Modern domestic heating thermostats

[fly boy3]

Hi all, new boiler fitted plus wireless remote thermostat and progammer. Ok, on /off easy, but trying to set it for timed settings are very difficult even with the manual. Do you think these are over complicated for the general public, or is it old age setting in lol.

[Peter Jenkins]

Old age I'd say - as an oldie myself! 

Edited By Peter Jenkins on 22/10/2020 23:47:36

[Geoff S]

We have something similar with a remote control and it's not too difficult, I find, and we're both 80. The hard bit for us is getting 2.4gHz (I assume) communiction from the kitchen, where we have the controller/thermostat setter and the boiler itself, which is upstairs even though it's probably only 3 or 4 metres at most. We live in a 200 year old stone cottage and, I swear, each room is like a Faraday cage - no RF in or out! In practice it just about works but it's iffy.

The boiler is a Bosch/Worcester which was a difficult choice because we live only 2 miles from the Valent/Gloworm factory but both plumbers we know personally recommended the Bosch so that's what we chose.

The gadgets I have most difficulty with is digital radios. Every one has a different set of controls and we have several. I find this embarrassing as I used to repair radios professionally as a teenager 'Proper' radios with a tuning dial and a wave change switch etc were all more or less the same - especially those with valves!.

Geoff

[cymaz]

My take on it is that chipsets are so cheap and powerful today. Designers and programmers have to fill them with something of perceived value. Not that the man in the street uses 50% of it. My thermostat/ programmer has 6 different heating programs, holiday mode, anti frost mode, etc.

[Doctor Chinnery]

Geoff - you could very well be in a number of Faraday Cages - when replastering walls of old properties it was not uncommon for the builder/plasterer to use chicken wire to get the plaster to stick to the underlying structure especially if they were going for a textured finish like Artex. (I know of what I speak: our current cottage dates back to the late 1600s, last two were 1700 and 1800 and something, and in the '70s when we bought a Cob and Stone cottage in Zummezet there was chicken wire under the Artex when we stripped that off too.)

[Trevor Crook]

We had a new boiler fitted last year, with a wireless thermostat/programmer. It's a Worcester Bosch, and although it takes a while to set up, I found it quite straightforward once I had studied the manual. Unlike the old one, everything is set by the control in the hall - no diving in the boiler cupboard to set the timer.

Replacing the 25 year old boiler with a modern one has reduced our gas bill by 30% and the house is warmer, but I bet it doesn't last 25 years! Still, it has a 10 year warranty.

[Glenn Stevenson]

I love the compicated thermostat I fitted in the hall, it stops my better half from turning the temp up to 30 every time I,m not looking. The money saved on heating pays for my methanol addiction.

Glenn

[Nigel R]

Ours is a basic electric version of a mechanical timer. Seems pointless having anything more fancy when the boiler has to be fed a bag of coal every morning, and doesn't really ever completely "turn off".

[ken anderson.]

hello FB3,the thermostat software was probably written by someone who doesn't have to use it....some youngin who hasn't heard of KISS....

ken anderson....ne..1..KISS dept.

[Nigel R]

Fancy junk sells better than simple things. C'est la vie.

[Gary Murphy 1]

The stat on my valent is a Honeywell and although many functions is easy to programme without the manual even,apx 3 years old.

My parners on the other hand is a nightmare,still newish. Must be down to make model I think?

[Robin Colbourne]

There seems to be a generation of designers who forget that some things need to be operated quickly by someone with no prior knowledge.

My neighbour had a Peugeot 2008 on Motability which I would drive for them sometimes. All manner of tasks are done via a touch screen, so its virtually impossible to jump in and use everything without spending hours reading the handbook. Woe betide anyone who ends up with one as a hire car!

