Home heating automation

mel123

@deezell you are a legend and only yesterday I was thinking if we lost boards we would lose people like you and the knowledge you have and share with us in your own free time.

Can I ask one last question. If they wanted to do all three zones now, what specific kit should I look at?

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123954226#Comment_123954226

Tricky, but I'd probably go with Tado. With V3 you'd need the wireless thermostat starter kit for, say, upstairs, a wired stat for UHF, another wired stat for downstairs non-UFH. If the downstairs wired stat can be conveniently wired to the location of the current CTC, its easy. If the optimal location for the downstairs stat is not easily wired back to this point, you can just wire it beside the CTC, and install a wireless sensor stat, locate it optimally downstairs, then link it as the measuring device of the wired downstairs stat which now just acts as a relay for the downstairs zone valve.

It sounds a bit clunky, and I'm inclined to ask what is the downstairs zone, if kitchen and living are all UFH? If its just downstairs hall, utility, guest bathroom radiators, then it might be easier to incorporate this zone onto the UFH wired thermostat control, creating a simpler all downstairs zone. You can tweak the downstairs radiator valves to match the heating response of the UFH zone, as both UFH and downstairs rads will act as one zone.

Alternatively, and logically simpler, you could get three Hive mini wireless stats with receivers, (one with the Internet bridge, as all three can link to the same bridge . All three receivers will replace the CTC , wiring is relatively easy.

You can also use the Tado X system in a similar wired/wireless installation as the Tado V3. I'll need to research a bit to see if the single wireless stat limitation has been overcome in the Tado X hardware, which could simplify installation, as would reverting to a single downstairs zone.

mel123

thanks @deezell i will give them a look tomorrow. UFH downstairs just in kitchen/living, their bedrooms are downstairs on rads - 1 down in the pics of controls. Thanks again

Cameraman

We are in the process of getting rewiring done, and will be replacing the old gas boiler controller (which is just an old basic timer controller). Where is the best supplier to get advice on what to get (in Dublin area) ? Or can anyone here suggest the best options ?

We have a pretty good idea of the requirements :

Boiler Controller/Timer
Remote internet access
Add-on thermostat - remote wireless
Control remote motorised valve for Water Tank/Radiator switching

Also Ideally : capability to add remote radiator valves & with no ongoing subscription

Thanks for any suggestions.

deezell

1. Post an image of the boiler timer/controller, boiler also.
2. Do you have a dial wall thermostat for CH temperature control
3. Can you heat HW from the boiler without the radiators also heating. And vice versa.
4. Does the valve for Tank/radiator mentioned already exist

.

Cameraman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123959459#Comment_123959459

This is an oldish house we are moving in to - having some electrical & plumbing work done first.

(1) Sorry - these photos are the best I have on my phone at the moment. I can take more if they are unhelpful. The existing controller appears to be a timeswitch only. It's a Horstmann Centaurplus Model C11 (from the leaflet left by the previous owners)
(2) There appears to be no separate thermostat
(3) Not at present - but our plumber says a valve can be installed - but he had in mind a manual lever. We would prefer a motorised valve ideally controlled by the new CH controller
(4) No, but see 3

Thanks for your response.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123960029#Comment_123960029

1. You're right, pictures are shyte resolution, but I can see all I need to.
2. You could get a wire pair from a suitable stat location back to the controller location as you're rewiring, but it's not worth the hassle. Use wireless.
3. Boiler is a basic system boiler. There may be a suitable point in the plumbing where CH and HW flow diverge, but probably not. More like the HW cylinder just sits on the boiler flow/return loop like another radiator. Unless they're split right at the boiler, you can't seperate flow to CH only or HW only. If you can, it's an ideal candidate for a two zone system with 2 MOTORISED valves (manual lever? What century is this plumber from?). If two seperate flow paths don't exist, you can still seperate HW and CH by the use of Smart TRVs on all the radiators, bar the bathroom for a bypass (or else plumber fits a bypass under the boiler). These, and a motorised valve on the HW tank flow will give you seperate HW and CH, with individual or grouped room control with seperate heating schedules for these. The TRVs will probably requires the plumber to fit TRV type valve bodies on the rads if they are currently only twist valve type.
4. To control all this, and TRVs if you go down that route, you'll need a wireless stat for general CH control, to a receiver with both HW and CH relays to open the zone valves. TADO Wireless starter kit, V3 or the new Tado X starterkit, or, Drayton wiser Kit 2, or, Hive CH plus HW kit.

While you won't need a CH zone valve if the rads can't be isolated from the HW tap by a single valve, and you resort to smart TRVs, any of the controller options above will still be required for independent calling of the boiler for HW or CH. You could also ask the plumber to route new flow/ return paths to the HW tank directly via motorised valve if the path for a pair of flow/return 22mm pipes is not too torturous. Two zone valves under the boiler will complete the job. (I don't recommend a single three port valve to split HW/CH flow, wiring wrecks plumber and sparks heads, and if it fails theres no simple manual control unlike with individual two port jobbies)

Check if the rads already have old mechanical TRV valve bodies. You might get lucky.