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Home heating automation

[Deleted User]

Just starting to look into this now though probably wont be purchasing for a while unless a bargain pops up.

I know there are a number of options out there for this but many like the Nest for example appear to be mostly based around running automatically depending on temp etc or learning your usage.

What I want to know is which one is best to use like a traditional timer? I'd want to set a schedule for heating and water to come on and off and also boost it if I felt like it. Learning my usage or using the thermostat to turn on/off the heating is not something I would really use.

I do want to be able to boost the heat and water remotely so the place is warm before arriving home and have a nice interface for setting timers using an app as we change around our water and heating timing quite often and its a pain having to do this using the poor user interfaces and controls on a traditional heating timer.

I'm assuming they can all be used in this way but I wonder if any device in particular is more geared towards this type of usage?

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THE ALM

Anybody run there Hive in the 'Ready by' mode and how do you find it?

THE ALM

OffalyMedic wrote: »

Getting a Nest installed today with E.I. small house only 75m2 do I need trv or with stat being in middle room suffice?

I would get the Nest installed and see how you get on with it, you could look at something like the Energenie TRV's, which are compatible with Nest, down the line if needs be.

OffalyMedic

Getting a Nest installed today with E.I. small house only 75m2 do I need trv or with stat being in middle room suffice?

deezell

reignschaos wrote: »

I've been keeping on eye on the whole Tado subscription disaster that they made for themselves. I see today that the option to upgrade to the new app is now showing up in the existing app.

The good news is Tado seem to have done at least a semi uturn for existing customers in relation to the Subscription in that for €20 one off payment we get the app upgrade and loose no functionality based on this Tado Blog entry.

Some relevant comments on a Tado specific blog starting at this post;
https://www.avforums.com/threads/tado-smart-thermostat.2077764/page-27#post-26709426

reignschaos

I've been keeping on eye on the whole Tado subscription disaster that they made for themselves. I see today that the option to upgrade to the new app is now showing up in the existing app.

The good news is Tado seem to have done at least a semi uturn for existing customers in relation to the Subscription in that for €20 one off payment we get the app upgrade and loose no functionality based on this Tado Blog entry.

This guy I think sums it all up well New Updated Costs, if you look at his earlier video, he makes a good idea on saving money on the subscription costs. Basically pay monthly and unsubscribe from it during the warmer months :-)

deezell

L1011 wrote: »

...........I can't see a way to use the timing to turn it off off but if my house is below 9c when I'm away the fish and the plants might be pissed off anyway! Will need to see how much more run-time it causes on very cold days

Simply turn the temperature for a particular time slot right down, this is the equivalent of Off.

deezell

kave2 wrote: »

Hi, looking to get smart home heating, have 2 zones + hot water. I was hoping to get something cheaper then the likes of Tado, Nest because I don't need all those smart features. Basically just remote access to my heating.

Found some cheap ones on Amazon but not sure how good they are.

From the big brands Hive seems to be the cheapest, would cost me 245e.

Is there anything cheaper? Thanks a lot.

The Drayton Wiser Kit 3 checks out well. About €200+,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drayton-Wiser-Thermostat-Kit-Heating/dp/B075GNJ7ZN
Far Superior programmability and functionality compated to the Climote, simple connection to your wifi, can add TRVs later. If you currently have a 3 zone timer controller like an EPH, the Wiser hub just wires in place. Very simple install. Stats are wireless paired to the hub. Hub connects by Wi-Fi to your internet. Have a look at installation guide here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bLXcPI72DURhxD6iUf0M5kTZlXydzz97/view?usp=drivesdk

super_sweeney

kave2 wrote: »

Hi, looking to get smart home heating, have 2 zones + hot water. I was hoping to get something cheaper then the likes of Tado, Nest because I don't need all those smart features. Basically just remote access to my heating.

Found some cheap ones on Amazon but not sure how good they are.

From the big brands Hive seems to be the cheapest, would cost me 245e.

Is there anything cheaper? Thanks a lot.

I have a climote got it free from electric ireland its exactly what your looking for! its cheap and does the trick the only thing that i would warn against though it runs on a data sim :mad: and does not run through wifi and the app could majorly do with an update but the website is good for historical data and its great as a remote timer and did i mention as i was an electric ireland customer i got it FREE!

L1011

Krombopulos Michael wrote: »

Working as programmer with remote access is mostly what I want. Is the program functionality easy to use?

Very. You need to get used to it's slightly different way of working, and be ok with 9c as "off"* but you see the whole week in one view and copy/paste is obvious. Has 15 minute accuracy for control periods. Water is simple on/off with no thermostat; the tank stat talks to the valve on mine so that sorts that out.

*I can't see a way to use the timing to turn it off off but if my house is below 9c when I'm away the fish and the plants might be pissed off anyway! Will need to see how much more run-time it causes on very cold days

kave2

Hi, looking to get smart home heating, have 2 zones + hot water. I was hoping to get something cheaper then the likes of Tado, Nest because I don't need all those smart features. Basically just remote access to my heating.

