Intergas WeatherComp sensor

[wizbongre]

Evening all,

Wondered if anyone with experience of installing Intergas’ weather sensor can explain where it’s meant to be installed?

I’m talking about this https://theintergasshop.co.uk/intergas-accessories/230-intergas-outside-sensor-203207.html

Installer seemed to think it should go on a North facing wall with the wire ran back to the boiler; I thought I’d seen it described as “in-flue”.

(It’s not installed as installer was dead against it - that’s a different story - am now curious where it should have gone.)

 

[simb82]

whats the other story?

 

[muggles]

Your installer is correct - it should be on a North facing wall. There is a method for putting a sensor in the flue, but it's not officially recognised by Intergas...

 

[wizbongre]

whats the other story?

Long story short, I don't think my installer was overly keen on adding WeatherComp, and was against it from the start. Brought the sensor with him on install day but really wasn't keen. Lots of anecdotal stories about it not working and him having issues with them in the past... Ended up by saying he'd phoned Intergas technical who had told him NOT to install it as "the central heating just won't work sometimes". Read into all of that what you will - I know what I think.

Your installer is correct - it should be on a North facing wall.

Great, ta. At least that means it should be "easier" to retrofit at some point in the future. Is there a specific bracket for the sensor or does it have a blank in the casing to be screwed direct to the wall? Looking at it I couldn't see an obvious way for it to be mounted but only had it in my hand for less than a minute.

 

[bernardgreen]

phoned Intergas technical who had told him NOT to install it as "the central heating just won't work sometimes"

If the air temperature is low enough that the house needs the heating but the external sensor case is heated by direct sunlight then the boiler may not fire up when needed.

 

[wizbongre]

I assume with the right combination of positioning of the sensor, and refinement of the heating line in the boiler param's, that is a situation that could be mostly avoided.

If Intergas' own position is as my installer suggested, that consumers would regret installing the WeatherComp sensor, it makes for a very interesting state of affairs...

 

[D_Hailsham]

If the air temperature is low enough that the house needs the heating but the external sensor case is heated by direct sunlight then the boiler may not fire up when needed.

Thats why the sensor is placed on a North facing wall. The sun will then shine directly on the sun between the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes (March to September). If you know your latitide you can look up the exact times when the sun impinges on the sensor.

 

[wizbongre]

****! It starts getting complicated. I'd need to measure the exact orientation of the wall, check my latitude, and then spend ages lost in Google working it all out. Alternatively could I put a sun shade over it?!

I'll need to investigate further into all this...

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

****! It starts getting complicated. I'd need to measure the exact orientation of the wall, check my latitude, and then spend ages lost in Google working it all out. Alternatively could I put a sun shade over it?!

I'll need to investigate further into all this...

A weather compensation sensor, needs to be able to detect the true outdoor temperature, without any heat from direct sunlight. The best place is on a north facing wall, which never sees any sun or heat escape from the building. I mounted my Vaillant version on the north east wall of my utility room which is the coolest room in the house on a wall which is always in the shade of my garden hut. The indoor unit, include a configurable compensation figure, which needs tweaking as experience is gained is gained of how the heating system responds.

 

[muggles]

Great, ta. At least that means it should be "easier" to retrofit at some point in the future. Is there a specific bracket for the sensor or does it have a blank in the casing to be screwed direct to the wall? Looking at it I couldn't see an obvious way for it to be mounted but only had it in my hand for less than a minute.

Remove cover, screw to wall, replace cover...
Never heard anything from IG about it not working, nor any installers

 

[dilalio]

Depending on the controls you use, weather compensation can always be overridden if it performs unpredictably, until such time that it can be investigated.

 

[opentrail]

I have an IG HRE24 boiler with weather compensation and Lyric T6 installed here in The Netherlands where they make the boilers. It is fairly standard to have the compensation units fitted for the extra energy savings. Ours is mounted anyway from the Sun and in a place where it cannot be affected with external flues etc. Works a treat and we are very satisfied with it. Basically it adjusts the maximum radiator water temperature dependent on the outside temperature. If its freezing cold outside then it heats at maximum. If it's 15C outside then it reduces/offsets the maximum temperature of the radiator water based on this, thus saving on gas. There is a formula in the manual that describes the offset it follows. The wire to the external thermostat does not go through the roof-mounted flue but takes a different route through the wall. Believe me, compared to the old Valiant HRE boiler it replaced we are quids in. I'm not so impressed with the service reliability of the Honeywell Lyric T6 though. It depends on a central service from Honeywell and software updates from a third party. We've had several occasions now where the service is down, a power cycle off and on is needed, and/or we've needed to update the app on the phones for Geo-location sensing. They are probably trying their best, its a free service, but coming home to a cold home is no fun. Hope that answers some of your questions above.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Basically it adjusts the maximum radiator water temperature dependent on the outside temperature. If its freezing cold outside then it heats at maximum. If it's 15C outside then it reduces/offsets the maximum temperature of the radiator water based on this, thus saving on gas.

That is how my Vaillant system seems to behave. You just enter a compensation figure into the controller, when setting it up, then fine tune it depending on its behaviour in practice. Boiler output temperature is then adapted to the heat loss due to outdoor temperature.

 

[vulcancontinental]

Best on north wall but if not possible under the eaves in permanent shade away from extract vents and openable windows.