Programmable Thermostat recomendations

[Chasingsquirrels]

We had a new boiler installed in the spring (Worcester Bosch Greenstar Heatslave II Oil Combi) and now it's time for the heating to be on I need to get a thermostat (house has never had one, just TRV on the rads).

Wireless appears to be easier (although more prone to problems?) and that's the way I think I'm going.

Boiler currently has a Honeywell programmer/timer attached to it (from old boiler, about 15 years old) which does on/off upto 3 times a day with each day being set separately. I assume I need to replace this to something which will communicate with the wireless thermostat, and therefore a programmable thermostat makes sense.

WB do a controller which will fit directly into the boiler here or other similar ones will less control. This also controls the hot water, again on/off upto 3 times a day - at present we just have it always on.

I like the idea of it fitting directly into the boiler, but don't like that the thermostat is only wall mountable, not freestanding.

If I don't go the WB route, the receive presumably needs to be put on the wall near the boiler and wired into it - as the current honeywell controller is.

Any recommendations for which way to go and comments on the WB model linked to?

TIA

The one you have linked to is freestanding
The receiver is attached to the boiler, the thermostat/programmer can be attached to a wall or left wherever you like in the house

The latest fad is for thermostats like Nest which "learn" and can be controlled by your smartphone or pc

I wouldn't recommend Drayton or WB or British Gas thermostats
We have had two break, the last one lasted less than 5 years

We have just replaced ours with this one which seems fine so far
www.screwfix.com/p/horstmann-hrfs1-programmable-room-thermostat/93829

Honeywell currently lead the field.

I prefer the CM907 which is wired and will connect where your old room stat used to be. The equivalent wireless is I think the CM927. A wireless one is more likely to go wrong, of course.

there has never been a stat in the house, wired or otherwise, hence my preference for wireless as presumably retro-fitting a wired one would be quite disruptive.

I didn't think the WB one was freestanding, it appears to be just wall mounted - although of course I could always not attach it to a wall, but I didn't see that it had a stand as others appear to.

I'll look at the Honeywell, thanks. Presumably the receiver would just wire into the boiler similar to my existing timer control.

Also, is a timer for the hot water sensible?

if you have a modern blue or white cylinder, the heat loss is very low. However there is an efficiency gain from letting the boiler run long enough to get the cylinder fully hot in the morning, then turning off on a timer until bathtime. If the boiler runs for a few minutes to top it up every time you run a sink, this is inefficient and wasteful of gas.

btw you should also insulate the hot pipes around the cylinder, and especially between the cylinder and the boiler, and the one coming out of the top of the cylinder, or they will act as long thin radiators.

If you have an older cylinder, put one or preferably two insulating red jackets round it.

(you do not need a HW timer if you have a combi boiler)

It's a combo, so no hot water cylinder.
I thought the whole point of a combi was always available hot water, so having it on a timer seems pointless - although I suppose if you only want hot water between say 7am and 8am and 6pm and 10pm then having it on a timer might make sense.

It's just that the WB control I linked to has a hot water timer on the receiver part, and seems to specifically be for the combi model ... Hence my question.

Combi not combo

possibly it turns off a keep-hot function, which burns extra gas all day to save you several seconds waiting when you turn on a hot tap.

If so, I'd just turn that off at the boiler (Eco mode = on)

Eco mode is already on, keeps the core at a lower temperature, don't notice a delay when running hot tap - other than natural delay with taps on other side of house.
Timer element is definitely timer - on/off functions.

I didn't think I needed it either, so won't feel I need that WB controller to get that function.

I did like the fact that the WB controller/receiver fits into the boiler so it isn't another box on the wall, but as its in the utility room I guess that doesn't really matter.

Now I need to find an electrician to fit whatever I get, or would a plumber do that as its connected to the boiler? (I've just had a plumber in doing other work who told me off about the lack of a room stat).

a heating engineer familiar with that model of boiler will probably do it quickest. An electrician would have to get hold of the circuit diagram and instructions first.

I quite like separate controls, it is easy to swap them subsequently if broken or outdated, without needing a heating engineer trained on that make and model.

Thanks for your help

I hate our programmable thermostat, it's got tons of default programmes that make it hard to over ride. Heating engineer hadn't got a clue how to set it. I can't wait until it breaks and well just get a dial one.

that's interesting. Do you know the make and model?

I often hear people annoyed with heating controls that have Weather Compensation or Learning, when they make their own decisions without consulting the user.

British gas RC plus.

I seem to fiddle around with the bloody thing more now than I ever did with our old one.

God knows how it works, the buttons are really fiddly and the instructions are ridiculous. I can't bear it!

It does seem to gave a mind of its own and you can't even turn it off in the winter, just in case it freezes.

Google suggests you are not alone. One users says "I found British Gas just re-badged them from Drayton Digistat" which is common, BG are not a manufacturer.

yours might be on here there appear to have been several models

ACL Drayton is a good maker, but at present the Honeywell Programmable Thermostats do seem to be better.

Frost protection is quite common, but the heating will stay off unless the house approaches freezing. If you are willing to take the risk you could probably turn the boiler off.

Our old one was honey well and out was fine, very basic and not over complicated. I really don't need to be able to programme my CH to such minute detail.

I'll have a look at the link, thanks

I've been reading this post and others like it with interest. I've just bought a flat which has a combi boiler & valiant 'controls'. The stat is functionally useless - I can't work out how it works & nor could the plumber. How much would it cost to get a Nest or a Honeywell thermostat installed? I just want the heating to come on automatically before I go to work & in the evening when I get home, with the option of turning it on at other times if I'm in & cold. The additional ability to turn it on or off from my phone that you get with the Nest seems handy. How much would fitting be for these? I don't want to get ripped off but also want to pay fairly! Thank you!