Wirelss control of bolier?

ballinloughan

I have two motorized valves one for upstairs rads and one for downstairs rads.

Bog standard timer for the boiler; On/ OFF 24hr dial type. Want to install a new dual zone timer.

Current timer location is a good distance from the valves and no ‘easy’ way to hide, conceal wires from the timer to valves.

I would ‘like’ to locate the new dual zone timer were the valves are and so hard wire the two zone valves to the new timer.

This means that I need a wireless connection between the timer and the cable out to the boiler. So I need a wireless switch were I can wire the switch transmitter to the timer and the switch and receiver to the cable feeding the boiler.

Any ideas/ thoughs??

Cheers

Joey the lips

Chronotherm controls on the naas road do wireless controls. I dealt with them thats why I know. I am sure many others do.

However the complete unit needs to be wireless. Valve and controllers.

Battery life was not to good from my memory though.

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How is your hot water being controlled? most cases now, modern houses with zone heating also include hot water control.

Just watch out for hot water, system must always be able to circulate, many times cylinder coil acts as a by pass should rads switch off.

Sounds like your boiler control is independent of rads MV's etc, boiler comes on timer, MV's controlled by room stats or simple switches?

If so you might have to combine them all together, again watch out for hot water.

ballinloughan

At present I have two manual switches controlling the two valves for upstairs and downstairs rads. There are no thermostats. If I have both switches ON then upstairs, downstairs and hot water is heated. Both switches OFF and only hot water is heated. So the hot water coil is always in the loop.


So my plan is to connect the new controller to control (replace) the two manual switches. But the current location of the motorised valves is across the room from the current timer for the boiler. If I locate the new controller alongside the valves then I need some method of sending the ON signal to the boiler.
My thoughts are to use a wireless switch, where the transmitter would connect to the controller 'boiler on output' and the reciever would connect to were the old timer is currently located.

Make sense??

meercat

Simplest solution here is to leave timer to control boiler and replace existing minivalve switches with timers then when boiler switches on either zone can switch on depending on timer settings. You shouldn't have to replace existing wiring just make sure each timer is permanently fed. NB make sure power is off when doing electrical work.

Greenman

ballinloughan wrote: »

Any ideas/ thoughts??

I have this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055143490&highlight=honeywell+thermostat the Honeywell CM 927 and we love it.

Let us know what you do.:)

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ballinloughan wrote: »

At present I have two manual switches controlling the two valves for upstairs and downstairs rads. There are no thermostats. If I have both switches ON then upstairs, downstairs and hot water is heated. Both switches OFF and only hot water is heated. So the hot water coil is always in the loop.


So my plan is to connect the new controller to control (replace) the two manual switches. But the current location of the motorised valves is across the room from the current timer for the boiler. If I locate the new controller alongside the valves then I need some method of sending the ON signal to the boiler.
My thoughts are to use a wireless switch, where the transmitter would connect to the controller 'boiler on output' and the reciever would connect to were the old timer is currently located.

Make sense??

To be honest, wireless route might be a bit much, they are expensive. Great idea none the less.

There is other ways around everything, I see a lot of systems just like yours with only manual switches controlling rads, then having coil act like a by pass, its always open no matter what way rads are.

Most upgrades to the above system tend to go towards room stats, simple time clock to control boiler, then switch's are replaced with room stats. That way system is efficient, when room stats are happy, they close MV'S, boiler wont run on for very long after, even if time clock is set for another hour. With a boiler only providing heat for coil, it will soon shut it's self down as it will reach temp fairly quick. Pump will only continue for duration of set time @ timer. Boiler might tip on and off over set time as, room stats might call for more heat.

If you go this route, you could add some control over hot water, working of two channel with additional hot water MV along with a cylinder by pass, but if you add water you may as well go full blown 3 channel covering entire system, including stats.

Wires can be ran anywhere and everywhere, if you cant move from room to room, look at attic drops, attic to boiler by using outside wall, its very easy to conseal wire drops in corners etc. Wireless is not something I am used to seeing on zoned systems like you have.

Anything can be done, all comes down to budget.

davelerave

what is the open coil on cylinder or bypass for on these systems??is it for water flow?
doesn't it make the controls unwieldy and cylinder temp. hard to regulate

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davelerave wrote: »

what is the open coil on cylinder or bypass for on these systems??

If you have controls over both rads and hot water, you cant leave a situation where boiler runs under no circulation.

If you had a boiler running, MV for rads up and down, along with MV for hot water, all satisfied by thermo stats and off, if the boiler is only being controlled by timer in this case, boiler might still run on. If no bypass is installed, boiler has no circulation, all MV's are closed, nowhere for water to circulate.

In that case a by pass is fitted, just teeing flows and return together, norm in hotpress. The flow between the two is restricted by a valve, the head on valve should be taken off after restriction, but you do find it left on. If all MV's happen to close at same time, boiler can still circulate through by pass, then shut down by itself as it reaches temp, happens fairly quick. No real concern over usage.

Most cases, hot water is left un controlled, only control is what ever boiler temp is set at. You then have rads controlled by MV's, if they happen to close, water circulates through coil (open coil) again shuts down when boiler reaches temp.

In both cases, boiler burner will shut down fairly soon after MV's close, circulation pump will then continue for duration of timer.

davelerave

so if you were converting to basic 3 channel system(3 mvs w/ contacts ,2 heating zones+h/w)
do you need to add bypass ?boiler will switch off safely with mvs off (via contacts)
but pump may run-on with some systems ,is by-pass needed for run-on?

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davelerave wrote: »

so if you were converting to basic 3 channel system(3 mvs w/ contacts ,2 heating zones+h/w)
do you need to add bypass ?boiler will switch off safely with mvs off (via contacts)
but pump may run-on with some systems ,is by-pass needed for run-on?

Boiler either shuts off, as in no power or burner end of boiler stops as temp is reached but pump still runs. You could have a case where, some zone of system is being controlled and that control is shutting off boiler completely, then a different zone with control down to boiler temp only. Those kind of systems have more than one circulation pump. Depending on what zone is what, you might have a by pass or might not have one.

Simple side of things, if a pumps not circulating when it wants to, it's not going to last very long.