Home heating automation

grogi

Clareman wrote: »

I'm leaning towards the Tado the more I look at it, I've 10 radiators, probably don't need a control on every radiator but if I'm at it I might as well go big

I started with Tado smart thermostat only. Now I have 6 zones, two wireless temperature sensors and 8 TRV It is addictive...

I sometimes regret not getting HomematicIP - it seems it gives you even more control.

sebdavis

Clareman wrote: »

I'm leaning towards the Tado the more I look at it, I've 10 radiators, probably don't need a control on every radiator but if I'm at it I might as well go big

Personally I think a standalone smart thermostat is a bit last year. Having the ability to control every room is a lot better solution and should result in reduction in wasted oil. Maybe not in oil itself but just having the right rooms at the right temp instead of one room boiling and every other freezing.

I have 20+ radiators and have installed in all bar the ones in bathroom. This was recommendation of plumber not to put on the bathroom. I think it is also recommended to have one radiator without a TRV. Not sure when or where I seen that.

Will Nest integrate with radiator thermostats from another company?

grogi

sebdavis wrote: »

Will Nest integrate with radiator thermostats from another company?

No

Clareman

I started in this forum because I got a free piece of kit somewhere, now there's more to be bought

Can someone advise what I should get from here https://www.tado.com/ie-en/bundles-ec?utm_campaign=eos2021_bundles&utm_medium=email&utm_source=intercom please, I have a 1 zone boiler and 10 radiators

I assume that I should get Wired Smart Thermostat Starter Kit V3+, Smart Radiator Thermostat - Starter Kit + 3 Smart Radiator Thermostats and 5 Smart Radiator Thermostats, that'll give me the controller for the boiler and a control for each radiator except for the bathroom and 1 other 1.

deezell

Clareman wrote: »

I started in this forum because I got a free piece of kit somewhere, now there's more to be bought

Can someone advise what I should get from here https://www.tado.com/ie-en/bundles-ec?utm_campaign=eos2021_bundles&utm_medium=email&utm_source=intercom please, I have a 1 zone boiler and 10 radiators

I assume that I should get Wired Smart Thermostat Starter Kit V3+, Smart Radiator Thermostat - Starter Kit + 3 Smart Radiator Thermostats and 5 Smart Radiator Thermostats, that'll give me the controller for the boiler and a control for each radiator except for the bathroom and 1 other 1.

You don't need the smart radiator stat stater kit, you already have the bridge with the Wired stat kit V3, so just TRVs tor as many rads as you want, 9, 10, 3 threes or two fives.

Clareman

deezell wrote: »

You don't need the smart radiator stat stater kit, you already have the bridge with the Wired stat kit V3, so just TRVs tor as many rads as you want, 9, 10, 3 threes or two fives.

Great, thanks for that, I'm pulling the trigger now, little Easter project :cool:

machiavellianme

Has anyone come across a smart air vent solution? There was a thread here previously recommending "vent-axia freshvent 100 thermo DB" but I can't find these to buy anywhere online. I'm presuming that the tech has moved on a bit since then?

deezell

machiavellianme wrote: »

Has anyone come across a smart air vent solution? There was a thread here previously recommending "vent-axia freshvent 100 thermo DB" but I can't find these to buy anywhere online. I'm presuming that the tech has moved on a bit since then?

Do you mean the heat recovery type for individual room fitting, with alternated direction fan, as featured on EcoEye repeat a week or so ago. I see them on Amazon. They're more sophisticated than that vent axia one, which is passive, no heat recovery.

machiavellianme

deezell wrote: »

Do you mean the heat recovery type for individual room fitting, with alternated direction fan, as featured on EcoEye repeat a week or so ago. I see them on Amazon. They're more sophisticated than that vent axia one, which is passive, no heat recovery.

I was planning on the passive approach, perhaps with some sort of battery supplied automation to adjust the vent based on temperature/humidity.
Active might be an option but I'd need to get power to the vent then.

Ryath

There's humidity controlled vents that don't need power. They have a humidity sensitive strip that opens and closes them. We have them installed as part of a Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) system but they can be used passively too.

https://www.heatmerchants.ie/aereco-eht-acoustic-air-inlet-valve-u48874

https://www.aereco.ie/

Bawnmore

After some reading around, I'm set on the Drayton Wiser system and TRV's. Just want to make sure I'm ordering the right thing.

So what we have:

- Boiler, zoned for rads and water.
- EPH controller that allows for separate schedules for heat and water. We don't have huge hot water needs so have it set for 30 mins in the morning and that's it.
- Separate mechanical timer for immersion.
- Wired twisty knob type thermostat in the hall.
- Hot Water cylinder gravity fed from attic.
- Manual TRV bodies on each rad.

