Do I need more than 1 Hive thermostat for multiple zones?

yannakis

Not sure if the setup is called 2- or 3- zone, so let me describe it and you can probably clear this bit up for me before going any further. Gas boiler with controls for heating downstairs, heating upstairs, and hot water.

I saw Bord Gais are giving the Hive thermostat for free with certain plans, and I'm interested but the question is: do I need more than one device for the above setup?

DGOBS

Yes you will, for a 3zone like you have mutlizone is required.
The offer covers 1xheating zone and 1xhot water, for the additional zone it's an extra receiver and thermostat required (€119 installed)

yannakis

Thanks @DGOBS, very straight forward.

Do you believe it's worth the extra monies?

Also, would you recommend an alternative "smart thermostat" rather than the Hive?

DGOBS

I'm a Hive guy, so wouldn't be objective to answer that!

I love Hive, I have 3 heating zones and a hot water zone, if your house is zoned, 100% spring for the extra zones.I also have hive lights, plugs, motion sensors and window/door sensors. (my cameras are in the post) and have them all linked through an Amazon Echo (you can also use Amazon Dot) so when in the house, I can ask Alexa to operate any of my devices, I also have created recipes, such as when one of my kids goes via the hall to the bathroom between 10pm-6am, the hall light automatically comes on at 10% power for 5 minutes (you can also access a log of movement) my kids phone chargers are plugged in via a Hive plug, so when they fall asleep in the bed with the phone on charge (as they always do!! grrr) I have those plugs timed to power off at 11am each night.

Jezz09

Hi DGOBS, I have just bought a house and am interested in the hive thermostats. I have a similar setup to yannakis. I have a heating controller (very simple timer clock with 2 switches, 1 for heaing/1 for HW), this is on the wall in the utility. I have a stat on the wall in the sitting room, another in the main bedroom upstairs and another on the hw cylinder. Would i need 2 hives? Where do they go? does one of them replace the heating controller? if so, does it have to go in the utility where the old controller was? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance.

DGOBS

Hive will only replace the timer as is, so if you cannot control the upstair/downstairs heating independently from the current timer, Hive will not be able to do this either.

It sounds to me that you motorised valves (controlling upstair and downstair and hot water) may not have had the auxiliary switches wired into your system.

Hive dual system could replace your current timer, but your app control would only be 1 heating zone and 1 hot water zone, and both your upstair and downstair stats would have to remain in place.

Hive receiver replaces your timer, and then you have a remote hive thermostat (battery operated)

If your timer had separate upstairs/downstairs/hot water, then you would need hive multizone:

Dude pack: 1x Hub 1xDual receiver (does 1xhot water 1xheating zone) 1xThermostat
Additional Zone for multi zone: 1xsingle channel receiver 1xThermostat

Hope that helps.

Jezz09

Thanks for the reply. Would it be easy enough to fit the auxiliaries from the 3 motorized valves to make it a proper multizone? As it is, I have the problem that although my sitting room downstairs is obviously hotter than the thermostat setting, it is not turning off the boiler even when the other 2 stats are off. I'm really looking for more control over the system.

DGOBS

It depends on where the motorised valves are located, it would involve routing cables from the valves back to where the timer is.

Sometimes it maybe possible to have the hive receivers in the hotpress where the valves are (in some cases) and only have to run a single cable back to the timer, but each installation would have to be assessed on its merits.

AmberGold

Hi

Looking for some advice on a Hive install.

3 storey house, each floor has a thermostat either on the landing or in the hall.
2 Gas Boilers, one for water, one for radiators controlled by mechanical timer switches. Water tank with Immersion.

Putting the Gas for the water on for am hour in the morning and half hour in the evening seems to give us enough hot water for a family of 5.

House always seems to be too hot or cold & heating bills have been high in the winter.

What setup should I be looking at?

Thanks.

DGOBS

Hi AmberGold

How many timer switches do you have?
Is there one for each thermostat on each floor?
Is there a separate one for hot water?
Does the heating kick in for each timer independently? (you don't have to have hot water on for the other zones to kick in)

AmberGold

How many timer switches do you have?
2, underneath each Gas Boiler in the utility room

Is there one for each thermostat on each floor?
No

Is there a separate one for hot water?
Yes but not the Immersion, hot water is provided by the Boiler, we don't use the immersion

Does the heating kick in for each timer independently? (you don't have to have hot water on for the other zones to kick in)
I assume the heating kicks in for each timer independently, the Gas boiler for the water is not controlled by a thermostat, just a timer.

