Tuya TRVs Not Recommendable Due to Lack of Gradual Control

Hardware
1

I’d like to run all the heating of my gas condensing boiler with the Tuya ME 167. According to @panhans (whose Blueprint “Advanced Heating Control” I use), Tuya TRVs can only fully open or close the valve.

When using Zigbee thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) that can only fully open or close, rather than modulating the flow of hot water, this can have several impacts on boiler performance, energy consumption, and wear:

1. Increased Boiler Cycling:

With TRVs that either fully open or fully close, the boiler may cycle on and off more frequently to adjust to sudden changes in heat demand. This can lead to:

  • Higher wear and tear on components like the burner and ignition system.
  • Reduced efficiency as each start-up requires extra energy (e.g., reheating the heat exchanger).

2. Inefficient Heat Distribution:

Without modulating valves, some rooms might get overheated while others remain underheated, causing the boiler to work harder to compensate for temperature swings.

3. Increased Energy Consumption:

Because TRVs can only be fully open or fully closed, the boiler tends to run at full power more often, which is less efficient compared to a system that modulates output to meet exact heat demand. This could increase overall energy consumption.

4. Longer Recovery Times:

When TRVs are closed for a while and suddenly fully open, the boiler needs to quickly reheat the system, often running at unnecessarily high temperatures, which reduces efficiency.

Conclusion:

Using on-off TRVs could result in higher energy costs and accelerated wear on the boiler due to frequent cycling. Using modulating TRVs that adjust heat flow gradually would improve efficiency, reduce strain on the boiler, and result in better heat distribution across the home.

2

So don’t use it.

3

Shouldn’t we warn people using it? If it’s true, then we should. Your answer doesn’t sound like you’re taking the implications seriously — is that the case? We are talking about a Blueprint designed to save energy, but it seems like we’re implying that several TVRs from a well-known brand could be used with AHC. In reality, they do the opposite and could actually harm your boiler.

4

Half the people here are in danger of electrocution or burning their house down because they understand nothing about electricity yet they attempt to do their own wiring despite repeated warnings to hire an electrician.

Also they keep buying Tuya devices despite the myriad of warnings here that they have a garbage API and do not integrate well.

5

So far, I haven’t seen any warnings, but I’m quite new here. I just searched for ‘Tuya warning’ — nothing really caught my eye. I’m definitely not interested in burning down my house, nor in deteriorating my boiler. That’s why I was about to issue a warning myself. Could you perhaps contribute something substantial regarding the actual dangers of Tuya smart home devices, specifically concerning fire risks and/or the inability to control them gradually, as mentioned?

As all Smart Home devices are produced in China, I wonder what the real differences between them are. I assume that devices powered by a single CR2032 (LIR) battery — as well as TRVs running on two alkaline or NiMH AA batteries — are not really at risk of catching fire. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

6

Hi Schnipsi-Pipsi,

So I read this, and without looking at any other comments yet, What is your point? Tuya brand is like saying AMD Brand.
Tuya sells a chipset and firmware to a myriad of small manufacturers who make stuff. This is why some are engineering nightmares and dangerous junk, others work great. Hit and Miss, literally. No consistency because multiple implementations of hardware based on a common firmware and chipset.

I have no idea what you want with this post.

  • Need help fixing this.?
  • Don’t like it so don’t buy it?
  • This is dangerous and should be removed from the market?

It’s to me is a plea to the manufacturer (which is not Tuya, but someone implementing Tuya protocol on a valve) to do something, not sure what.

I suggest if you are going to write something like this, state your point clearly in the beginning with a TD;LR please.

7

Hey!

  • Question: Is it true that Tuya TRVs (like the ME167) are unable to gradually control the valve?
  • Question: Would using TRVs without gradual control be counterproductive (see above), or does someone have a different experience?
  • Question: Can TRVs running on 2 AA batteries pose a fire risk? What specific dangers are associated with these devices?
8

Well guys tuya zigbee devices are, in my experience, really reliable. I didn’t burned my house down, yet.
I have a few tuya wifi switches and they work as they should. Didin’t burned anything yet down.
There was a case, a serious case, when a guy bought sonoff smart plug and usb charger that caught on fire. Luckily he was at home to prevent serious damage.
But when he posted what happened to him on this forum sonoff very quickly redraw all those devices from online stores.
So, are Chinese devices secure to use?
Well you have to understand that China is a communist country, just like Yugoslavia once was. In those countries you have the same products made for domestic usage and export. The products that are made for export are always better quality than domestic products. That is the way how things works in communist countries.
I didn’t have any problems with their products so far. Maybe I’m lucky but I don’t think so. They are capable to make quality products.