Replacing a 34 year old timer on oil fired burner - advice needed

Bellefaster · 17 Sep 2020

The title says it all. I've had the same oil burner in the house from when it was built. It's regularly serviced and works brilliantly but it does have an old timer system that I'm desperate to replace.

This is the current setup. A 24 hr dial timer with a separate thermostat switch.

The oil burner heats both the water and the radiators. There is also a separate hot water on/off switch in another room. There is a thermostat on the side of the boiler that is pictured above.

If love to be able to replace the current timer with a a Hive system or something similar. Even a programmable electronic timer would be a massive improvement.

Do you have any recommendations?

oldbutnotdead · 17 Sep 2020

Do you have a room thermostat anywhere or is that boiler stat the only temperature control for the house?
Electrically any modern timeswitch with a relay output (which is most designed for heating- stay away from any timeswitch designed for lighting) will do. Have a look at the likes of Toolstation and Screwfix to see what they've got and decide what you want (do you want app control, geofencing and all that or do you just want to have different on-off times for weekdays and weekends)?
I'm not a fan of the proprietary brands (Hive, Nest etc)- the apps are all very lovely and shiny but the hardware is pricey and you're at the mercy of the supplier and the internet for continued functionality (that setup of yours has probably done 34 years and will probably do another 34 years).

Bellefaster · 17 Sep 2020

Thanks so much for the reply. Yes, that is the only thermostat control for the whole house.

Honestly, just the ability to program for the weekday and weekends would be ideal. At the moment we only have off and on over a 24 hour period. I'll take a look at your recommendations. I just worried about compatibility with such an old system.

ianmcd · 17 Sep 2020

can you have CH on without the HW being on ?

Bellefaster · 17 Sep 2020

When the CH is on the water is always heated. It just heats the water as it heats the radiators. I never even realised you could do it any other way as this is the only central heating system I've used.

There is a separate switch for the HW so it can be turned on independently from the CH.

ianmcd · 17 Sep 2020

yes kind of thought that would be you your setup, you wil lneed a programmer that supports gravity Hot water and pumped central heating, unless you want to update some pipework and add zone valves, basically when HW is asked for power is sent to the boiler to tell it to come on , and the water circulates through the HW Cyl via gravity, when you switch the heating on it brings the circulator pump on which pumps the water through the radiators, so you an have hw on its own or HW and CH together but not CH without HW

Burnerman · 17 Sep 2020

Same system as mine......Thorn Panda 55

I don’t want to interfere with it until the inevitable happens so its a Homebase timer for me, and shiver once I get home for a while.
John

jonm01 · 17 Sep 2020

This would work, it would replace your fused spur. It has 6 on / off settings and internet remote control.

https://www.timeguard.com/products/...pose-timeswitches/wi-fi-controlled-fused-spur

oldbutnotdead · 17 Sep 2020

jonm01 said:
This would work, it would replace your fused spur. It has 6 on / off settings and internet remote control.

Does look right but i'm a bit worried about the output ratings- be worth a call/email to them to check it is relay output not SCR or triac...
https://www.timeguard.com/products/...pose-timeswitches/wi-fi-controlled-fused-spur

oilhead · 18 Sep 2020

If you do not want to invest heavily, but increase control, then you could replace the timer with a 2 channel programmer, and incorporate the hot wates/heating switch into the circuitry, complemented with a wireless room stat. It would all fit into the existing location.

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Replacing a 34 year old timer on oil fired burner - advice needed

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