Thanks for your help here.

DGOBS

So if I am understanding your answers correctly:

You have a heating timer, but all your 3 thermostats are independent (i.e. not controlled by individual timers)
and you have a hot water timer for the boiler also.

If so, Hive standard Dual control would replace both timers for the boiler, but it would not be able to give you independent control of each zone, only the same control you have with both timers at the moment, all the remaining 3 thermostats would have to stay in position, and be 'governed' by an overall stat from Hive.

You would be able to independently turn on heating and hot water via the app and the Hive stat.

AmberGold

Great thanks.

DGOBS

No hassle.

bod71

Hi, I’m interested in getting hive thermostat with hot water and also multi zone as I have two wireless programmable thermostats, downstairs, upstairs and also a cylinder stat, I have a digital time clock that controls hot water. Would the hive receiver take place of the time clock? Thanks.

DGOBS

With the 2 wireless thermostats, I am going to assume both receivers (onexsingle 1xdual) you will need will most likely be installed beside wherever your wiring centre is (and the wireless stats controllers/recivers) as this would have all the switch wires required.

The time clock you have would be wired out of the system and no longer required.

You will be able to switch on DHW via the downstairs heating thermostat (and you phone of course)

bod71

Would this be a job for an electrician, or do you think you’re average diy person would be able, as you said everything is beside the boiler, wiring centre, motorized valves. Thanks.

metricspaces

bod71 wrote: »

Would this be a job for an electrician, or do you think you’re average diy person would be able, as you said everything is beside the boiler, wiring centre, motorized valves. Thanks.

I got my Hive fitted by Bord Gais at the weekend. The guy who fits it is not an electrician - he's just the same guy who services your boiler. So no electrician needed.

It was an extremely simple job. You are talking 10 minutes max.

* Remove old controller
* Put correct wires into correct location of new Hive controller
* Plug in the Hive hub to your router
* Download the App to your phone and setup
* Discover the thermostats in your App
* Job done!

The above assumes you just turn the temperature on your current thermostats up to max, in effect giving you a straight through connection as if the thermostat did not exist (as the new Hive thermostat is controlling the signal to open\close the valve the old thermostat is not needed). The new Hive thermostat is wireless and does not need to be connected to the wires used by your current thermostat.

I did remove my old thermostats. It took it 2 min max per thermostat. I got an electrician to do this (he was in the house on another job, and the Hive installer would not touch the existing thermostats). I presume the electrician just changed the wiring to give it a straight through connection.

Decoda

Hi Folks,

Looking for some advice in advance of the Hive heating system being fitted by Electric Ireland this Thursday.

My existing oil fired heating has the traditional timer in the utility room and a wired thermostat in the hallway. Would anyone be able to walk me through what I can expect to be fitted on Thursday? Can anyone confirm that the Hive Hub needs to be connected via cable to my router? Does the Hive Hub need power? I presume that the Hive thermostat needs access to power? My existing thermostat is in the hallway and I just presumed that the Electric Ireland fitter would replace the wired thermostat with the new Hive thermostat but reading metricspaces post above it seems as if the fitter will not touch existing fittings? Am I going to have to get an electrician to remove the old thermostat to allow the Hive to be fitted?

Any assistance appreciated.

D.

Decoda

Double Post

metricspaces

Hive Hub will need power supply and you need to connect a cable from it to your router (you'll need a free port on router).

Hive Controller will be fitted in exact same location as your existing control (existing control will be removed). If you have more than one heating zone then you'll need one more controller for each additional zone. The Hive Controller supplied only manages one heating zone and hot water.

Hive thermostat can be placed anywhere - it has a removable plate on the back which can be drilled to the wall or you can simply just leave it standing somewhere. It is run of 4 AA batteries, it does not use a wired power supply and it does not use any of the wiring connected to your existing thermostats.

Installer would not touch my existing thermostats and simply turned them up to max setting.

You could remove existing thermostats yourself. I got electrician do it as he was in the house anyway so it cost me nothing.

I placed the Hive thermostat in the same location as my existing thermostat purely to cover up the hole in the wall.