So with above in mind, would the following sound right:

- https://www.screwfix.ie/p/drayton-heating-2-channel-wiser-thermostat-control-kit/9575V?gclsrc=ds which would replace the EPH controller and thermostat.
- Drayton Wiser TRV's for each of the radiators with the exception of the bathroom.

And then questions:

- Is replacing it a DIY job or something we'd need an electrician for?
- It doesn't say it in the package above, but I'm assuming the Drayton thermostats are wireless and I could move it to a better spot than the current thermostat (above a radiator) and just patch up the wiring hole?

deezell

Bawnmore wrote: »

After some reading around, I'm set on the Drayton Wiser system and TRV's. Just want to make sure I'm ordering the right thing.

So what we have:

- Boiler, zoned for rads and water.
- EPH controller that allows for separate schedules for heat and water. We don't have huge hot water needs so have it set for 30 mins in the morning and that's it.
- Separate mechanical timer for immersion.
- Wired twisty knob type thermostat in the hall.
- Hot Water cylinder gravity fed from attic.
- Manual TRV bodies on each rad.

So with above in mind, would the following sound right:

- https://www.screwfix.ie/p/drayton-heating-2-channel-wiser-thermostat-control-kit/9575V?gclsrc=ds which would replace the EPH controller and thermostat.
- Drayton Wiser TRV's for each of the radiators with the exception of the bathroom.

And then questions:

- Is replacing it a DIY job or something we'd need an electrician for?
- It doesn't say it in the package above, but I'm assuming the Drayton thermostats are wireless and I could move it to a better spot than the current thermostat (above a radiator) and just patch up the wiring hole?

Right on all counts. TRVs are DIY, stat is wireless, receiver a direct replacement for the EPH, simple wiring Remove the old stat, joining its wires together and insulating before popping back in the hole. Turn of mains breaker to all before DIY, as receiver and old stat are switching mains.

championc

Just make sure that your existing TRV's are standard, or you'll have to buy additional adapters.

Tado come with adapters to work with 10's of different TRV's

deezell

championc wrote: »

Just make sure that your existing TRV's are standard, or you'll have to buy additional adapters.

Tado come with adapters to work with 10's of different TRV's

In addition to that, I just noticed you said that your cylinder was gravity fed. You can't generally use a two channel timer to control a system with gravity fed HW unless the controller has a gravity mode switch. Does your HW heat all the time the boiler fires for ch, or just when its EPH HW timing is on. If the latter, then your HW is not gravity fed, but individually fed by a pump or valve circuit. The drayton 2 zone controller does not have a gravity mode jumper or switch, so you'll need to establish that your HW and CH can operate independently before going for the wiser kit.
Its just s small quirk of wiring that facilitates gravity mode, without it a 2 channel programmer can mimic it by having one channel fire the boiler exclusively, which will give gravity HW heating, then the other channel operates the CH pump, which heats the rads provided the HW, boiler call timing is on. Gravity mode on a 2 channel timer builds this in, HW timer is wired to boiler, CH timer to the pump, and HW timer goes off for all events, HW and CH.

Bawnmore

deezell wrote: »

In addition to that, I just noticed you said that your cylinder was gravity fed. You can't generally use a two channel timer to control a system with gravity fed HW unless the controller has a gravity mode switch. Does your HW heat all the time the boiler fires for ch, or just when its EPH HW timing is on. If the latter, then your HW is not gravity fed, but individually fed by a pump or valve circuit. The drayton 2 zone controller does not have a gravity mode jumper or switch, so you'll need to establish that your HW and CH can operate independently before going for the wiser kit.
Its just s small quirk of wiring that facilitates gravity mode, without it a 2 channel programmer can mimic it by having one channel fire the boiler exclusively, which will give gravity HW heating, then the other channel operates the CH pump, which heats the rads provided the HW, boiler call timing is on. Gravity mode on a 2 channel timer builds this in, HW timer is wired to boiler, CH timer to the pump, and HW timer goes off for all events, HW and CH.

Well spotted - by your description above, our HW is actually not gravity fed. The EPH controller can control either independently - each have their own valves. So that all sounds good - will pick up the Drayton system shortly - thanks folks.

savemejebus

For the Drayton there's a bit of a discount on Amazon at the min. A much bigger discount in the wireless extenders from the warehouse if you need them. 30% off the marked price at checkout https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drayton-Wiser-Heating-System-Extender/dp/B07D71BPGK/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Drayton&m=A2OAJ7377F756P&qid=1616525953&s=warehouse-deals&sr=8-5

Bawnmore

Bawnmore wrote: »

After some reading around, I'm set on the Drayton Wiser system and TRV's. Just want to make sure I'm ordering the right thing.

