 2020.

  1. KellsMc

    KellsMc New Member

    The radiator in my bedroom is far too big for the room (told by heating engineer) I have chronic pain and the heat helps so it isn’t much of a problem until the thermostat at the side stopped working. I followed instructions and changed the thermostat and it still won’t work. I was told it could be the valve underneath so I’ve reported it to my housing trust and was told it was low priority, which is fair enough.

    Anyhows, today the heating was only boosted on for an hour in the morning but my bedroom radiator and only this radiator has been boiling hot all day - too hot to touch. All the other radiators are cold. For a brief moment (sat on bed near radiator) I could smell something burning, like a plastic smell and the upstairs fire alarm went off.

    I have turned off the boiler to be safe but I’m really worried about putting the heating on incase it’s related to the fire alarm. If I call out my housing trust and it’s not a justifiable emergency (out of hours) I get charged. I’ve already been told fixing the thermostat on my bedroom radiator is low priority.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated many thanks, Kells x
     
  2. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    If you have no control over your radiator, I suggest that you turn down the boiler thermostat a little, the water in the system will be cooler and so will all of the radiators. Report the smoke alarm to the housing trust, just tell them it goes off for no reason, don't elaborate on that. Are you in receipt of benefit for your illness, that could push you up the queue a little
     
  3. KellsMc

    KellsMc New Member

    Hi Rob, thanks for the reply- I do get priority because of my health but it has to be a justifiable reason in the first instance. Is it actually possible for the central heating to cause the smoke alarm to go off? The light beeping was green - it flashes red for carbon monoxide x
     
  4. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    If the radiators have been painted with gloss paint and they are getting very hot, then the paint on them will start to smell, the paint fumes mat be enough to set off the alarm.
     
    Heat likes this.
  5. Heat

    Heat Screwfix Select

    Maybe you haven’t put the thermostatic valve head back on again properly, or the pin in the valve body is stuck on and the radiator is working full heat of whatever your boiler stat is set at.
    As Bob said, try turning your boiler to a lower heat setting and I would also suggest you remove the thermostatic rad valve (TRV) head, tap the pin in valve body gently with a hammer to confirm it moves slightly and try to defit the head part properly.
    When fitting the head part, first turn it to max setting before trying to align it onto valve body
     
  6. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    Most radiators have two valves, there are some where combined, but most have two, the thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) and the lock shield valve, the TRV come in two parts, the valve which has a pin which the second part, the head pushes down to turn off heat, there are three types of head, the plastic decorators cap which is used to turn off radiator for removal, these will also prove if valve is working, i.e. switching off, then there is the standard head to be frank the head costs more than whole valve from screwfix, then there is the programmable electronic head to be frank again over priced at screwfix have seen them for £10. The latter head has error codes F2 and F3 come up if the range is too great or too small so if valve stuck or the head not put on right it actually tells you some thing is wrong. Also deg C is far better than *123456.

    Often other side of radiator we have lock shield valve which will also turn off radiator, in the main the lock shield valve controls the speed the radiator heats up, the TRV takes time to close, so without the lock shield valve the radiator would get really hot before the TRV could close, so it slows down the speed at which the radiator heats, it also ensures all radiators heat together. With liquid or wax heads, not so easy to set, as you simply don't know the target and current temperature, with wifi heads it often says what the target and current temperature is, and if after heating has been running for a while target below current you close it a little, and if target above current open it a little.

    But you should be able to turn lock shield completely off.

    Also a fire alarm in the main detects smoke, not heat, there are specials for kitchen which detect heat, but most only detect smoke. If my mothers fire alarms went off it was an emergency, the call centre would call her first, and if no answer, fire department were auto called. If the radiator is setting off fire alarm that would be an emergency, however it seems unlikely it would.

    So likely 5 ways to reduce radiator heat.
    1) TRV
    2) Lock shield valve
    3) Timer (Programmer) mine can be set once an hour, so could set for 10 minutes every hour, but older ones only have two slots per day.
    4) Wall thermostat
    5) Boiler circulating water temperature

    I will normally use a lump of metal to push the pin on the TRV base down, like a hammer, not talking about hitting with hammer, just some thing to stop pin pushing into my skin, want a larger area than the pin to push on, even a tea spoon would do, want to ensure pin is free to move, if it moves but radiator does not turn off would fit the plastic decorators cap to prove if TRV head or base, then if base call plumber, if head I would swap myself. And at £6.50 for new valve with wax head, and £10 for electronic head, can't see me buying a wax head ever again. Yes know Screwfix price for eQ-3 is £22 but internet found as low as £7 with postage around £10.
     
  7. sparko69

    sparko69 Screwfix Select

    If you smelled burning and the fire alarm went off that is 100% a genuinely justifiable emergency call. You would be reckless if you didn't call them.call them straight away no time to waste
     
  8. KellsMc

    KellsMc New Member

    Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, I really do appreciate it x I phoned them on Monday morning and they came out today despite me telling them it was setting the alarm off!

    The guy was lovely, he was here for a good while. My radiator is painted with proper radiator paint but he agreed that it may explain the smell but it was worrying about the alarm so he’s just ordered me a new radiator to be safe. Checked boiler and all is okay.
    He said pin & valves were all good but none of the 3 thermostats he tried would stay on. He managed to fit one from another radiator in the house and he will swap it back over when new radiator is fitted.

    much appreciated thanks for taking the time to reply x
     

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