NEST - who's had it installed?

m22kk56_2

Yes you can mount it where your old thermostat was but ONLY if you hard wire a link to heatlink.

Your missing the point here. One of Nest's nominated installers replaced my thermostat and setup a wireless link to heatlink. I didnt specify wireless but clearly this unit is designed with wireless feature and so why not use it. He clearly wasn't aware that this wouldn't work due to low voltage powering nest thermostat.

Nest have said only solution is to run lots of extra cabling between nest and heatlink, not something I'm prepared to do as we've just decorated.

Heatlink needs 240V (which it gets) and Nest thermostat needs 12V if not connected to heatlink via wire.

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m22kk56 wrote: »

Heatlink needs 240V (which it gets) and Nest thermostat needs 12V if not connected to heatlink via wire.

Or USB, you simply need to plug it in. OK it might not be what you want in your set up, but I found the Nest site very detailed and clear in what the options were.

I also looked at Tado, but Nest seems far more powerful. Tado's only advantage was GeoFencing, which is a £2.99 add-on for Nest. I didn't like the lack of control with Tado without using a Smart Phone - fine for me but my wife wanted a physical thermostat. Additionally, the Tado requires a third box (to connect to your WiFi router) which the Nest doesn't require - it all being build in.

So far, very happy with Nest. It isn't for everyone, but that's why there are alternatives!

matelodave

I must be thick, but if you are replacing your thermostat with a heatlink and Nest stat. The heatlink unit goes next to the boiler and connects to it and gets it's 240v from it, the 12v supply between the heatlink and Nest stat can then use the redundant thermostat cable so you can locate the Nest stat where the old one was situated. It doesn't sound like" lot's of extra cabling" It's only if you decide to put the Nest stat somewhere other than where the existing stat was located does it need to have either a separate connection or USB supply which I'm sure could be discreetly hidden, especially if you used a table stand for the thermostat.

neothermic

m22kk56 wrote: »

Yes you can mount it where your old thermostat was but ONLY if you hard wire a link to heatlink.

Your missing the point here. One of Nest's nominated installers replaced my thermostat and setup a wireless link to heatlink. I didnt specify wireless but clearly this unit is designed with wireless feature and so why not use it. He clearly wasn't aware that this wouldn't work due to low voltage powering nest thermostat.

Nest have said only solution is to run lots of extra cabling between nest and heatlink, not something I'm prepared to do as we've just decorated.

Heatlink needs 240V (which it gets) and Nest thermostat needs 12V if not connected to heatlink via wire.

I'm not sure where to start here. I have 3 Nest stats installed. 2 are hardwired to their respective heat links, which provide them with power using the old thermostat cables. Nothing new was run in.

The 3rd is screwed to the wall upstairs, is wirelessly connected to its heat link, and plugged into the wall with the provided USB cable. The 5v it gets from USB is more than enough to charge its small internal battery and maintain a wireless link to both its own network and heat links and my home WiFi. I have never had an error and it works flawlessly. Has done since 2 days after the release date.

If your old thermostat ran on 2.5v, it'd be enlightening to know how. Most wall stats in the UK ran on batteries and switched the 230v supply that ran out to them. If yours was a 2.5v stat, where did this power come from? Did it do the switching at the thermostat end or did it connect to some controller elsewhere? Was your old thermostat wireless?

It sounds like somewhere between your certified installer and Nest's support that the actual problem has been lost in translation.

It needs hot water control adding to the heat-link box and the thermostat needs to run off 240V so you can mount it where the old thermostat went.

You can, the cables that used to carry the 230v that the old thermostat switched on and off get used to carry DC power for the new nest. The only "extra" cable that needs adding is 230v power to your heat link. Everything else is a swapout.

neothermic

matelodave wrote: »

I must be thick, but if you are replacing your thermostat with a heatlink and Nest stat. The heatlink unit goes next to the boiler and connects to it and gets it's 240v from it, the 12v supply between the heatlink and Nest stat can then use the redundant thermostat cable so you can locate the Nest stat where the old one was situated. It doesn't sound like" lot's of extra cabling" It's only if you decide to put the Nest stat somewhere other than where the existing stat was located does it need to have either a separate connection or USB supply which I'm sure could be discreetly hidden, especially if you used a table stand for the thermostat.

