DIY Nest Thermostat install and video review

[craynerd]

Hi guys, I fitted a nest a while back and after quite a bit of use, I'm well impressed with it. It's a long review and install but thought some people thinking of fitting one would find it useful.

Thanks a lot to everyone on this forum as it was only reading various posts that helped me fit this.

 

[stem]

OK, originally I suspected that this was a wind up..........but having heard the commentary I'm not so sure now. However, it is wrong on so many levels. The Nest may work, but it is a bad installation. I'll start with the obvious and most dangerous first.

1. You have fitted a metal blanking plate to an insulated backbox. So unless you have added an earth terminal to the blanking plate, it is not earthed.

2. You use a green / yellow wire (identifying it as as an earth wire) as the 'Hot Water Call for Heat' a live conductor.

3. The cable with the plug on, doesn't have any cable grip fitted to hold it in place where it enters the plastic back box. A 3A fused spur with fixed wiring would have been a better way of providing power. [Although it's not as bad as it being wired to directly to the back of the socket without a fuse as you say it was before]

4. The Heatlink came with a cable clamp but you removed it. It's there for a purpose.

5. The cable sheaths don't extend inside the Heatlink.

If it's not a wind up, for safety's sake, please rectify your installation and remove the video so that others don't follow it.

 

[craynerd]

Hi Stem,

Thanks for your reply!

1. Back plate is certainly Earthed.

2. I have indeed used that wire but that is sadly was what the original installers in 1986 had used and I'm not removing it from the wall and my tiling to change it!

3. It has a gromit but no, I'll give you that, no grip, just like the previous professional install to the programmer.

4. It's on.

5. I'll give you that.

Thanks for your comments however. I do appreciate them.

Cheers

 

[Dan Robinson]

Back plate is certainly Earthed.

And the front plate?

sadly was what the original installers in 1986

Even in your heat link?

 

[stem]

Back plate is certainly Earthed.

I didn't say back plate, I said

blanking plate

ie the metal cover fitted to the plastic backbox. The metal cover which needs earthing (or replacing with a plastic blanking plate)