Zoning of central heating

[onlyonekirbs]

Hi - we have a 4 storey terrace house (bottom floor is lower ground/ half below ground level). Central heating is currently 1 zone, but would like to have the lower floor as a separate zone as has different heating requirements. Boiler and thermostat are on the 4th floor.

Grateful for any insight on how difficult/ costly this will be? Is this a job for a plumber or a specialist heating engineer?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[AndyT]

Our house is a bit like yours, except that our boiler is in the basement, which isn't heated.
If you are going to get a system which properly divides the house into zones, whoever is doing the work and quoting for it will need to understand all of your current system layout. If you don't already know it in detail, now is the time to start lifting floorboards and tracing pipes. Heating installers can be quite ingenious in finding routes for pipes and cables - don't expect someone else to understand what you have now at first glance.
When we had our system updated with better controls we had motorised valves fitted to separate the flows for heating (one zone only) and hot water. What I didn't realise and the installers missed or ignored was that we have two horizontal loops of heating pipes coming off the primary vertical circuit from the boiler. Only one got a new valve, so we still need to shut down the downstairs rads manually in summer. You'll need a motorised valve for each zone. Thermostats can be wireless but there will be power cables to each valve.
All I'm trying to say is that yes, it's possible but make sure you understand what you are being offered before you agree a deal.

 

[sunnybob]

in order for that kind of system to work properly, you need to make sure that all the doors are closed all the time. If you have large hallways and open stairs, youre not going to stop the heat rising.