So what we have:

- Boiler, zoned for rads and water.
- EPH controller that allows for separate schedules for heat and water. We don't have huge hot water needs so have it set for 30 mins in the morning and that's it.
- Separate mechanical timer for immersion.
- Wired twisty knob type thermostat in the hall.
- Hot Water cylinder gravity fed from attic.
- Manual TRV bodies on each rad.

So with above in mind, would the following sound right:

- https://www.screwfix.ie/p/drayton-heating-2-channel-wiser-thermostat-control-kit/9575V?gclsrc=ds which would replace the EPH controller and thermostat.
- Drayton Wiser TRV's for each of the radiators with the exception of the bathroom.

And then questions:

- Is replacing it a DIY job or something we'd need an electrician for?
- It doesn't say it in the package above, but I'm assuming the Drayton thermostats are wireless and I could move it to a better spot than the current thermostat (above a radiator) and just patch up the wiring hole?

Just spotted that discount too. Just to check, this is the same as what I've linked above, but with 2 TRV's included right?

championc

Woooo hoooo - new Tado app v6.5

One button to shut off app rads. Perfect timing for the incoming summer

chuck eastwood

championc wrote: »

Woooo hoooo - new Tado app v6.5

One button to shut off app rads. Perfect timing for the incoming summer

Had it in the beta version for the last few weeks. Very handy but it would be far better if you could shut down each zone seperately

deezell

Seems like an admission that there are those who prefer to act as human stats, boost, off, boost, off, like the crudest of timer only controllers. If you trust the smarts, you can just leave it alone.

chuck eastwood

deezell wrote: »

Seems like an admission that there are those who prefer to act as human stats, boost, off, boost, off, like the crudest of timer only controllers. If you trust the smarts, you can just leave it alone.

Or there are some with households that both work call outs ever changing shifts etc so the ability to fly out the door and kill the heating is handy without forgetting to use geofencing. If we relied on the software itself to run on scheduling it would cost us a hell of a lot more than it currently does. Control is everything

grogi

deezell wrote: »

Seems like an admission that there are those who prefer to act as human stats, boost, off, boost, off, like the crudest of timer only controllers. If you trust the smarts, you can just leave it alone.

I clean the radiators.from time to time... I don't want them hot when I'm cleaning...

deezell

You don't have to 'use' geofencing, set once and forget. Set home schedules and forget. If you have to regularly turn off or boost, then the schedule is wrong, too cold or too warm.
I get it from Tado's point of view, it'll help sales, a lot of people need to be in control, or at least have the option, and it's cost Tado nothing but a few lines of code. The prominence of the new buttons speaks volumes about the human machine relationship.
A lady I knew, long departed, would sit by her new automatic washing machine, the older type with the big mechanical program timer, and would manually advance every stage of a programme, convinced that the wash or rinse or spin had gone over time or was stuck, and needed a nudge. After a few years of this, the timer gave up prematurely, so she got her manual machine, sort of.
Enjoy the buttons!

notahappycamper

I wish Tado° would incorporate hot water control into HomeKit especially since the rooms/rads can be controlled individually by HomeKit.

Marlow

After the latest firmware update to my Fritz!Box routers, all Fritz!DECT switches now also measure and show humidity.



That was a nice update.

/M

Clareman

My Tado arrived and I'm not sure how to install them on my radiators, I've this type of connection

grogi

Clareman wrote: »

My Tado arrived and I'm not sure how to install them on my radiators, I've this type of connection

This looks like a balancing value to me.

Check the other side of the radiator. There should be second valve there.

sebdavis

Clareman wrote: »

My Tado arrived and I'm not sure how to install them on my radiators, I've this type of connection

You are going to look at this

https://my-plumber.co.uk/blog/how-to-fit-a-thermostatic-radiator-valve-trv/

Got o 3.14 in the video

Clareman

grogi wrote: »

This looks like a balancing value to me.

Check the other side of the radiator. There should be second valve there.

I've the same on both sides of the rad,it's about 20 years old

sebdavis

Clareman wrote: »

I've the same on both sides of the rad,it's about 20 years old

Its the old connections. If you don't already have a TRV installed then you need to follow the video above and install.....so its a drain the system and replace job...