Hi,

I have a number of zones in my house which I am looking to control via
standard central heating programmers. Since they will be located in
the utility room, I am keen to enable the current status to be
overriden by a switch/ button somewhere in the zone (e.g if the
upstairs heating is off and it gets a bit chilly, they can hit the
botton upstairs rather than coming downstairs). The reason for
keeping them all centrally is to enable us to put all zones on without
needing to go to each area.

Does anyone know of a control that allows the override button to be
connected externally? I thought I saw a post from someone who had
done this on this group but despite searching, I can't seem to find
it.

thanks

Lee.

In article ,
writes:
Hi,

I have a number of zones in my house which I am looking to control via
standard central heating programmers. Since they will be located in
the utility room, I am keen to enable the current status to be
overriden by a switch/ button somewhere in the zone (e.g if the
upstairs heating is off and it gets a bit chilly, they can hit the
botton upstairs rather than coming downstairs). The reason for
keeping them all centrally is to enable us to put all zones on without
needing to go to each area.

Does anyone know of a control that allows the override button to be
connected externally? I thought I saw a post from someone who had
done this on this group but despite searching, I can't seem to find
it.

I've built my own, which is part of a whole home automation system.
The 'remote' extends to phone/Internet access from outside the house,
not just controls inside the house, and it also takes into account
occupancy (actually more so than timed control most people use today).
I started nearly 10 years ago, although it's been modified and
enhanced a few times over that period.

If you'd asked me 10 years ago, I would have guessed this would be
bog standard by now, but in reality, heating controls commonly in
use are unchanged, although some more elaborate ones are available.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hi,

I have a number of zones in my house which I am looking to control via
standard central heating programmers. Since they will be located in
the utility room, I am keen to enable the current status to be
overriden by a switch/ button somewhere in the zone (e.g if the
upstairs heating is off and it gets a bit chilly, they can hit the
botton upstairs rather than coming downstairs). The reason for
keeping them all centrally is to enable us to put all zones on without
needing to go to each area.

Does anyone know of a control that allows the override button to be
connected externally? I thought I saw a post from someone who had
done this on this group but despite searching, I can't seem to find
it.

thanks

Lee.

Heatmiser, but all their stuff is programmer/thermostats and intend the unit
to be in the zone, with remote control possible via RS485.

How about a time delay relay and push switch just bridging the output
contacts of the programmer (aka flats hall lighting delay relay)?

Or can't you put the programmer in the zone seeing as you're going to run
wires there anyway?

Cheers


Tim

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
wrote:

Hi,

I have a number of zones in my house which I am looking to control via
standard central heating programmers. Since they will be located in
the utility room, I am keen to enable the current status to be
overriden by a switch/ button somewhere in the zone (e.g if the
upstairs heating is off and it gets a bit chilly, they can hit the
botton upstairs rather than coming downstairs). The reason for
keeping them all centrally is to enable us to put all zones on without
needing to go to each area.

Does anyone know of a control that allows the override button to be
connected externally? I thought I saw a post from someone who had
done this on this group but despite searching, I can't seem to find
it.

thanks

Lee.

Presumably the over-ride button would turn the appropriate zone on until the
programmer's next scheduled OFF event?

If you can't find anything to do exactly that, you may be able to DIY a
solution which turns it on for (say) one hour - by using something akin to
the sort of staircase light switch used in some blocks of flats, which turns
the lights on when you press it and turns them off again after a set time. I
don't know whether any such switches are capable of being set to a time long
enough to be useful for CH purposes, but there are other timing devices -
like bathroom fan over-run timers - which may possibly do the job.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

On Sat, 09 May 2009 21:08:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:

Heatmiser, but all their stuff is programmer/thermostats and intend the
unit to be in the zone, with remote control possible via RS485.

How about a time delay relay and push switch just bridging the output
contacts of the programmer (aka flats hall lighting delay relay)?

That would be my favorite solution. I looked at something similar for one
of the local community halls to provide a simple "Press for heat" button.
Plenty of options of off the shelf DIN rail devices with suitable delays
and non-retriggerable ones as well. ie once triggered it ran for it's time
period then off and could not be retriggered by pressing the button again
turing it's run time or for a given period after.

