Vaillant VRC 470 - how to advance the heating?

[Neil K]

Hey all,

Apologies if this is a really silly question but I have has the VRC 470 installed with a Vaillant system boiler & Vaillant cylinder. Everything is working fine and I have learnt a lot about using the VRC 470 controller (which you need a master's degree in).

However I am missing the basic functionality of switching the heating on when I want it to. For example if the time settings are set to trigger the heating on at 6pm, but I want to advance the heating at 5pm how do I do it?

I have tried party mode and comfort mode and they don't seem to work. So I am stumped.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[oldbuffer]

Party mode will do it. However, don't forget that if the room is already at the required temperature (or even 1 degree below it), the system won't fire the boiler. To force, it, switch to party mode, then turn the dial to the right and it will allow you to set a higher temperature. Unless you select otherwise, this increase is temporary until the start / end of the next programmed period.

 

[wannocks]

There is no advance function. You can temporarily increase the temperature, I think it's done by just spinning the dial from the start screen. It will revert to the program when the next event happens.

 

[Neil K]

I'm not sure if that would work as it will ignore the temp settings unless a timing schedule is in effect? No?

 

[wannocks]

No, it's a temporary override.

 

[Neil K]

Awesome thanks! I will try this on the weekend.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

If its on its timed mode, just turn the knob on the front till the temperature display shows the temp you want and leave it, it will come on and then when the next set time comes along it will revert to whatever the timed temp should be

 

[Neil K]

Great thank you.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Sorry to resurrect another thread guys, but I am struggling to understand what the Party Mode does, which might be any different to just spinning the dial to a new temperature, but not pressing OK to store the new temperature. Likewise, what does the Comfort Mode do which is different?

The book just doesn't explain things very well
Its a VCR470F

 

[oldbuffer]

1. Party mode.
Overrides the timer and sets the central heating to come on and stay on until the end of the last timed "on" period for the day. Just spinning the dial will change the desired temperature only if the heating is in a timed period or "Party Mode" is active.
2. Comfort mode.
I've no idea what it does, nor days at or away from home.

I agree with you, except that I'd say the book doesn't explain things at all. Overall I find the Vaillant controls very poor, and particularly the fact that the timer loses the current time and date if there is a power cut, because I believe it is stored in the boiler with no battery back up. If it weren't for the fact that the weather compensation saves a few bob in gas, I'd scrap the Vaillant controls, reinstate the wired room thermostat (Fahrenheit!) and put in a Drayton lifestyle programmer.

 

[wannocks]

Comfort mode permanently sets your 'on' or 'comfort' temperature to be active. The timer is disabled. It will stay at whatever you have set you comfort temperature to be (rather than the 'set back' or 'off' temperature)

 

[wannocks]

Double post

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I agree with you, except that I'd say the book doesn't explain things at all. Overall I find the Vaillant controls very poor, and particularly the fact that the timer loses the current time and date if there is a power cut, because I believe it is stored in the boiler with no battery back up. If it weren't for the fact that the weather compensation saves a few bob in gas, I'd scrap the Vaillant controls, reinstate the wired room thermostat (Fahrenheit!) and put in a Drayton lifestyle programmer.

Thanks both and another question, plus an answer...

Do either or both of those settings retain / store the temperature, separately so it can be reused again without dialing a new temperature in? In other words I were were to call up one or other of them, will it show and use the last used setting for that mode?

My F wireless version is keeping the clock going with the boiler powered down, so my guess is that the time/date is also stored in the 470, but because it is powered from the Ebus and powering the boiler down - ebus power is also lost along with the time/date. Whilst installing and setting up my 470F to replace my old controls, I powered the boiler down numerous times without it losing time/date. I am though still in the dark as to whether it does actually manage to receive the DCF77 time code from Germany, I have seen no indication that the VR21 has corrected the clock.

So my fix for the basic 470 loosing its time, would be to see if I could add a set of batteries, to power it via a diode to keep it running when ebus power is lost. It seems poor design on Vaillant's part not to have considered what would happen when there is a power outage - the system could run amok. I'll bet there is the same space available in the 470 for a set of batteries, as in the 470F.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think I have the Comfort nailed, it is just Vaillant's name for the temperature it set to during the day period. If I understand Party, it brings the temperature up to the day or Comfort temperature?

It seems I could really make use of at least a third, instantly selectable room temperature...

The way we use the heating is mostly one of turning the stat setting up and down. During the coldest night, with no heat input, the temperature never falls below 16C indoors. We are both retired, so more often than not both in during the day apart from going out on irregular shopping expeditions. So presently I have the night period from 23:00 through to 09:00, with the temperature of 12C. 0900 to 23:00 the temperature is set to 17C. I tweak the stat up gradually up to 19C, as and when we feel cold as the day progresses, then 20C on an evening. These are the hall temperatures, which has no TRV. All the other rooms have TRV's and the living rooms are somewhat warmer that the hall. We both like it cool when in bed.

Which rather wastes the night program.

I'm thinking I might be better running 09:00 through to 17:00 at 17C as the day, then 17:00 through to 23:00 at 20C as the night. Nudging the stat up as might be needed during the day program. I could then during the morning/afternoon press Party if needed, to bring the temperature up if needed.

If I understand the frost protection system, it checks whether to turn it on, based on its outdoor temperature sensor. I found that on the colder nights, that seemed to turn the heating on whilst we were in bed, when set on it's default of a 4 hour delay, despite the house never falling below 16C. I changed that to its maximum delay before firing on frost protection of 12 hours which does seem to have resolved that.

[EDIT] Oh dear, you cannot even do that..
You can only have one day temperature and what is not set up as day in the timer section, is night time temperature.