Should this box be constantly running

[moss99]

Hi all , i recently had a house extension done and complete re wiring and plumbed ,
it seems to be quite a complex heating system as i asked for it to be solar ready , in my office is the controller under floor manifold etc etc ..
There is a metal box which seems to be constantly running 24-7 , all the heating is off now , just hot water on but this box just runs . i have circled the box in red in this photo .
does this seem right to you guys ?

 

[Phill Peck]

What do u mean runs?

It's a motorised valve either open or closed. They can sometimes buzz a bit but if it's quite new I wouldn't expect that

More likely the UFH pump between the 2 manifolds

 

[bernardgreen]

That box is a valve that appears to control the flow of hot water from the boiler to the heating coil inside the hot water tank.

It should be open when the boiler has to heat the water in the tank. When the water in the tank is hot enough and the tank thermostat opens that "box" should switch OFF. One possible reason that the box it is ON all the time is that the thermostat on the tank is set too high and / or the maximum temperature from the boiler is set too low and the water in the tank never gets hot enough to satisfy the thermostat on the tank. Thus the thermostat on the tank never turns OFF

 

[moss99]

It sound's like a pump constantly running , it is also hot all the time , the pump between the manifolds , that wouldn't that only run when the ufh is switched on ? . when all the heating is off it is still hot and sounds like a pump is on somewhere ,

 

[moss99]

just had a look the thermostat on the tank is on 75

 

[bernardgreen]

just had a look the thermostat on the tank is on 75

What is the maximum temperature setting on the boiler. If less than 75 then the tank thermostat will never be satisfied.

Turn the tank thermostat down to about 60 and see if that turns off the "box" ( that assumes the boiler is set hgher than 60 )

 

[moss99]

Would the thermostat on the boiler be easy to see if i took the front cover off (its a grant vortex pro) .
I will turn the tank thermostat down now ..
thanks bernard

 

[moss99]

I heard the thermostat on the tank click off when i turned it down ,, Ive just taken the front panel off the boiler and the pump on the boiler is running . i switched the boiler off at the isolator, came inside and the noise has stopped (boiler is outside ) and can confirm that is the noise ,so the pump on the boiler is running constantly ! ,, is that normal ?

 

[Phill Peck]

Turn everything off at the programmer and turn the power back on to boiler.
See if the pump still runs

 

[moss99]

ok everything off at programmer although i don't think i can turn the hot water off at the programmer .. boiler pump still running though

 

[simond]

Anybody who has wired up that make of UFH controller will know that there is no room inside, so looking at the number of cables I suspect it's a right mess inside.

There are LEDS on the cover that show whether the UFH controller is calling the boiler on, I suspect it is. I expect the wiring has been bodged up, very very common.

 

[moss99]

Thanks for all your help in this , i feel like I'm getting somewhere at last . So basically the ufh controller i have is not really suitable for my system ?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Running UFH on a basic timer and room stat is severely ********ed. Putting a zone valve on a UFH manifold when there are individual actuators is also rather silly.

On that basis and judging from the state of the wiring, I would say the installer was a bit of a gibbon. It would pay you (especially as you're on oil) to get someone in who understands heating controls and get the lot required properly with some decent controls.


Not having a pop at the OP - more the installer.

 

[moss99]

Great more expense ! ! . What controls would i need ? , so i can get some idea of the extra cost .

 

[Dan Robinson]

Disconnect the zone valve to the ufh and put a programmable room stat on each of the zones with TPi functions.

Depending on how high tech you go, it will take an hour or two for a decent chap to fit. So it will be a few hundred, btu will pay for itself in a year or two.