Wireless Thermostat - What am I looking for ?

[johnny_t]

I have a Worcester Boiler in my garage, which is wired to a thermostat in the front room. All of the programming (heat levels, times, etc.) is done at the boiler, so the thermostat is just used for changing the temperature and advancing the programme.

My wife wants a thermostat that can be moved around the house, so she doesn't have to worry about the rest of the house being cold if, say, we have a fire on.

The simplest solution, I guess, is some sort of receiver that I can just replace the existing thermostat with, and then a transmitting thermostat that I move round the house. I feel sure they must exist, but I don't know exactly what to look for. Everything I find seems to involve having a programmer or attaching to the boiler or something like that.

Can someone point me in the right direction ?

 

[Mark Wilson]

You answered your question in the title, basically you need a wireless thermostat not a programmable one. The one you have now is hard wired from the boiler and senses the temperature of whichever room it is mounted, calls for heat from the boiler when temperature is turned above sensed room temperature and knocks boiler off when temperature is achieved. Wireless does exactly the same although you can move the stat around where it senses temperature of wherever it is. Comes with a receiver which is wired to your boiler in place of the old hard wired stat and communicates between the boiler and wireless stat.

 

[johnny_t]

You answered your question in the title, basically you need a wireless thermostat not a programmable one. The one you have now is hard wired from the boiler and senses the temperature of whichever room it is mounted, calls for heat from the boiler when temperature is turned above sensed room temperature and knocks boiler off when temperature is achieved. Wireless does exactly the same although you can move the stat around where it senses temperature of wherever it is. Comes with a receiver which is wired to your boiler in place of the old hard wired stat and communicates between the boiler and wireless stat.

Thanks.
I think, in my head, it seemed easier to have the receiver where the existing thermostat was, rather than have to fanny about wiring stuff at the boiler, and having a hole to plaster in the front room...

 

[ericmark]

I use programmable thermostatic radiator valve heads, they have three buttons and a dial and are programmed at 20°C when room likely to be used 17°C when not, two temperatures called eco and comfort, press one button and it swaps between the two and shows target on the display. Also can connect to one phone with bluetooth, cost me £15 each, seen the non bluetooth at £10 each.

I also have a wall thermostat in the hall which will auto switch off heating when we leave the house and back on before we return, but individual rooms controlled by 9 programmable TRV heads, 5 cheap eQ-3 and 4 expensive Energenie the latter can be accessed over internet, but in real terms not as good, as I don't carry my mobile phone with me in the house, so if I walk into a room ahead of programmed temperature raise I simply press button, and at next eco time it reverts to 17°C. The cheap one you can set both eco and comfort temperatures, the expensive one they are pre-set, if I don't like temperature only one button on expensive TRV head so have to find phone or PC to alter.

As to a moveable wireless thermostat, still need TRV's set to stop rooms over heating, and where placed makes a huge difference. Air circulates, and natural thermals means the TRV is where it needs to be to sample return air temperature, a wall thermostat would be placed on wall opposite. But free standing it can be out of the thermals and cause a large hysteresis in the temperature.

Wall thermostat should be in a room kept cool on ground floor with no alternative heating or outside doors and its job is to turn off boiler when we get warm days, to stop boiler cycling.

 

[Mark Wilson]

Thanks.
I think, in my head, it seemed easier to have the receiver where the existing thermostat was, rather than have to fanny about wiring stuff at the boiler, and having a hole to plaster in the front room...

Yeah technically you could but you need a live and neutral to give it power the wired stats are usually just two 24v wires from the boiler which you put to your receiver to switch boiler on and off when called for heat but need L and N also. Hope's this helps.

 

[Mottie]

Thanks.
I think, in my head, it seemed easier to have the receiver where the existing thermostat was, rather than have to fanny about wiring stuff at the boiler, and having a hole to plaster in the front room...

That’s what my mum had done years ago. Receiver was where the original stat was - on boiler cupboard in kitchen and the thermostat in whatever room she was in - either lounge or when feeling poorly, her bedroom. Probably inefficient and a waste of gas as both those rads were fully open but she was after comfort in her old age, sod the expense. I’m sure there’s more efficient ways now days - Wifi TRV's possibly with the room with the thermostat on Max and the empty room on low maybe?

 

[johnny_t]

Thanks for all the advice so far...

 

[ianmcd]

Look at the Nest E it is battery powered and can just replace the existing room thermostat with it and you can have the new nest E thermostat anywhere you want