Hot water/Heating compatibility question
I have a Worcester/Bosch boiler that heats my radiators and hot water. I also have a hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard. I have a Potterton EP2002 hot water/boiler timing controller and a Honeywell T40 thermostat. The EP2002 is configured so that the hot water can be switched on independently of the heating, but the heating cannot be turned on independently of the hot water i.e. when the heating is on, so is the hot water. I was going to purchase the Starter Kit - Wired Smart Thermostat V3+ just to replace the thermostat, but from reading the instructions I would have to set the EP2002 to be 'on' all the time (I assume so that the Smart Thermostat then takes control). I couldn't work out how I could then control the hot water separately during the summer, so going back to your webpage I saw that you have a Starter Kit - Wireless Smart Thermostat V3+.
- Is the Starter Kit - Wireless Smart Thermostat V3+ compatible with my system
- Am I able to control the hot water heating separately from the radiators?
- Will the fact that my current system is configured to allow hot water to be programmed independently of the radiator control but not vice-versa cause any issues?
Thanks.
Matt
Answers
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The wireless smart thermostat with hot water control is the correct starter kit. The wireless receiver replaces the EP2002 and you can put the wireless thermostat wherever you want it. It runs on batteries so does not have to go in the same position as the old wall thermostat.
The receiver will need to be configured for gravity fed mode and then you’ll have HW Only and CH+HW as you do now.
Providing the system is configured for gravity fed (not S-Plan or Y-plan) it will work just like your system does at the moment.
You have what is described as a gravity fed system, or partially pumped. The CH circuit is pumped but the HW circuit relies on gravity to circulate water between the boiler and cylinder. Used to be common in the UK during the 70s and 80s, but rarely seen these days as prohibited by building regulations. Plumbers usually update to a fully pumped system when a modern condensing boiler is installed. If you have an adjustable thermostat on your hot water cylinder it may mean your system is fully pumped, but the Potterton programmer just hasn’t been updated to give you CH only.
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Hi cheese, thanks for the quick and in-depth answers. Really appreciated. I can confirm that I don't have separate temperature control between the central heating and hot water. Although there are two controls on the boiler, it clearly states that the hot water control is not used and only the radiator temp selector is valid. The house was built in 1997 and I'm pretty sure its not pressurised (there's an expansion tank in the loft).
My main concern was whether the Tado unit was going to be able to mimic the same configuration as how the Potterton has been setup so that I have different control over the hot water and central heating. I'd love 100% separate control but for some reason the original heating engineer wired it so the central heating was linked to the water heating. Quite annoying and inefficient and would love to change but don't know where to start ;-)
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Just for clarity. Having an open vent system with a small expansion tank in the loft does not stop you from having a fully pumped system with independent control of HW and CH. The decision to seal/pressurise the system is entirely separate. Sealing the system will reduce the amount of oxygen circulating in the water, leading to less corrosion.
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