Found some cheap ones on Amazon but not sure how good they are.

From the big brands Hive seems to be the cheapest, would cost me 245e.

Is there anything cheaper? Thanks a lot.

Krombopulos Michael

L1011 wrote: »

Got a Nest in yesterday.

The documentation is bloody awful and they really assume you want your heat on all the time. Auto Away works fine for knocking the heat off when we're gone but then the timer doesn't come back on as there's no way to give it a "we actually want this one" instruction

So its now basically working as a programmer with remote access to over-ride which is actually sufficient for me and is more than acceptable for what it cost (130 installed with a Home Mini thrown in) But is not worth the normal price.

Working as programmer with remote access is mostly what I want. Is the program functionality easy to use?

L1011

Got a Nest in yesterday.

The documentation is bloody awful and they really assume you want your heat on all the time. Auto Away works fine for knocking the heat off when we're gone but then the timer doesn't come back on as there's no way to give it a "we actually want this one" instruction

So its now basically working as a programmer with remote access to over-ride which is actually sufficient for me and is more than acceptable for what it cost (130 installed with a Home Mini thrown in) But is not worth the normal price.

keane2097

Yeah the boiler is on power and it's warm to the touch, but the pilot light doesn't seem to want to fire. I got it to come on briefly by turning the knob up to the max but it started letting out an unmerciful clanking so I panicked and turned it off!

I've turned it back on now and again I can't get the pilot light to turn on. The Tado app is still calling for heat but no gug from the boiler.

I'll give the company a buzz in the morning I suppose, very annoying.

limnam

deezell wrote: »

Call him and Tonto back.

Brilliant. :pac:

deezell

keane2097 wrote: »

My Tado smart thermostat which has been working perfectly for months has all of a sudden stopped controlling the heating today after the boiler has been serviced.

The app looks to be working as normal, as does the stat on the wall, and if I ask it to turn up the heat I get the three wavy lines like it's trying to fire the boiler, but there's no response from the boiler and no sign of the radiators heating up.

There's a low amount of noise from the boiler, the light is on etc.

Any ideas what could be going on?

Maybe your boiler was serviced by Roy Rodgers. Seriously tho, he may have pulled the cable from the stat inside the boiler. Its often on a removeable multiplug. Call him and Tonto back.

limnam

keane2097 wrote: »

My Tado smart thermostat which has been working perfectly for months has all of a sudden stopped controlling the heating today after the boiler has been serviced.

The app looks to be working as normal, as does the stat on the wall, and if I ask it to turn up the heat I get the three wavy lines like it's trying to fire the boiler, but there's no response from the boiler and no sign of the radiators heating up.

There's a low amount of noise from the boiler, the light is on etc.

Any ideas what could be going on?

Is everything working outside of tado?

keane2097

My Tado smart thermostat which has been working perfectly for months has all of a sudden stopped controlling the heating today after the boiler has been serviced.

The app looks to be working as normal, as does the stat on the wall, and if I ask it to turn up the heat I get the three wavy lines like it's trying to fire the boiler, but there's no response from the boiler and no sign of the radiators heating up.

There's a low amount of noise from the boiler, the light is on etc.

Any ideas what could be going on?

deezell

lintdrummer wrote: »

Thanks deezell, that's great info. Would it be a straight forward enough install for a competent DIYer? Any system you'd recommend in particular?

Tado or Nest. Here's a diagram of how the nest relay box is wired for gravity systems.

,
The Tado ext kit can just be wired HW to boiler and CH to pump, with Tado support configuring it as a gravity HW single zone control. While you can use the Drayton Kit2 hub ( or the Hive relay) wired as the tado, there is no mode programming afaik to turn on the HW relay at each occurrence of a CH event, so you would have to program a blanket set of HW events to overlap desired CH events.
Wiring up is well within DIY competent range.

lintdrummer

Thanks deezell, that's great info. Would it be a straight forward enough install for a competent DIYer? Any system you'd recommend in particular?

deezell

lintdrummer wrote: »

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I tried this and yes, it fires intermittently with the stat at 0.

So assuming the HW heats in this configuration you have a system which can be off, HW, or HW+CH. This is a gravity mode 2 zone system, and you have options to wire a Nest, Tado+ext kit, Hive or Drayton Wiser to operate HW on a Timer, and HW+CH on the thermostat. There is a specific way to wire double throw 2 zone relays to achieve this, while the Tado ext kit which only has single throw relays can be configured by Tado support in gravity mode. Gravity 2 zone mode is basically firing the boiler via the HW relay for either a HW timed event or a CH timed event, while only operating the CH pump or valve from the CH relay. This gives a partially independent 2 zone system, in that you can't have just CH without the cylinder heating, which is no big deal.

lintdrummer

deezell wrote: »

When you turn the timer on full but then turn the stat right down does the boiler fire intermittently to heat the HW only?

