heating controller

[GrahamWright]

I have a complex 8 zone heating system with distributed timer/programmers that works very well. When the premises are unoccupied over a significant period, I would like to shut down the whole system and reactivate it after a settable time. I have in mind a count down timer settable up to, say, 7 days that will switch the system on when that time has expired.

Despite many efforts on the net, I have been unable to find a suitable device.
I have found a spec. for the Maxtech TH5-C but not a UK source for it.

Can anyone help please.

 

[matt1e]

It's hard to work out what you are asking for graham
what parts of the system are you planing to shut down?
I take it that you don't want to keep re adjusting your existing programmers
modular countdown timers are readibly available from RS etc but are you sure it is a " countdown timer" you need?
there will be many solutions to what you want to achieve but a bit more info on your system and requirements would be a good help

Matt

 

[Boilerman2]

Why not ditch all of your programmers and fit a TREND IQ BMS System it is IP based so you can access system from remote computer via interweb!! cost ya tho!!

 

[simond]

Why not buy 8 x Honeywell CM907s. They will replace your timer/progs with one per zone.

You can set a time out (holiday) period when you leave and it will run the property at the reduced temp you select, until you return.

Much better than turning it all off for 7 days then fully on again.

Cost around £70 a unit but will look after the house and the gas bill more effectively.

 

[GrahamWright]

It's hard to work out what you are asking for graham
what parts of the system are you planing to shut down?
I take it that you don't want to keep re adjusting your existing programmers
modular countdown timers are readibly available from RS etc but are you sure it is a " countdown timer" you need?
there will be many solutions to what you want to achieve but a bit more info on your system and requirements would be a good help

Matt

It's funny when you think you have explained your problem precisely!

I just want to pull the plug on the whole heating system, i.e. switch the whole lot off to be re-activated at a time/date I can specify. (I have a frost stat that would overrule the switch-off). The Maxtech TH5-C looks ideal but the closest I can get to buying one is to ask for a quote for 1000 off! Count-down or delay-on should define what I seek.

I like the idea of a centralised controller but am not going to scrap the lot now! The zone stat/programmers do a fine job and are battery powered so don't lose their info on power failures.

I hope that make it clearer.

I had in mind a keypad-settable timer that I could load with a date/time to restore power but everything would be switched off up to that event. I can find timers ("delay timers" and "count down timers") but they seem to have a maximum of a few hours.

 

[GrahamWright]

Why not buy 8 x Honeywell CM907s. They will replace your timer/progs with one per zone.

You can set a time out (holiday) period when you leave and it will run the property at the reduced temp you select, until you return.

Much better than turning it all off for 7 days then fully on again.

Cost around £70 a unit but will look after the house and the gas bill more effectively.

(

That's what I have (Horstmann not Honeywell) but the fag of going round the lot (its a big rambling house) means either I won't bother (certainly for short periods) or I will bother and find I've got it wrong and we return to a cold house. All I need is a timer such as is (was) used in dark rooms for process timing but for intervals up to days not minutes. The requirement seems so simple;- turn the knob (or better push the keys) and power is cut off from the whole system to come back on again when the knobs ticks back to zero (or the digits count down to zero). Just like the domestic oven timer but for longer periods.

 

[matt1e]

take your pick
clicky here
or adjust options for more choices

Matt

 

[GrahamWright]

Thanks Matt. The steer was for programmable timers! I used to write technical proposals for the MOD and thought I knew how to express myself succinctly. I was obviously wrong!

However, I found a desk-top count down timer with a 99 hours maximum setting time but it only bleeped when the counter reached zero with no electrical output. But a call to the RS helpline turned up a similar mains version which looks promising. It appears simple enough for SWMBO to cope with (although she struggles with technical things unless it is the remote for the TV where she can become a virtuoso in no time!).

The RS ref is 271-338 TC24, a panel mounted settable run back timer which can be set to 99 hours and which operates a contact when it reaches zero.

Thanks again for you help;- these forums are terrific!