Another solution is hacking into the programmer and extending wire from
across the boost switch in the device. Might have problems with long wires
and interference causing false triggering mind.

Or can't you put the programmer in the zone seeing as you're going to
run wires there anyway?

Two wires for a button (three if you want feedback that the button push
has been registered) or the whole bundle for the power, button and
switched output back to the central point...

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Sat, 09 May 2009 21:08:26 +0100, Tim S wrote:

Heatmiser, but all their stuff is programmer/thermostats and intend the
unit to be in the zone, with remote control possible via RS485.

How about a time delay relay and push switch just bridging the output
contacts of the programmer (aka flats hall lighting delay relay)?

That would be my favorite solution. I looked at something similar for one
of the local community halls to provide a simple "Press for heat" button.
Plenty of options of off the shelf DIN rail devices with suitable delays
and non-retriggerable ones as well. ie once triggered it ran for it's time
period then off and could not be retriggered by pressing the button again
turing it's run time or for a given period after.

Another solution is hacking into the programmer and extending wire from
across the boost switch in the device. Might have problems with long wires
and interference causing false triggering mind.

Or can't you put the programmer in the zone seeing as you're going to
run wires there anyway?

Two wires for a button (three if you want feedback that the button push
has been registered) or the whole bundle for the power, button and
switched output back to the central point...


4 wire control flex or one triple+E: Live, Switched Live, Neutral (some
battery powered electronic programmers don't need this) and Earth? This of
course assums you no longer need a remote button because the programmer is
now in the zone.

Or with Heatmiser network low voltage devices, one bit of STP/FTP shielded
network cable, which carries +12V, OV, switched output and two for RS485
which allows a central control box, eg in the hall, or a PC to be linked in
(I've seen documentation on the protocol lying around the web).
Disadvantage is the relay in those can only manage ELV, so you need another
relay to mains back at the boiler.

I'm doing mine differently to the official method with a bit of 5 core
looped round and drops to each zone:

+12V, 0V for power to Heatmiser
-12V to wax thermal actuators (rad valves, which are 24V devices, actually
fed with -12V common and switched +12V=24V)
Switched +12V for UFH demand
Switched +12V for radiator demand.

Each room will have a small junction box carrying the loop cable and drops
to each zone's stat and rad/ufh valve. In same box, a diode will OR the
local demand signal onto either the ufh or rad demand wires. Back at base,
the two demand wires will drive logic interface relays to the respective
pumps. Seems neater than a star topology and a big fat wiring centre.

I'll loop a seperate bit of Cat5e for the RS485.

Just some ideas

On Mon, 11 May 2009 08:21:02 +0100, Tim S wrote:

4 wire control flex or one triple+E: Live, Switched Live, Neutral (some
battery powered electronic programmers don't need this) and Earth? This
of course assums you no longer need a remote button because the
programmer is now in the zone.

The OP's spec is for control in the zone and at a central point...

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 08:21:02 +0100, Tim S wrote:

4 wire control flex or one triple+E: Live, Switched Live, Neutral (some
battery powered electronic programmers don't need this) and Earth? This
of course assums you no longer need a remote button because the
programmer is now in the zone.

The OP's spec is for control in the zone and at a central point...


I thought he just wanted an timed override at one point?

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Tim S wrote:

Dave Liquorice coughed up some electrons that declared:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 08:21:02 +0100, Tim S wrote:

4 wire control flex or one triple+E: Live, Switched Live, Neutral
(some battery powered electronic programmers don't need this) and
Earth? This of course assums you no longer need a remote button
because the programmer is now in the zone.

The OP's spec is for control in the zone and at a central point...


I thought he just wanted an timed override at one point?

He said he wanted to be able to over-ride each zone from a point *within*
the zone - but he *also* wanted to be able to control *all* zones from a
central point.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

On Mon, 11 May 2009 23:21:10 +0100, Tim S wrote:

The OP's spec is for control in the zone and at a central point...

I thought he just wanted an timed override at one point?

OP:

I have a number of zones in my house ...
snip
I am keen to enable the current status to be overriden by a switch/
button somewhere in the zone ...
snip
The reason for keeping them all centrally is to enable us to put all
zones on without needing to go to each area.

Nothing about timed overide just an overide in each zone and the abilty to
have central control.

--
Cheers
Dave.