Replacing old programmer

[waveuk]

Hi there,

I moved house recently and the central heating is a bit outdated. I would like to change the programmer and also the room thermostat.

To be fair I do not know anything about heating and in previous houses I had more modern systems.

Below you can see some picture that I hope give you and idea about the system I have.

I would appreciate if you can help me with the following:

- what programmer and room thermostat do you recommend me?
- last picture is the water pump the system has and I find it very noisy. Is there anything I can do about it or getting a new one would be the only solution?
- radiators on bathrooms and landing areas seem to most of the time on (I think when either CH or HW is on) Is there any way to regulate this so they are on only when CH is on?

Many thanks

 

[Steve]

The green pump is a shower pump and should only come on with the shower (usually). They are quite noisy as they operate at high pressure to give a noticably more powerful shower than plain old gravity feed.

The red pump is the heating pump and circulates your primary hot water from the boiler.

 

[waveuk]

The green pump is a shower pump and should only come on with the shower (usually). They are quite noisy as they operate at high pressure to give a noticably more powerful shower than plain old gravity feed.

The red pump is the heating pump and circulates your primary hot water from the boiler.

thanks for your reply. It seems something is wrong then as the green one activates with everything but the cold water tap in the kitchen. Every thing else (hot water taps, flush, showers and also cold water taps in all bathrooms). Could this be due to the set up or just this particular pump?

 

[Ihavenojob]

The programmer has been used as a wiring centre so if you change it you will need to use a separate wiring centre.

 

[stem]

It seems something is wrong then as the green one activates with everything but the cold water tap in the kitchen. Every thing else (hot water taps, flush, showers and also cold water taps in all bathrooms). Could this be due to the set up or just this particular pump?

That's the way it has been installed. Booster pumps can be used to improve the flow of the entire stored water supply if the general pressure is low. The kitchen tap, because it will be used for supplying drinking and cooking water will be direct from the main supply not the stored system that is connected to the pump.

I find it very noisy. Is there anything I can do about it or getting a new one would be the only solution?

Sorry they are noisy, even when new.

What programmer and room thermostat do you recommend me?

They all do the job. A bit like all cars will get you from A to B, so it's up to you to choose one you like. Consider:

How many on/off periods per day do you require?
Do you require different settings for each day of the week?
What you think looks nice
Would a holiday feature be useful?
Does it need battery back up?
Is ease of programming necessary?
Anything else, big buttons, large display?

Having said that as with most things, you get what you pay for. If you want something reliable, I would opt for one of the major manufacturers such as Danfoss, Drayton or Honeywell.

The heating set up you have with a three port diverter valve supplying the heating and hot water is known as a 'Y plan' if you search for this on the internet, you will find a wiring diagram.

radiators on bathrooms and landing areas seem to most of the time on (I think when either CH or HW is on) Is there any way to regulate this so they are on only when CH is on?

Yes, but it will involve changing the pipework, it's not a function of the controls. It was common to have the bathroom radiator connected like this, especially if the system was heated by solid fuel. My guess is that the landing one was added later and connected to the bathroom radiator as the pipes were the closest.

 

[waveuk]

Thank you so much for all the replies.

I think I will change only the room thermostat as the main issue with it is that it doesn't regulate the temperature properly so the house is a bit cold or too hot.

Here is what I have:

Untitled

• waveuk
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

Untitled

• waveuk
• 20 Dec 2012
• 1

It is located at the entrance and next to is the the garage door. This means when the front or the garage door is opened, the temperature drops. Not a lot but may be enough to switch the heating on. Based on this I was wondering if it would be better to have a wireless room thermostat.

I am between the Honeywell 907 or 927. Do you think it is worth it to pay more for a wireless one just based on what I mentioned before?

Also do you think I any of both would work as replacement for my current thermostat?

thanks

 

[stem]

Main issue with it is that it doesn't regulate the temperature properly so the house is a bit cold or too hot.

Not surprised. Old 1980's mechanical thermostat, probably well worn and well past it's 'sell by' date. A new digital one will give much better control.

It is located at the entrance and next to is the the garage door. This means when the front or the garage door is opened, the temperature drops. Not a lot but may be enough to switch the heating on. Based on this I was wondering if it would be better to have a wireless room thermostat.

Sounds like it's in the ideal position. The idea is to have the thermostat in the coolest place, away from sunlight and other heat sources. That way it won't turn the central heating off until all of the other rooms are up to temperature. If you don't have them, fit Thermostatic Radiator Valves to take care of the other rooms and stop them overheating. Your first post suggests that the bathroom maybe connected as a by-pass, so don't fit a TRV to that. Neither should there be one on the radiator in the same room as the main thermostat.

I am between the Honeywell 907 or 927.

These are both programmable thermostats. If you fit them, you will need to set the existing programmer central heating function to be permanently 'on' and use the new thermostat to set the heating operating times. The existing programmer will still be needed to control the hot water functions.

Do you think it is worth it to pay more for a wireless one?

I don't think it would give you an advantage really. Wireless thermostats are normally used to allow the thermostat to be installed without having to run wiring, but in your case the wiring is already there. The only possible advantage I see is that you can try it in different places, however this can cause problems if you locate it in a room where there is a TRV fitted to the radiator as explained above.

Also do you think I any of both would work as replacement for my current thermostat?

Yes, but the 927 receiver will need a neutral connection, so if you plan to locate it where the existing thermostat is located, check one is already present, it should be. The 907 doesn't need a neutral as it's battery powered.

 

[waveuk]

Hi stem

thank you for your detailed feedback and great advice. I think I am clear now and I will go with the 907.

cheers!