Can I turn on the Underfloor Heating remotely?

edanto

We've just had a renovation done and the ground floor now has UFH. The UFH controller is the one described in this pdf, but I just found that schematic online, that Pipelife company has nothing to do with the install.

The plumber and electrician working on the job knew that we wanted to use a Climote (remote control for heating), but the system we're left with only allows us to control the upstairs and hot water heating remotely.

The Climote installer spoke to the electrician, and then told me that the climote couldn't be connected to that UFH controller.

This is obviously part of our snag list, and we'll work it out eventually - but I'd like to ask the people here if they can suggest any way our existing controller can connect to the Climote? The climote is essentially an SMS controlled relay & timer, nothing fancy.

I think my best option is to use the on/off signal from the climote to fool one of the UFH controllers into thinking that a remote temperature probe is sending a 'heat' signal. What would I need to find out about my controller and the Climote to know if that's possible?

DublinDilbert

edanto wrote: »

The Climote installer spoke to the electrician, and then told me that the climote couldn't be connected to that UFH controller.

I would guess that one or the other of the installers couldn't be "arsed" doing it. Most installers prefer to work within their own world and not touch anything else. One of the reasons is that extra cable might need to be pulled in and the place is already plastered up.

The diagrams you've posted show the heatmaster TM4-TS clock controlling the whole the UFH setup, there's no reason the climote can't be connected in exactly the same as the TM4-TS clock.

edanto

Yeah I think it was a pre-Christmas case of 'I'm not even going to touch that'. We'll be calling them back to sort things out, but wanted to investigate as much as possible myself.

Cabling shouldn't be a problem, I ran in a spare cable between the climote and UFH controller in case they hadn't.

I'm not quite sure I follow you with the TM4-TS clock controlling the whole UFH. I know nothing about these types of schematics, but thought that the TM4-TS connections at J1 & J2 were just to on/off the hot water and radiators? What J do you see the connection between TM4-TS and the UFH at, pls? Am I looking at it the right way?

Option 1 would be that the climote turns on or off the whole UFH system. That might be a bit blunt, since I'll probably be leaving it on all the time anyways.

Option 2 would be that somehow the Climote allows me to boost the temperature in the main living zone. For example, maybe. we're away in the winter for a few days and I put the UFH into Frost Protect, and I want to take it out of that mode the morning before we head home.

To date, the Climote has been well handy for turning on the rads upstairs on those cold nights, it's great to know that we're only putting the rads on as they are needed.

Are there any more options with my current setup?

DublinDilbert

I'm not a 100% on the your current set up and how you'd like it to operate.

You have one spare zone on the climote which can control one of the inputs to the other heating controller. I think the climote also has an Aux-relay output, so this could be used to control the second input to the UFH heating controller. I don't think the Aux output can do timer stuff, but you can text it on/off, as far as i know.

edanto

Think I might have figured this out. Going to have to check it with the electrician and Climote, but if I were to connect the Living zone relay on the Climote to the HW input at J2 (as you were suggesting) and then do a few more tweaks I can get the Climote to power on one of the heating zones.

Currently, there is nothing connected at J1/J2, the Climote does the rads and hot water. So, with the 3rd relay from the Climote triggering the (unused) HW input at J2, that will activate J22, the (currently unused) HW stat. I can put a jumper across that, which will mean that (currently unused) J23 will be activated. A new cable from HW pump on J23 to the LD on J7 should then fool J7 into activating. J7 would then have an input then from both Zone 1 thermostat and the new cable from J23. I presume J7 won't care that it has two inputs.

Just not sure what might go wrong, or if there's any problem in potentially having both inputs to J7 on at the same time?

As I say, need to check with the professionals, but fingers crossed it'll work. Thanks for the suggestions!

edited to add image

DublinDilbert

I think the climote has a 4th relay, described as an aux relay... Look up the climote documentation, you should see commands to control it via SMS too.

edanto

Just an update on this - it was on the back burner for ages as we tried to convince our electrician to do it, but he's stubbornly refused saying that it would invalidate the warranty on the UFH controller and that also, he wouldn't be able to certify it.

In the end, the climote guys came through with this

"I spoke to the agents for your product. What your electrician needs to do is to interrupt the load switch wire returning from the thermostats to the control centre through a 3 pole relay and power the coil of the relay using zone 1 of the climote. The terminals to be used on the climote are No 1 and No 3. It is a very simple job which I am more than happy to talk to your electrician about. Alternatively we will send a guy out to do it for you. There is no warranty implication with the under floor system."

Looking forward to getting this work done. By the by, if anyone stumbles across this thread when they are wondering if the climote is any use, I gotta recommend it highly. It saved us a fortune over the winter by being able to turn on the bedroom radiator only half an hour before coming home, instead of trying to guess when we might be back after work. It will have paid for itself after next winter.