All Collections
Installing and setting up tado°
Installing tado° heating products
What is the difference between thermostatic and manual radiator valves? Which valve types are compatible with tado°?
What is the difference between thermostatic and manual radiator valves? Which valve types are compatible with tado°?
tado° avatar
Written by tado°
Updated over a week ago

Compatible:

Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)

tado° Smart Radiator Thermostats only work with thermostatic radiator valves. tado° will replace your existing thermostatic valve head.

These valve heads contain a sensor with a wax or liquid that expands as the room temperature goes up and contracts as the temperature goes down. This adjusts the pin in the valve body; contracting allows more hot water to flow to the radiator, and expanding reduces hot water flow.

Most thermostatic radiator valves have numbers, screens or other control buttons on them.

Thermostatic valve heads can easily be unmounted to be replaced with a tado° Smart Radiator Thermostat to improve temperature control.

Example of a generic thermostatic valve, with retractable pin.

Incompatible:

Manual Valves

A manual valve (non-thermostatic) is a simple on/off valve that works like a tap. It regulates hot water flow to the radiator and only changes the room’s temperature when you manually turn it on or off. tado° is not compatible with manual valves.

Example of a generic manual valve, with rotating nozzle.

Manual valves usually have no numbers or buttons. There may be plus and minus (or on and off) signs on a manual valve, indicating the direction you need to turn it to. Unlike thermostatic valves, manual valves have no pin that can be pushed in and out.

You can get your manual valve replaced with an M30 x 1.5 mm thermostatic radiator valve to be able to install the tado° Smart Radiator Thermostat. We recommend you ask a professional to do this for you.

Return Temperature Limiter (RTL) valves

tado° Smart Radiator Thermostats are not compatible with RTL valves, which are used in underfloor heating systems.

This is because tado° Smart Radiator Thermostats measure the ambient air temperature, while RTL valves measure the water temperature within the connected pipe.

Monotube radiator systems

tado° Smart Radiator Thermostats are not compatible with monotube/single pipe radiator systems.

More information:

Did this answer your question?