[Shaun Walsh]

My central heating is over 20 years old, but the thermostat still has a simple type of remote control:

My wife says "I'm cold", I get up off the sofa and turn the temperature up

[kc]

If the wireless programmer is one you can move around the house anywhere then you could also take it to someone who could programme it for you! ( someone under 25 probably! )

[David Hall 9]

Shortly after we had a new boiler fitted (with wireless control/thermostat), we began to experience odd behaviour of our system. It would turn itself on at odd times and sometimes off when we didn't change it. After a few days of this, I noticed that my next door neighbour had his boiler man in. I asked him what was wrong, he said that they had a new controller fitted and that they couldn't get it to work properly....

You might guess, when I checked his new controller, I found that it was the same type as mine and that we both had not changed it's "address" from the default it was delivered with. An easy fix that could have eluded us for longer.

[Simon Chaddock]

Yes indeed

There was nothing wrong with the old synchronous motor driving a 24 hour dial marked 'day/night' and little pegs that set the on/off times.

You could see how it operated just by looking at it! Then there was a simple 4 position switch marked "on/timed/all day/permanent". Simples!

Indeed if you listened carefully you could actually hear if it was working.

Of course it stopped if the mains cut out but then the boiler did as well.

[Cuban8]

There are some very poorly designed devices around where no matter what your age or IQ are still frustratingly difficult to get to grips with. Not all bad news though, our new internet connected Blueray player did everything but unpack itself from its box and plug in.

The secret with a difficult bit of kit is to not lose your rag with it.

[Brian Cooper]

I had my boiler replaced a couple of years ago and it had a wireless thermostat /control unit with it.

It has six time zones to program for any 24 hours period. . It isn't difficult to set up BUT you can't dither at each stage to think about times and temperatures, etc, because it will time out and throw you back to the start.

It's best to have it all thought out (perhaps written down) and then simply enter the info into the unit.

[Chris Walby]

We have an old boiler and a quite modern thermostat....the best features are:

1. It backs off to 16C overnight so its not too warm and comes on at 5:30 in the morning
2. Because it does the above, if anyone messes with the controls...its not too long before it self resets back to its default program and temperature

PS who needs an alarm clock when you can hear the boiler start at the same time every day...unless its summer and then its light anyway so time to get up

[kevin b]

Alarm clock. Time to get up ?

I didn't join this pensioners club to follow rules any more !

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Chris has this odd habit of working (or so he tells us) for a living.

[John Tee]

I used to work in the heating trade and struggled with some of the programmable room 'stats. Been retired 10 years now so probably wouldn't have a clue. Glad I'm out of it on hearing what is happening inside my old firm. Shades of British Airways.

On a similar vein, I have just changed my Ford SMax for a SMax Titanium. So many bells and whistles to learn. Auto gearbox from manual - easy. So many switches and buttons on the steering wheel and levers. Still got one switch on the indicator stalk I don't know what it does. Some parts of the manual are vague and seem to relate to other models. Took over 2 hours just to update the satnav and the engine had to be running all the time (not been updated in 4 years). Only had the car 7 weeks.

John

[gangster]

I like the flexibility the new wireless programmers give. We did however have one which was a pain to program 8 push buttons and 3 rocker switches. You really had to keep your wits about you programming it. Like someone said earlier pause and you lost the lot. The rockers switch became very worn everything needed pressing so many times. We now have a Hive. Nice simple thing has all the functionality of the old one but so simple to use. It has the added bonus that you can control it by smartphone, yes a gimmick some will say but it really is useful

[fly boy3]

Thanks for all replies lads. I may be wrong here, but I am told some plumbers use electricians to wire up boiler and accessories. The plumber in this case may not be the correct man to make enquiries regarding programmers ?

[kc]

As others have said - read the manual and write down the sequence for what you want to do then do it on the programmmer.

For anybody thinking of changing an old fashioned boiler to a new one to save money - dont bother. The savings in gas won't pay for the cost of the required annual service in all probability! We changed our old traditional boiler for a new Worcester condensing one and our gas bills are not any less than before despite using it the same as far as we can tell. However this years servicing bill of 90 pounds ( and every year too to keep the warranty) makes it more expensive. The old boiler went for 24 years without servicing!