Decoda

Thanks for clarifying all of that Metric and sorry for hijacking this thread. I'll get the Electric Ireland lad to just put the thermostat on the stand and I'll have the old thermostat removed later. Like you I'll use the nest thermostat to cover the hole in the wall after the old one is removed. I presume that there shouldn't be any issues with the Hive Hub being connected into an Ethernet port on a TPLink.

Thanks again for the info.

D.

DGOBS

I would always ask the installer too loop out the existing thermostats, and if in a good location, even remove them and use this location for the new Hive thermostats.

Hub will be fine to that router, and remember if the router has a USB port (most new ones do, except for sky routers) you can also use this to power your Hive Hub, saving the extra socked being used.

metricspaces

DGOBS wrote: »

I would always ask the installer too loop out the existing thermostats, and if in a good location, even remove them and use this location for the new Hive thermostats.

Maybe some installers will do it? My installer wouldn't. Definitely worth asking though.

I removed mine and put the Hive stat in its place. Save plastering up the hole from the old thermostat!

batman2000

DGOBS wrote: »

I would always ask the installer too loop out the existing thermostats, and if in a good location, even remove them and use this location for the new Hive thermostats.

Hub will be fine to that router, and remember if the router has a USB port (most new ones do, except for sky routers) you can also use this to power your Hive Hub, saving the extra socked being used.

If there is a problem with the router and the WiFi fails, I assume the Hive system doesn't work anymore.?

If there is a internet outage, but the WiFi is OK, will Hive still work?

DGOBS

Hive requires an internet connection to work with a mobile device.

Where the internet is down (or at anytime) you can simply use your Hive thermostat to activate the heating, and it will still be running any heating schedules you have pre-set also.

chuck eastwood

Howdy folks. I was hoping to upgrade me controls to hive. Standard two zone with hot water fed from a condensing oil boilder. Just rang my energy supplier bordgais and they said they recently stopped offering installation to customers with oil burners. Is there anyone else out there i could try as none of the sparks or plumbers i know have installed hive before

DGOBS

You should speak with your local installers (or electrician) as the wiring for Hive is as simple as removing your old timer and replacing it with the Hive Receiver (backplates are the same). If they done this for you, you could easily follow the instructions to set up the stat and hub yourself.

1. Install the Hub - Plug art into your internet router, plug in the power to it, leave for 20mins or so (depends on your internet speed) until the amber light starts flashing
2. Turn power onto the receiver your had installed, it will double flash amber, when it changes to a single flashing amber, it has picked up the hub
3. put the batteries int he thermostat, and it will automatically pair to the receiver (receiver light changes to green when complete)
4. Download Hive app on your phone, and follow the registration instructions, when prompted enter the ID number on the underneath of your Hub
5. Enjoy using Hive

Hive support is 1850680680 and open 8am-9pm everyday
Hope that helps

chuck eastwood

DGOBS wrote: »

You should speak with your local installers (or electrician) as the wiring for Hive is as simple as removing your old timer and replacing it with the Hive Receiver (backplates are the same). If they done this for you, you could easily follow the instructions to set up the stat and hub yourself.

1. Install the Hub - Plug art into your internet router, plug in the power to it, leave for 20mins or so (depends on your internet speed) until the amber light starts flashing
2. Turn power onto the receiver your had installed, it will double flash amber, when it changes to a single flashing amber, it has picked up the hub
3. put the batteries int he thermostat, and it will automatically pair to the receiver (receiver light changes to green when complete)
4. Download Hive app on your phone, and follow the registration instructions, when prompted enter the ID number on the underneath of your Hub
5. Enjoy using Hive

Hive support is 1850680680 and open 8am-9pm everyday
Hope that helps

Thanks. Might just ring around a few more places or just ask in heat merchants if they can recommend anyone the next time im in. I wouldtackle it myself but i have a system link fitted and the pumps are contactor driven. The wiring isnt exactly tidy but it works. Installed before systemlink offered pre wired systems.

DGOBS

Yes, a little bit more involved wiring wise.

batman2000

I got a Viessmann Vitodens 100 wall mounted boiler installed this week along with Hive. I am very happy with the install. There was extra wiring from the boiler to the hot water cylinder to separate the hot water and central heating. It's a great piece of kit.