In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
dbroms wrote:

Hi

i am about to replace my conventional boiler so at the same time i am
looking to improve my system.

We have a storage tank in the airing cupboard with the pump below it.
When our boiler kicks in it heats the water AND the radiators. We have
no control of this, in the summer we just turn all the radiators off.
In the winter when we need the heating on all day our hot water boils
all day aswell!.
We also dont have any room thermostat either.

1. Can i fit a y valve to control heating/water ?

I assume from what you say that the CH and HW circuits are *both* pumped,
rather than the HW relying on gravity (convection) circulation? If so, you
will probably have a T-piece in the airing cupboard, just above the pump,
with one branch going to the heating coil in the HW cylinder and the other
branch going to the radiators. If this is the case, you can replace the
T-piece with a 3-port mid-position valve and convert your system into a
Y-Plan.

2. do i have to pull cables in to control the valve?

Yes. The most convenient arrangement is usually to have a wiring centre -
which is a fancy name for a 10-way juncion box - mounted in the airing
cupboard. This needs to have cables going to:
* Programmer
* Boiler
* Pump
* Mid-position valve
* Cylinder stat
* Room stat (or base unit thereof if you're using a wireless room stat)

Assuming a wireless stat, everything except the boiler could be in the
airing cupboard - so the only cable of any length will be the one from the
wiring centre to the boiler.


3. i want to fit a wireless thermostat, are these any good?

I've never used one, but a lot of people here have - and generally give good
reports of them. The wireless feature usually goes with a programmable stat
such as the Honeywell CM67 RF - which allows you to have different
temperatures set at different times of day. If you use a programmable room
stat in conjunction with a conventional timer, the usual trick is to set CH
to constant on the basic timer, and let the stat do the timing for that -
but use the timer for timing the hot water.

any other tips or suggestions much appreciated

Have a look at http://content.honeywell.com/uk/homes/systems.htm which shows
the basic pipe layout and electrical wiring for a number of heating 'plans'.
Study the Y-Plan bit in depth.

While you're at it, also have a look at the S-Plan. This achieves the same
thing as a Y-Plan, but uses two 2-port valves rather one 3-port valve. It is
slightly more expensive to implement but many people believe that it is
technically superior, and less prone to failure. [3-port valves occupy a
very strategic position in Y-Plan systems, and can be very temperamental at
times].
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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