Tado X - Which Starter Kit and Wired or Wireless Room Stat
I’m planning on installing a Tado X system in my home. The present system is based on an Intergas Compact HRE 24OV gas boiler with conventional programmer and wired room stat (which happens to be in a useless position in a 1m x 1m central hallway, but more of that later). Hot water is supplied via the boiler into a Megaflow unvented cylinder. There are 11 radiators with standard TRVs and 3 stainless steel heated towel rails in the bathrooms with standard chrome valve pairs.
I am looking at replacing all of the TRVs with Tado Smart Radiator Thermostat Xs and leaving the heated towel rails alone (for the moment).
So, what equipment do I need apart from the 11 radiator thermostats? I believe that I need a starter kit to replace the existing programmer and room stat, but it’s not 100% clear to me exactly which kit I require, so I tried the product finder quiz:
I stared with “I have a room thermostat” and eventually got to the questions “I have a wired/wireless thermostat”. Now I currently have a wired thermostat, but if I give that as an answer it says that only the Smart Thermostat X (Wired) is suitable, which I don’t want because I want to relocate the room stat from the tiny hall to the lounge. If I select Wireless instead (by lying) it tells me that only the Smart Thermostat V3+ (Wireless) is suitable (although the picture is of an X model, not a V3+, so I think that this is a mistake). Anyway, is it correct that I can’t replace an old wired room stat with a Tado X wireless one? Or can the old wired stat be removed and the wiring for it modified somehow?
If I can replace the wired with the wireless (how is the old stat wiring handled?), would this bundle from Costco do the job for me: , along with an additional three radiator stats from Amazon at £178.55?
Grateful for any help/advice.
Comments
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@Coys1955 Hello. First, it's best to reach out Tado support from the main web site pages with details of your heating system for their advice.
For users to help … and Tado support:
- What make/model is your 'conventional' programmer? (eg Honeywell ST9400)
- Does it control both your heating and hot water? (CH and HW).
- Do you have zone valves for CH and HW (S-Plan or Y-Plan)?
- What make/model is your wired thermostat?
- What make/model are the old TRVs?
- Your boiler documentation says it requires a 'bypass' on the pipework. Do you have an automatic 'bypass'? Or is there a CH radiator without a TRV?
Assuming 'YES' to 1 & 2 and it's switching 240V in 'relay mode'. In principle, I'd suggest the wireless starter kit. The bundle looks OK.
- The new wireless receiver replaces the programmer for CH and HW.
- The new wireless temperature sensor is installed in a suitable location to measure room temperature.
- Bridge the wires in the old wired thermostat, using a Wago connector from the starter kit, so that it will always 'call for heat'.
- Important to know … the wireless temperature sensor also controls the HW. Don't let the batteries go flat, otherwise the HW controls will stop working. It's counter-intuitive, but has caught out some users.
- When you start the install, reach out to Tado support and they will provide DIY wiring instructions.
I'd always advise purchasing from a well-known supplier with a user-friendly return/replacement policy.
Good luck.
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Many thanks for that. I'll get all of the answers ready and contact Tado.
I'm very experienced installing electrics and IT equipment so I don't forsee any issues with a DIY install.
I'll do a bit of research regarding suppliers and pricing before ordering from Costco and Amazon, but at first glance those prices look pretty good.
Good tip re the batteries in the wireless temperature sensor; can I assume there's a battery health warning?.
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@Coys1955 The install is straightforward for a competent sparkie who is familiar with wiring a heating system.
I tend to stick to well-known suppliers, such as Amazon Screwfix and big corporates with easy returns policies. Avoid the on-line marketplaces. In the long-term, that saves a lot of grief.
There are battery warnings from Tado. Depends who you ask: too many or too few. The App gives battery warnings and shows 'off-line' devices.
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Thanks again. Tado X seems like a big improvement on V3+, which I considered a couple of years back, but there seemed to be a few too many downsides. Is it?
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@Coys1955 Tado X was brought to the UK market in late 2024; after the Dutch market had ironed out the early issues. In some ways X is better than V3+, some features are different. In principle …
- Tado X has upsides for larger homes, supporting thread/matter devices. V3+ uses a single internet dongle.
- The ‘X’ TRVs have integral rechargeable batteries.
- Room temperature measurement is different for rooms with multiple X TRVs, averaging the X devices. V3+ uses a single measuring device.
- V3+ supports off-line schedules, available on request. X does not support off-line schedules.
- If you use boiler ‘bus’ controls, eg EMS or opentherm, best to ask @policywonk for advice.
We took a leap of faith three years ago with V3+ controls. Our energy provider ‘insights’ say we are using 20% less energy than ‘similar’ homes. At a postcode level, the data says 40% less. No promises that’s achievable for everyone
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Regarding your earlier question if the programmer is switching in 240v in "relay mode", I'm not sure. The programmer is a Danfoss FP715 and the manual says the switching action is "2 x SPDT internally linked, type 1B" and the switch rating is 230V ac, 3(1)A.
Does that mean anything to you?
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@Coys1955 The FP715 manual says there are two models:230V or 24V.
Relay: Both models are switching two 'single pole double throw' (SPDT) relays to control the CH and HW. Rated at 240 volt or 24 volt for a 3 amp resistive load; or 1 amp for a non-resistive load (inductive or capacitive).
HTH.
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Thanks once again. I now have all the answers apart from the zone valves.
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Oh and the manual for my FP715 says it's the 230/240V model.
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I now have all of the answers to your questions; it's definitely an S-Plan with two zone valves. I confirmed this by removing the Danfoss Wiring Centre cover and matching the wiring with all of the options. I've also removed the room stat and programmer covers and the wiring is as expected.
I've now placed orders with Costco* (Whole Home Bundle with Wireless Thermostat X, 8 x Smart Radiator Thermostat X and Bridge X) and Tado (Smart Thermostat X Quattro Pack) - I recounted and I require 12 radiator stats, not 11.
*Costco started a special offer this week reducing the whole home bundle by £110, which made this the cheapest way I could find to get what I needed. It came to £635.73 vs £762.20 for Tado and £864.19 for Amazon.
Looking forward to getting it installed.
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@Coys1955 Hello. We have a similar sized Tado system in a 1960’s home. It took three months to figure out what worked well for us. Our 2024 savings (and forecast 2025) are £800 a year.
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All installed. Radiators and heating coming on, but are all being set to the temperature of the lounge Wireless Temerature Sensor X, which I have set to be the Zone Contreoller for that room. All the other rooms have Zone Controller set to None. I've created a new thread for this issue (see below) so please reply there:
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