Timer on Boiler

emul

Has anyone replaced the analog timer on their heating with a digital unit. Any advice on type of digital unit to purchase? And what do you need to know to replace? I am competent at changing light switches, installing lights etc... but this is new ground.

Eoin

crosstownk

Buy a Honeywell 7 day timer (www.plumbworld.co.uk). Simple to fit. Do you have a thermostat in the house? Do you have zone valves? This will complicate things a wee bit but well within DIY scope if you've done wiring before.

emul

There are two thermostats (up and down stairs). There are three switches adjacent to existing timer - Master off/on, then two switches for rads - Zone upstairs & Zone Downstairs.

Can I get one to combine all four? Timer / water heating / rads up & down?

Eoin

crosstownk

Your best bet is to buy a Honeywell wiring centre along with the timer. It is a circuit board that you just connect your various components to (instructions on Honeywell website and with wiring centre). Couldn't be easier!!

crosstownk

Here's the website - it's a hard one to find. There is a catalogue of components and also pdfs of technical information for each item.

http://content.honeywell.com/uk/homes/catalogu.htm

I hope it's of help to you.............

delly

I had a similar setup to you a while a go. One master timer for the water which didn't have a control valve. And then 2 timers for up and downstairs with motorised valves. Each timer was the round analogue type and as well as been inaccurate, the 2 zones wouldn't come on unless the master timer was on.

I eventually got a digital timer installed which i knew was user friendly. You can find info here. The guy i got to install it got it from Heat Merchants which have a very good range. He also hooked up the zone switchs to fire the heating as well as opening the zone valve which made things easier.

I had asked him to install a motorised valve to the hot water tank, but he said it would be difficult as there had to be some amount of run off once the heating switchs off but the pump is still running. I also have a thermostatic valve like you would have on a radiator at the hot water tank. I've never seen one up there before, but it does a good job in terms of waste.

emul

Thanks for the info ... in particular the website link ... was searching Honeywell's website without luck !!

Eoin

crosstownk

delly wrote:

Each timer was the round analogue type and as well as been inaccurate, the 2 zones wouldn't come on unless the master timer was on.

Generally the flow of electricity in a system like yours would be mains>timer>thermostat>zone valve>boiler/pump. So you timer must be at an 'on' time or no electricity flows to your thermostat. However, there is another system whereby the thermostat is supplied direct from the mains (via suitable fuse). This means the heating will come on once the temperature falls below the set value. This is called a setback thermostat (I think). Systems like this in a home system are usually used for frost protection.

In relation to the inaccuracy of your thermostat the best bet is to get a thermostat with a heat accelerator - they tend to be more accurate. See link in a previous post for details.

delly

crosstownk wrote:

Generally the flow of electricity in a system like yours would be mains>timer>thermostat>zone valve>boiler/pump. So you timer must be at an 'on' time or no electricity flows to your thermostat. However, there is another system whereby the thermostat is supplied direct from the mains (via suitable fuse). This means the heating will come on once the temperature falls below the set value. This is called a setback thermostat (I think). Systems like this in a home system are usually used for frost protection.

In relation to the inaccuracy of your thermostat the best bet is to get a thermostat with a heat accelerator - they tend to be more accurate. See link in a previous post for details.

Thanks for the info, but i think you took me up wrong, the 2 zone timers were not hooked up to the bolier at all, therefore they, or the thermostat could not fire the bolier, whereas when i got the new system i made sure that each one was hooked up to the boiler.

My inaccuracy statement related to the analogue timer, not the thermostat. I simply meant that when setting it, it could easily be 15 minutes one way or the other, you know like the type that they use on timer plugs? I actually have a digital thermostat which works very well, cause you can easily see what the current temperature is.

GreeBo

delly wrote:

I eventually got a digital timer installed which i knew was user friendly. /QUOTE]
who installed it, plumber/electrician/general dude?

delly

GreeBo wrote:

who installed it, plumber/electrician/general dude?

Company called 'Update Heating'. My mother has been using them for years and they installed the same system in her home a while ago. Did a great job along with some other bits and pieces.

crosstownk

Sorry delly, I totally got the wrong end of the stick there!!!!:eek:

delly

crosstownk wrote:

Sorry delly, I totally got the wrong end of the stick there!!!!:eek:

np m8