A couple of V-Smart questions

[Roadrider]

Hi all, my first post, be gentle .

I've had a Vaillant Ecotec Plus 837 Combi boiler for the last seven years now (has worked pretty well faultlessly in all that time, touch wood) and I recently bit the bullet and fitted a V-Smart thermostat system myself. I'm not a plumber or a sparky, but with moderate DIY skills and a pretty logical mind, as well as reading around a bit beforehand (including on here, thank you).

So far, so very good! It was just towards the end of the last cold period, so the two week learning period was quite fruitful and I was pleased to find my boiler working a lot less hard (ON/OFF/ON/OFF...etc) and modulating nicely. Very little temperature overshoot, and I'm looking forward to reduced bills over time, as well as the facility to control my heating remotely and also set a time for the house to be at temperature rather than the boiler just turning itself on and then either getting to the desired temperature too early or too late.

A couple of questions though if I may:

1. Am I right in thinking that during the summer months when the radiators won't be heated at all, the boiler will now magically spin the pump every so often to keep itself from seizing up? I thought I'd seen that somewhere but now can't find it.

2. Radiator temperature: obviously the boiler is being controlled via the eBUS terminals now, so will the thermal demands of my house and chosen target temperature mean that the max temperature of the water going to the rads overrides whatever the boiler dial is currently set at? Or do I need to turn the dial flat out to allow eBUS to fully do its thing?

3. I just thought of a third question : previously (apart from when I went on a winter holiday and set the old thermostat to 7C upon leaving the house) I would simply leave the thermostat on 20C all year round, even in the summer, ie the heating would simply not come on for a few months because the house always stayed at least that warm by itself.
But I see with the V-Smart there are three system modes, winter, summer and frost protection. Apart from the difference in the default temperature settings of each of those, is there anything else of significance which happens differently between them?

TIA

 

[sxturbo]

For question number 3, you can set up an ifttt command to say that for example:


If the weather outside is 18 or above turn off heating.

Or enter summer mode or such like.

 

[Roadrider]

Thanks for your reply sxturbo. You've lost me already with your reference to an IFTT command . I think I get what you mean but my programming skills are zero.

Do you mean that I can 'personalise' each of those modes with my own commands if I wish? To be honest I'll probably just wait until we're well enough into the next season before changing to winter/summer.

Apart from that programmable personalisation (and the different default temperatures) is there anything else that distinguishes the modes from each other?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

1. Am I right in thinking that during the summer months when the radiators won't be heated at all, the boiler will now magically spin the pump every so often to keep itself from seizing up? I thought I'd seen that somewhere but now can't find it.

That is what Vaillant told me, that it spins the fan and the pump regularly, to avoid seizures. It does appear to do it pointlessly, even when the system is in daily use.

2. Radiator temperature: obviously the boiler is being controlled via the eBUS terminals now, so will the thermal demands of my house and chosen target temperature mean that the max temperature of the water going to the rads overrides whatever the boiler dial is currently set at? Or do I need to turn the dial flat out to allow eBUS to fully do its thing?

I just set the boiler to maximum and let the system decide what output temperature is actually needed. It will only call for max, when max is needed to meet demand.

 

[Roadrider]

Thanks Harry, your point about the boiler temperature sounds logical.

I actually phoned Vaillant yesterday and the guy I spoke to knew nothing about the boiler running the pump to avoid seizing during long warm spells

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks Harry, your point about the boiler temperature sounds logical.

I actually phoned Vaillant yesterday and the guy I spoke to knew nothing about the boiler running the pump to avoid seizing during long warm spells

A lot of boilers do this.

 

[Roadrider]

Thanks sxturbo.

Do you know if the V-Smart facilitates this, or does the Ecotec simply take it upon itself to do it?

 

[Roadrider]

Also, it doesn't say much for (some of) the tech support at Vaillant, because the guy I asked about this seemed to know nothing about it.

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks for your reply sxturbo. You've lost me already with your reference to an IFTT command . I think I get what you mean but my programming skills are zero.

Do you mean that I can 'personalise' each of those modes with my own commands if I wish? To be honest I'll probably just wait until we're well enough into the next season before changing to winter/summer.

Apart from that programmable personalisation (and the different default temperatures) is there anything else that distinguishes the modes from each other?

It's really just download the ifttt app, follow the on screen registering instructions.

Let it find your device, then via the app create a new if this then that,

The if, you choose an applet, (weather)

Then the this: weather is xx degrees

Then the then is: choose heating applet (In my case it was evohome) you'll choose v smart.

Then the that is: (it will give you a list of options that your v smart will accept) it's likely there will be a heating off option. (I'm not sure if it has options of switching to summer mode)

I had to work this out as I didn't want to have to re-arrange my timings each time the weather turned, do this means it's now automatic and works a treat.

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks sxturbo.

Do you know if the V-Smart facilitates this, or does the Ecotec simply take it upon itself to do it?

I think you'll find it's within the boiler itself.

My old ferroli done it, and my new intergas

 

[sxturbo]

Also, it doesn't say much for (some of) the tech support at Vaillant, because the guy I asked about this seemed to know nothing about it.

A lot of these companies just employ people to answer the phone and read from a script. You will find that if you had a more urgent or technical question you would get passed up the chain eventually landing at someone who does know the product.

 

[Roadrider]

It's really just download the ifttt app, follow the on screen registering instructions.

...I had to work this out as I didn't want to have to re-arrange my timings each time the weather turned, do this means it's now automatic and works a treat.

I was under the impression that when the V-Smart had fully learned all the local parameters (and with knowledge of the outside temperature), it would make all these adjustments - automatically - as necessary?

In other words, whatever 'comfort' temperature I choose, at whatever time of year and whatever the prevailing outdoor temperature, the V-Smart would pretty well make that happen?

 

[Roadrider]

A lot of these companies just employ people to answer the phone and read from a script. You will find that if you had a more urgent or technical question you would get passed up the chain eventually landing at someone who does know the product.

In which case he should have said wait a moment sir, and I'll find out.

It's still not very good customer service.

 

[sxturbo]

I was under the impression that when the V-Smart had fully learned all the local parameters (and with knowledge of the outside temperature), it would make all these adjustments - automatically - as necessary?

In other words, whatever 'comfort' temperature I choose, at whatever time of year and whatever the prevailing outdoor temperature, the V-Smart would pretty well make that happen?

Yes the evohome does a similar thing.

But

When the weather outside was 19 degrees, my indoor stat is set at 21 degrees.

Due to the warmth outside it felt a pleasant and comfortable temperature, we had the patio doors open to the kitchen as it was sunny. But the system wanted to call for heat still.

I had this on a couple of weekends and I had to keep manually switching the heating off.

Also in the mornings the temps drop and the house drops to around 19 degrees so in the morning the stat is calling for heat, but I don't want the heat as it's a nice comfortable temperature.

The only way round this was to either alter my timings or do the ifttt.

I'm not 100% sure how the v smart works, but I presume it is similar

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks Harry, your point about the boiler temperature sounds logical.

I actually phoned Vaillant yesterday and the guy I spoke to knew nothing about the boiler running the pump to avoid seizing during long warm spells

I rang them a couple of times, concerned about what it was supposed to be doing with these brief runs. Only on my third call was I told it was the anti-seize system operating. There was absolutely no demand for any heat, yet very occasionally I would be in the kitchen, where the boiler is and hear it seem to go through it's purge before starting, then just stop. I was concerned there might be an issue on my new system, so spent time trying to work out what was going on.