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I tried this and yes, it fires intermittently with the stat at 0.

deezell

john_doe. wrote: »

Drayton Wiser is now live in Ireland.
Got a tweet off them.

On this note the Wiser Kit 3 is about €200 on Amazon. Thats 2 wireless stats and a 3 zone hub relay. It may not have all the additional smart features of Tado or Nest, but it's very versatile, no stat wiring needed, good if you have no existing wired stats, and it can control TRVs. For any one with an existing living/ bedroom/Hot Water controller this is a breeze to install.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drayton-Wiser-Thermostat-Kit-Heating/dp/B075GNJ7ZN

punisher5112

Put in a netatamo or similar.

deezell

lintdrummer wrote: »

Wondering if anyone can advise a suitable system for my house...

We've a gas boiler. Fairly old, analogue clock switch below it which we use to turn it on. There's an analogue thermostat then in the kitchen which seems to only switch off the circulation pump when the set temp is reached.

Water is heated anytime the CH is on. It's a normal immersion with no timer, just the sink/bath switch.

Only just moved into the house but would love greater control and consistency in the heating.

One of my main questions is that this is a one zone house at present if my understanding is correct. If I were to buy a smart thermostat (currently favouring the Drayton Wiser), would I be as well to get one with heating and water to allow for future work to add that functionality?

Also considering replacing the boiler at some stage, maybe even for a combi boiler. I'd like to get smart functionality going asap with smart TRVs in the sitting room/bedroom. Would it be a waste installing smart heating controls now only to replace the type of boiler in a year or so?

Sorry if this is the kind of thing that's been covered but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should do...

When you turn the timer on full but then turn the stat right down does the boiler fire intermittently to heat the HW only?

john_doe.

Drayton Wiser is now live in Ireland.
Got a tweet off them.

lintdrummer

Wondering if anyone can advise a suitable system for my house...

We've a gas boiler. Fairly old, analogue clock switch below it which we use to turn it on. There's an analogue thermostat then in the kitchen which seems to only switch off the circulation pump when the set temp is reached.

Water is heated anytime the CH is on. It's a normal immersion with no timer, just the sink/bath switch.

Only just moved into the house but would love greater control and consistency in the heating.

One of my main questions is that this is a one zone house at present if my understanding is correct. If I were to buy a smart thermostat (currently favouring the Drayton Wiser), would I be as well to get one with heating and water to allow for future work to add that functionality?

Also considering replacing the boiler at some stage, maybe even for a combi boiler. I'd like to get smart functionality going asap with smart TRVs in the sitting room/bedroom. Would it be a waste installing smart heating controls now only to replace the type of boiler in a year or so?

Sorry if this is the kind of thing that's been covered but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should do...

super_sweeney

limnam wrote: »

You can control manually from the smart stat.

If you go down the road of Tado radiator stats for logical zoning you can also manually increase the temp pretty much as you would with any TRV.

You can also control with voice via alexa/google etc

Yeah thats pretty much what I was thinking the only reason i would be doing it is for the TRV and air quality monitoring. But i dont think these benefits are enough for the investment as i would need the starter kit plus two thermostats to start.

limnam

super_sweeney wrote: »

quick one guys, I have a Climote.... its ok does the basics. Was thinking of going to the Tado.... anyone done this or know if its a good idea or even worth it, as it is a fairly expensive jump,

Also on the Tado. my understanding if you loose all hard control. I.e you can no longer go and just hit a boost button on the wall all this has to be done via app on phone or tablet? Reason I ask is this could be painful for visitors as I have seen in the past with philips hue when family come visit.

You can control manually from the smart stat.

If you go down the road of Tado radiator stats for logical zoning you can also manually increase the temp pretty much as you would with any TRV.

You can also control with voice via alexa/google etc

GarIT

super_sweeney wrote: »

quick one guys, I have a Climote.... its ok does the basics. Was thinking of going to the Tado.... anyone done this or know if its a good idea or even worth it, as it is a fairly expensive jump,

Also on the Tado. my understanding if you loose all hard control. I.e you can no longer go and just hit a boost button on the wall all this has to be done via app on phone or tablet? Reason I ask is this could be painful for visitors as I have seen in the past with philips hue when family come visit.

The thermostats all have up and down buttons for adjusting the current temperature. In the app settings you can set how long you want manual adjustments to stay.

super_sweeney

quick one guys, I have a Climote.... its ok does the basics. Was thinking of going to the Tado.... anyone done this or know if its a good idea or even worth it, as it is a fairly expensive jump,

Also on the Tado. my understanding if you loose all hard control. I.e you can no longer go and just hit a boost button on the wall all this has to be done via app on phone or tablet? Reason I ask is this could be painful for visitors as I have seen in the past with philips hue when family come visit.