Do regs require a TRV on a new towel rail added to an existing system?

[RaceDiagnostics]

As above, I'm adding a tower rail in a new shower room without any existing radiator, do the regs say it should have a TRV?

An added complication is every other radiator in the house does have a TRV, there was a towel rail in the old bathroom with no TRV which is now the kitchen and has been removed.

The regs seem to say that the rad without one should be controlled by a room stat but I don't want that.

 

[Blobber]

As far as im aware you need one rad without a TRV to act as a by pass for the boiler if/when all the other rads shut down

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

As far as im aware you need one rad without a TRV to act as a by pass for the boiler if/when all the other rads shut down

Yes but current regs seem to say it should be in a room with room stat.

 

[OJCar]

( Apart from the whole Internet now you have posted it here ),
Who would know ? (or care ! ).

No TRV on it as it is the "Boiler's bypass rad" is how I would do it.
When it comes time to sell, worry about the Building Regs that are in force then...

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Building control will be around when I'm finished the work I'm doing as the overall work packages was submitted to them and Ill need a completion certificate.

 

[OJCar]

Wireless Room thermostat that "accidentally forgot to sync" the day after Building Control were round ?

 

[Kayos]

New radiators should have TRVs

The "should" is crucial as it means there is no legal requirement

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

New radiators should have TRVs

The "should" is crucial as it means there is no legal requirement

Ahh, ok, I was wondering if it was a "recommendation" or the "law".

That makes life easier.

 

[Kayos]

Ahh, ok, I was wondering if it was a "recommendation" or the "law".

That makes life easier.

Should, shall and must are used throughout the building regs and all have specific meaning

It's Part L if you fancy downloading it

 

[Blobber]

Pretty sure bathrooms do not have to have TRVs and the rad where the thermostat is does not need one either, thats my understanding

 

[Kayos]

Pretty sure bathrooms do not have to have TRVs and the rad where the thermostat is does not need one either, thats my understanding

The one in the same area as the thermostat doesn't, bathroom should

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Should, shall and must are used throughout the building regs and all have specific meaning

It's Part L if you fancy downloading it

Had a look here but there are about 10 docs for part L, not sure which one to looks at.

Conservation of fuel and power: Approved Document L

Building regulation in England setting standards for the energy performance of new and existing buildings.

www.gov.uk

 

[OJCar]

That is the Building Regs for England, you need
https://www.gov.scot/policies/building-standards/monitoring-improving-building-regulations/

 

[Blobber]

Put TRVs on them all, with the rad that "meets the regulations" put a decorators/maintenance cap on it to regulate/balance the flow, get the ticket and then choose which rad you want non TRV to be using the decorators/maintenance cap, this for me would always be the bathroom whatever the regs say

 

[Mikes]

Two questions that you need to answer first:
Does the boiler have an inbuilt bypass valve or alternatively one installed between the flow and return to allow for all of the TRVs closing?
Is the pump a self regulating type which reduces its speed in sensing an increase in resistance due to the TRVs closing?
If the answer is yes to either of these then technically you should be safe fitting an additional TRV.
The Building Regs infer that you should update / improve the heating system controls if you are doing any major work. If you already have TRVs on every other heat emitter then it sounds like your system is already energy saving and I doubt that the Building Control officer would try to enforce the addition of another. Best action of course would be to ask them. Generally they are happy to give an opinion when asked.

 

[brightspark]

one wants to be left open and its generaly the bathroom reason is drying towels and warmth and if the boiler and heating are on if there all closed the pump gets overloaded and can burn out and wont do the boiler much good

 

[gaz1]

As above, I'm adding a tower rail in a new shower room without any existing radiator, do the regs say it should have a TRV?

An added complication is every other radiator in the house does have a TRV, there was a towel rail in the old bathroom with no TRV which is now the kitchen and has been removed.

The regs seem to say that the rad without one should be controlled by a room stat but I don't want that.

leave it without trvs set as a through flow by lowering the valves to equal balance of the system

probably used more as a last rad on the system that gives full circulatory of the pumped water system

i prefer one rad without trvs usually the bathroom rad

newer boilers dont need the rad that way but some boilers dont have a bypass circulatory system built within them

so better to have one rad that does work this way

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Cheers guys, thanks for all the advice.

Now just finished ordering most of the parts for the new room, let the rip out begin.

 

[armalites]

I fitted a differential bypass on my system and have TRV on all radiators. If they all shut down the bypass lets the flow through.