Thermostat Wireless

[Glen10]

Hi, my neighbour was telling me I should easily be able install a wireless room thermostat. He said I need to buy one that you can wire into the mains cable and not one that you need to wire into the boiler circuit. How do I tell whatever type the thermostat is? what does it mean of it says fixed wiring only?

 

[flameport]

He said I need to buy one that you can wire into the mains cable and not one that you need to wire into the boiler circuit.

That makes no sense.
The receivers are all mains powered and they all connect to the boiler wiring.

what does it mean of it says fixed wiring only?

Permanently installed using wiring which is fixed to the building structure.

 

[Glen10]

That makes no sense.
The receivers are all mains powered and they all connect to the boiler wiring.


Permanently installed using wiring which is fixed to the building structure.

Oh really. so they all wire into the main power cable coming out of the boiler? rather than wire into the boiler circuit?

 

[ericmark]

The wireless thermostat comes in many versions. Often base is hard wired but the remote unit has batteries, with volt free contacts they will fit all. Many include timers so rather than simple on/off it changes the temperature set at different times.

There is often no hand shaking so if placed out of range it may fail to switch on or off. Some are single day, some are 5+2 some are 7 day. Some connect to internet, some work out when to switch on so at set time temperature is reached, some even connect to each radiator so every room can have a different program.

Some are designed for wet systems, some for hot air, the nest and hive are A1 with hot air systems, but with wet the Evohome is a better design. But you can get wireless timed thermostats with 5 settings per day and 7 days from around £70.

Other than EvoHome many are really used more as timers than thermostats as the TRV really does the temperature specially where the return water temperature is important as with condensate boilers.

 

[Glen10]

The wireless thermostat comes in many versions. Often base is hard wired but the remote unit has batteries, with volt free contacts they will fit all. Many include timers so rather than simple on/off it changes the temperature set at different times.

There is often no hand shaking so if placed out of range it may fail to switch on or off. Some are single day, some are 5+2 some are 7 day. Some connect to internet, some work out when to switch on so at set time temperature is reached, some even connect to each radiator so every room can have a different program.

Some are designed for wet systems, some for hot air, the nest and hive are A1 with hot air systems, but with wet the Evohome is a better design. But you can get wireless timed thermostats with 5 settings per day and 7 days from around £70.

Other than EvoHome many are really used more as timers than thermostats as the TRV really does the temperature specially where the return water temperature is important as with condensate boilers.

That's helpful. basically he was saying I need to buy one that you don't need to open up the front of the boiler for. just take off the plug to the power cable and wire it up using that. sounds like all of them will do the trick. I was hoping to install a wireless thermostat myself without needing to get a sparky in!!

 

[Gorners]

No offence mate, but you've got two hopes, bob hope and no hope.

 

[Glen10]

No offence mate, but you've got two hopes, bob hope and no hope.

Ok. I don't really know every that means.

 

[ericmark]

Oh really. so they all wire into the main power cable coming out of the boiler? rather than wire into the boiler circuit?

EvoHome does wire into boiler circuit. Each wireless TRV connects to a central controller which in turn tells the boiler when to run. You set the times and temperatures of each room, so bedrooms can remain cold during the day, and living room cold at night. But before you decide that's what you want, look at the price.

In theory the modern boiler does not need an electric thermostat, as each room warms up the TRV closes and the return water gets warmer, the boiler output is reduced to match the return water temperature until it can't reduce any more, when it switches off, after a set time it tries again, if the return water is still hot then it increases the time before re-trying, if not it decreases the time. No longer do you have one radiator without a TRV you have a by-pass valve instead.

So only reason for an electric thermostat is to stop boiler firing up when it is likely to be a fine day. So thermostat placed where it will get morning sun.

However in the real world this system is not all it's cracked up to be. Mainly because not installed correctly to start with. So we add electric thermostats and timers. What messed up out central heating was the so called energy saving bulb. Before the tungsten bulb would transmit radiated heat at night when room was used so setting the room to 18°C was great all day long. But without the tungsten bulb we want the room at 18°C in the day and 20°C at night. Although you can get TRV's with stand alone electronic heads so the temperature can change at different times of the day, these can mess up the anti-cycle software built into the boiler.

So what I and many others do is use a thermostat in the main room so temperature can vary through the day, but other rooms are then a little bit of hit and miss. I in fact use two wireless thermostats one in the living room timed to control during the day and one in bed room timed to control at night. It does work of sorts, but not all the time. Looked at EvoHome and decided too expensive.

 

[Glen10]

EvoHome does wire into boiler circuit. Each wireless TRV connects to a central controller which in turn tells the boiler when to run. You set the times and temperatures of each room, so bedrooms can remain cold during the day, and living room cold at night. But before you decide that's what you want, look at the price.

In theory the modern boiler does not need an electric thermostat, as each room warms up the TRV closes and the return water gets warmer, the boiler output is reduced to match the return water temperature until it can't reduce any more, when it switches off, after a set time it tries again, if the return water is still hot then it increases the time before re-trying, if not it decreases the time. No longer do you have one radiator without a TRV you have a by-pass valve instead.

So only reason for an electric thermostat is to stop boiler firing up when it is likely to be a fine day. So thermostat placed where it will get morning sun.

However in the real world this system is not all it's cracked up to be. Mainly because not installed correctly to start with. So we add electric thermostats and timers. What messed up out central heating was the so called energy saving bulb. Before the tungsten bulb would transmit radiated heat at night when room was used so setting the room to 18°C was great all day long. But without the tungsten bulb we want the room at 18°C in the day and 20°C at night. Although you can get TRV's with stand alone electronic heads so the temperature can change at different times of the day, these can mess up the anti-cycle software built into the boiler.

So what I and many others do is use a thermostat in the main room so temperature can vary through the day, but other rooms are then a little bit of hit and miss. I in fact use two wireless thermostats one in the living room timed to control during the day and one in bed room timed to control at night. It does work of sorts, but not all the time. Looked at EvoHome and decided too expensive.

Do they all wire into the boiler circuit? or do some just wire into the powercable?

 

[ericmark]

Before the condensating boiler some boilers were controlled by simply turning off the power to them. But most boilers are designed to have a cool down time, so with many boilers although they may stand to odd power failure, controlling by turning off main power supply will damage it.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It's the thermostat which is wireless; not the receiver which must be connected to the boiler and the mains.

 

[JohnD]

Have you already got a room thermostat wired in?

 

[Glen10]

Have you already got a room thermostat wired in?

No I don't. and I'm getting the impression installing the receiver is a lot harder to do than I can handle myself. fair? they all require you to go into the boiler wire system?