Geo Cosy System to Tado - help with wiring

[JessMinx]

After going to put my heating on last week I discovered our old Geo Cosy System had been decommissioned in April this year.

I’ve tried to override the system by switching off the hub as advised but it’s completely dead so I’ve not been able to bypass this. I believe it to need removing completely or a new system installed.

Fast forward into this week and two moaning teenagers that are apparently going to freeze and I’ve purchased a Tado system that was on offer in Costco. It’s meant to be DIY self install but I’ve scared myself with the wiring and where it goes in case I damage my relatively new boiler which is a heat only system.

Can anyone assist?! The old receiver is installed in the airing cupboard as pictured where they added a spur drawn from the thermostatic shower switch from what I can work out.

Thanks in advance

 

[Highway Man]

After going to put my heating on last week I discovered our old Geo Cosy System had been decommissioned in April this year.

I’ve tried to override the system by switching off the hub as advised but it’s completely dead so I’ve not been able to bypass this. I believe it to need removing completely or a new system installed.

Fast forward into this week and two moaning teenagers that are apparently going to freeze and I’ve purchased a Tado system that was on offer in Costco. It’s meant to be DIY self install but I’ve scared myself with the wiring and where it goes in case I damage my relatively new boiler which is a heat only system.

Can anyone assist?! The old receiver is installed in the airing cupboard as pictured where they added a spur drawn from the thermostatic shower switch from what I can work out.

Thanks in advance

When they installed your cosy system they alter the wiring to the cosy hub, disabling the hub just renders your system inoperable. It needs to be put back prior to the cosy install. The main alterations are in the Danfoss box in your airing cupboard. All of the wiring prior to the install is still there no wires have been taken out but the alterations are quite simple to put back

 

[JessMinx]

Thanks. I think I’ll just go back to the old school way and send the Tado system back then and arrange for an electrician to removed the Cosy receiver box.

 

[ericmark]

I must admit as an electrician the installation instructions must be one of the worst I have seen, and I am left wondering what it was intended to do?
This seems to show if the wires at T1 and if it exists T2 are linked together, the heating will work. The instructions say

Not sure why one would leave the existing thermostats in circuit, so question one, do you still have the original thermostats fitted? If so connecting these two wires together should give you heat. Shown T1 in the diagram. Not sure why you got a thermostat/programmer which has domestic hot water (DHW) is there something missing?

 

[flameport]

Not sure why one would leave the existing thermostats in circuit

That's how it was 'designed' by the morons who sold it.

It's was literally a box to shove in alongside an existing programmer and thermostat(s) so that it could switch the heating on and off but only when the other controls were also set to on.
The whole idea was that you kept the old thermostats and this effort somehow made it all more efficient by switching the heating off when it was required.
The entire concept was fundamentally flawed.

GEO or Green Energy Options ceased support for it earlier this year so all of them are now useless e-waste.
They sold various other products previously and did exactly the same with those, just randomly stating one day that they are no longer supported so anyone who purchased one can get stuffed.

Currently they have products for sale. Purchasing any of them is a total gamble as to how long they may continue working.
Perhaps it might work for a few years. Or it could be deactivated next week. Either way, it's a company that's on the Do Not Buy Ever list.

 

[JessMinx]

Thanks @ericmark . Yes I still have the original dial thermostat on the wall. When the cost system was in operation that had to be turned up to to the max. I always hated the system to be honest! There isn’t a separate thermostat for the hot water. It still seems to run via the timer still via the heat only boiler?!

 

[CountryFan]

There isn’t a separate thermostat for the hot water. It still seems to run via the timer still via the heat only boiler?!

It will likely be the programmer then cylinder thermostat. If it was separate then it wouldn't know when to switch on and off to the required temp. You can possibly still fit the Tado, I'm not au fait with Cozy controls.

Edit: found this. Wire in the Tado as follows:

Safely isolate system and preferably check it’s dead

L to L
N to N
Grey and black with brown sleeves to Com and NO
Park cpc/earth to relevant cpc/earth

Leave the existing dial set to maximum and re-instate system

 

[Highway Man]

Thanks @ericmark . Yes I still have the original dial thermostat on the wall. When the cost system was in operation that had to be turned up to to the max. I always hated the system to be honest! There isn’t a separate thermostat for the hot water. It still seems to run via the timer still via the heat only boiler?!

Assuming this is a combi boiler? no hot water cylinder for the supply of hot water, if this is the case the alterations are very easy to remove the cosy system and revert back to your time clock and existing thermostat.

 

[ericmark]

From what I am reading, put the two wires in the block marked T1 in the same terminal and you have the old heating back.

As to future controls, I don't know what to suggest, as don't know what you want it to do?

To my mind the Drayton Wiser seemed to do everything, seems to be the bees knees, but my brother-in-law has just removed it all to fit a better system, as to what is better, I really don't know.

I tried geo-fencing, which theory should work well, as it detects the closest family phone getting further and further away, it will reduce the homes temperature, and the reverse as closest phone gets closer, so less waste while not at home.

In practice, it turned off heating when one left local cell site, and back on as you re-connected to local cell site, so no time for the house to re-heat, all it resulted in, was if the local cell site went down with high winds, your central heating stopped working.

I turn outside lights on with my phone, but manual, not automated. And off again with voice command. But much of the so called smart systems is anything but smart.

I like the idea of multi thermostats and if any too cool it turns on heating, which also means if any one has a discharged battery of cells, there is an alternative way to turn on heating.

But even then, one can end up with a whole central heating boiler being turned on because one TRV head is near to a cold wall, so it requires one to consider all aspects of the system.

There is always a balance comfort v cost.

 

[JessMinx]

Thanks all for your input. I don’t have a combination boiler bun an Ideal Heat H18 which was fitted a few years ago. They had no idea about how the cosy system worked either. The ex husband just thought it was great to have fitted at the time as it’s free! Now it’s just giving me a headache!

 

[CountryFan]

If it’s just a thermostat read my post #7.

 

[Highway Man]

Thanks all for your input. I don’t have a combination boiler bun an Ideal Heat H18 which was fitted a few years ago. They had no idea about how the cosy system worked either. The ex husband just thought it was great to have fitted at the time as it’s free! Now it’s just giving me a headache!

I wouldn't worry over it toomuch, if you get someone in its literally a 10 min job to put back to before and strip the cosy stuff out. I used to install the stuff for them and we had as many to take out and put back to previous as new installs. It was a junk system.

 

[morqthana]

GEO or Green Energy Options ceased support for it earlier this year so all of them are now useless e-waste.

Please explain how "ceasing support" results in "stops working".

 

[denso13]

Please explain how "ceasing support" results in "stops working".

It became non operational when support was removed. The OP mentions theirs was decommissioned in April when support ceased.

 

[morqthana]

After going to put my heating on last week I discovered our old Geo Cosy System had been decommissioned in April this year.

I can't stress strongly enough that I'm not saying this to make fun of you, or score points, or belittle you, or to find some schadenfreude, but because it is a vital lesson which everybody should learn, and a vital message which everybody should take on board.

The situation you are in is entirely your fault.

Implementing any heating control system, home automation, whatever, which relies on the manufacturer's servers continuing to operate and provide any service whatsoever is an act of utter lunacy. Geo are not the first company to have done this, nor will they be the last.

Nobody would, surely, agree to putting a normal CH programmer inside a locked box to which only some 3rd party had a key, and who would need to be summoned to make changes, and who, if they decided to just not bother any more would leave the controls totally inaccessible.

This is the same.

FGS everybody - stop buying control systems which need access to networked servers to function.