Absolutely correct. And I'll stress that the 5v USB supply (which comes with it) is more than enough to keep the wireless link operational.

m22kk56_2

Patronising lot aren't you?

My 2 year old Danfoss thermostat uses 2.5V and I've checked the product data sheet online to confirm.

There are NO cables between my room stat and any other device capable of delivering the 12V required.

As for the Nest website, it clearly outlines the connection options available but show me where is describes the limitations of each option. It doesn't.

Finally, why would I have spent one hour with a Nest installer and two subsequent hours on their support line if there was an easy way of doing this? After all that, Nest themselves offered me a refund as they couldn't give me what I wanted.

My house is two year old new build so I can tell you anyone in my estate of 200 homes would have the same restriction with Nest as would anyone else in the UK with similar set up to me.

neothermic

Less patronising, more frustrated and confused that you don't answer questions people ask. I'm trying to help.

There are NO cables between my room stat and any other device capable of delivering the 12V required.

What cables did you have? The datasheet for the Danfoss RET230P (which i can't link you to, as i'm 'new'. All new users are spammers you see. ) says it needs a 230v supply, and can switch whatever you like. For a 230v switched system you can run it separately or jump it across from the supply (See page 22) - This diagram shows almost exactly what you get inside the Nest Heat link, by the way.

I can't find any reference to 2.5v, perhaps this is the switched voltage used by your central heating?

You can spend as long as you like on the phone to someone but if a fundamental detail is wrong, you'll still get the wrong result. If you'd rather PM me then go ahead, I just think something has been misunderstood here and it's not right to slag off a product based on user error.

espresso

m22kk56 wrote: »

Patronising lot aren't you?

No that's you!

My 2 year old Danfoss thermostat uses 2.5V and I've checked the product data sheet online to confirm.

m22kk56 wrote: »

My home is two years old, with a Danfoss RET230P wall mounted thermostat connected to the mains.

The RET230P requires a 230V supply NOT 2.5V



Perhaps you should look here

There are NO cables between my room stat and any other device capable of delivering the 12V required.

More incorrect information!

As for the Nest website, it clearly outlines the connection options available but show me where is describes the limitations of each option. It doesn't.

Reading the Installation Guide informs any normal person how it can be installed.

Finally, why would I have spent one hour with a Nest installer and two subsequent hours on their support line if there was an easy way of doing this? After all that, Nest themselves offered me a refund as they couldn't give me what I wanted.

There IS an easy way but it requires a little intelligence and obviously neither you or the Nest installer understand how to do this.

My house is two year old new build so I can tell you anyone in my estate of 200 homes would have the same restriction with Nest as would anyone else in the UK with similar set up to me.

More incorrect information!

...............

m22kk56_2

Guys you are all missing the point.

I am not an electrician. I paid for a nest installation. This went badly wrong and after 2 hours on the phone with a technical manager in America he looked at the Danfoss data sheet you refer to and HE told ME that Nest is not compatible as a replacement if I want to go wireless. HE proposed the refund.

I am not required to understand any of this which is why I asked Nest to install it. Go back to the start and you will see that all I am doing is answering someone's request for feedback on a Nest installation, I wasn't asking for help

neothermic

The point is this:

So essentially the NEST system is not compatible as a replacement wall thermostat and this will be the case for a substantial proportion of homes in the UK. Very disappointing as it is a fabulous looking product....

Somebody asked for feedback on the product, and your response after a botched install was to give them incorrect information about the product itself. What I and the others who have responded to you are doing is attempting to get to the root of your problem, so that the same mistake isn't made by others. The mistake being misunderstanding and miscommunication of the facts.
The point, the one we are trying to make, is that Nest does what it claims, and that your experience doesn't change that. The message here should be to do your reading (you don't need to be an electrician to understand it) before the install takes place, and make sure you know your options.