hive installation help please

[honda3]

hi was wondering if anyone can help wire up this hive Thanks.
1st picture is of the boiler wiring.
2nd picture is what's coming from the 3amp fuse power to boiler.
3rd picture is of the current heating control.
4th picture is of the hive diagram.
boiler is vaillant ecotech pro 28
thanks

 

[ericmark]

Looking at the instructions I have found it would seem there are two options the eBUS would be best but your would need Nest not Hive to do that, and other is 24 volt but it does not seem the existing thermostat is 24 volt so some thing is wrong, however from what I am lead to understand after the junction box is opened it needs some gas tests, so likely you will need a Gas Safe guy to sort it anyway. However it seems to me wrong if you need to pay some one to fix it, to use a cheap and nasty Hive, may as well fit a proper modulating type.

 

[eveares]

The grey wire in photo 2, where does that go and what is it connected to?

The easiest thing to do is to wire the following as I have a very similar setup at home:

1. Buy some 4 core flex
2. Disconnect the black and grey wires in the boiler coming in from the mains flex and safely terminate them.
3. With the new 4 core flex
   1. Take the brown wire of the 4 core flex and join the"Permanent Live" terminal of the Hive receiver to the "L" terminal with the existing brown wire inside the boiler.
   2. Take the grey wire (sleeved blue) of the 4 core flex and join the"Permanent Neutral" terminal of the Hive receiver to the "N" terminal with the existing blue wire inside the boiler.
   3. Take the Yellow/Green wire of the 4 core flex and join the "Earth tether" terminal of the Hive receiver to the "Earth" terminal with the existing Yellow/Green wire inside the boiler
   4. Take the black wire (sleeved brown) of the 4 core flex and join the "Heating on (NO)" terminal of the Hive receiver to the "RT" terminal inside the boiler
   5. Make a short link between the Permanent live terminal and the Common terminal inside the Hive receiver.
4. Remove the old thermostat, terminating the wires in a thin 16mm single gang surface mount box with a blanking plate.

(If you wish to not have a back box with a blanking plate where the old thermostat was, trace the old thermostats wires back and then disconnect and remove them at the other end. Then trace each core of the disconnected thermostats cable at each end with a multi meter that has a continuity function and a long piece of wire to make sure you have the right cable disconnected.

It may be the right most cable coming in the bottom of the junction box in photo 2 what feeds your old thermostat, but I can not say 100% for sure from your photos.)

Regards: Elliott.

 

[eveares]

however from what I am lead to understand after the junction box is opened it needs some gas tests, so likely you will need a Gas Safe guy to sort it anyway.

EDIT:

Really for accessing the main PCB inside the boiler what does not involve working with the combustion path or gas seals at all! Sure you could accidentally unplug various sensors, but I would hope that a lose wire on the PCB would not defeat vital safety features. Better not tell anyone that I installed my...Never Mind .

 

[honda3]

thanks for your help with give that a go soon and report back

 

[ericmark]

I was told off on this site for suggesting no manufacturer would put the electrical connection box within a gas sealed compartment, it would require the use of special cable and glands and simply does not make sense, however I am told in fact they do.

As to 4 core cable I am not sure if AC supply in the same cable as the eBUS would be a good idea, I would use two independent cables and ali-tube would seem a good idea except for the gas tight problem.

The idea of a thermostat is the first question? If the thermostat is simply to turn off boiler when all rooms are satisfied then simple on/off is good enough in most cases, but if the thermostat is to control the house temperature then it needs to be the modulating type, the more I read about boilers modulating their output the more confused I get. This account seems to say boilers work best flat out, but other accounts report how they are more efficient when modulated, however it does seem there are losses every time a boiler turns off with heat lost out of the flue, so where a boiler can be modulated then it should be, not simply turned on/off.

However the TRV will modulate most boilers, where the thermostat simply turns off the boiler as warm weather arrives and the TRV controls the output it can be argued no need for a modulating wall thermostat, however where the thermostat only turns off the heating on warm days, seems little point in having a thermostat connected to your phone, having electronic TRV heads connected to phone yes, but not the wall thermostat. Unless of course that thermostat in turn controls the TRV heads like with Nest and EvoHome.

So what is the whole point of Hive, it is not modulating, it does not connect with the electronic TRV heads, it just seems to be snake oil, I am sure it works great with hot air central heating systems, as used in USA, but for British systems is has a very limited use, specially as some models don't have volt free contacts. There is a whole list of boilers that can't use Hive, specially Bosch, why so many want to fit it I don't know, must have the same sales guy who sold all those socket protectors that defeated the British socket shutters?

 

[honda3]

do I need to do anything with the red looped wire 1st picture. thanks

 

[EFLImpudence]

...

The connections shown in the OP's picture. Simples.

Things are more complicated in Wales.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There is a whole list of boilers that can't use Hive, specially Bosch, why so many want to fit it I don't know

It's because they don't know, either.

They don't know what it does and doesn't do.

They don't know how it works.

They don't know what their existing controls do and don't do.

They don't know how their existing controls work.

They don't know what their heating system needs.

But they do know "ooh - shiny thing!", so they buy it.

 

[eveares]

do I need to do anything with the red looped wire 1st picture. thanks

No, leave it as is.

 

[honda3]

thanks for all your help

 

[eveares]

There is a whole list of boilers that can't use Hive

Any boiler with a conventional mains powered mechanical thermostat can use Hive. While the nest may be more versatile, I think the hive looks nicer. I even got one for my Grandparents for Christmas.

 

[Iggifer]

While the nest may be more versatile, I think the hive looks nicer

Are you mad?! The Nest is Rachael Riley and the Hive is the bloke that does countdown

 

[eveares]

Are you mad?!

I could ask you the same, however I like the mirror finish of the Hive. At the end of the day it is not a bad IOT thermostat if you just want to replace a conventional mains thermostat and are not bothered about the more advanced features that the Nest has such as motion detection.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Are you mad?! The Nest is Rachael Riley and the Hive is the bloke that does countdown

So what is Carol?