Changing a Central Heating Programmer

CakeTime

In an effort to save money on my gas bill, I decided to change my hot water so instead of coming on twice a day, it just comes on in the morning. However, the hot water simply stopped working and long story short, the controller now doesn't work.

I desperately need to buy another but have a few questions:

• I've read it's a simple switch to put a new one in but is the wiring always the same? I can't post links but the old one can be found on imgur.com if you put /a/Cni2T6w at the end
• Some of the ones I can see online say things like "Suitable for Gravity-Fed & Fully Pumped Systems" - Do I need to look for something in particular or will they all work?
• Bonus question - I might as well change the thermostat whilst I'm at it as I think that's broken too. Is that just a clip off and new one on jobby too?

Thanks in advance! :beer:

FreeBear

Technical term for the state of your controller - Well knackered.

Good news - They are pretty much interchangeable and will simply clip on to the existing backplate. You shouldn't need to change the thermostats as there is little to go wrong with them (unless you are using these new-fangled hive/smart things).

For reference, your link - imgur.com/a/Cni2T6w

Begsey

Can you not get the same controller?
Failing that, search for "invensys (model if avaliable) compatible".
I went for a different style controller from the original, the wiring was slightly different, but it was easy enough.
The fine tuning of the unit was done on the black switches. These are where you specify pumped or gravity, think one was for the number of on/offs you wanted to program, and can't remember what the third one was for.

benjus

I would suggest replacing both the controller and the thermostat with a programmable thermostat which can control both heating and hot water (often described as "2 channel").

There are two reasons why heating systems tend to have separate controllers and thermostats:

• Originally the timer and thermostat were both mechanical devices, so the controller provided the timer while the thermostat was separate - you couldn't do useful things like setting a colder temperature during the night. This is no longer true with modern electronic devices.
• The controller needs to be wired into the valves for both heating and hot water, so is best located near the heating system's wiring block, while the thermostat needs to be in a normal room. You could run all the cables to the thermostat but it's easier just to run a single pair of wires. Modern systems often have a base unit which communicates with the thermostat wirelessly.

If running multiple wires to the thermostat isn't an issue, you could get something like the TimeGuard TRT036 which works as a room thermostat and timer for both heating and hot water from one device. This would replace both the controller and the thermostat.

If running multiple wires to the thermostat is not an option, then a wireless thermostat is probably the way to go. This has the advantage that you can move the thermostat around the house. You could even consider a smart thermostat (Nest v3, Hive, Tado with extension kit can all control both heating and hot water).

Le_Kirk

Here is your link (and it works).


https://imgur.com/a/Cni2T6w

stator

Can't see what controller you've got there, but if you check the wall plate connections are the same, you can replace it easily.

Debbie_Savard

Maybe time to get a heating technician in?

Alex1983

Looks like a Drayton lifestyle programmer, can you post a picture of the front of it.

If it is then you can buy a new direct replacement which will just hook on to the original backplate.

wantonnoodle

I would discuss with your chosen plumber/heating engineer. The timer unit on our boiler failed last summer, and we asked to get a quote for a replacement. We had been thinking about looking at Hive/Nest etc but hadn't got round to it as we were still decorating (only bought the house Feb 2017). We also wanted to get the boiler serviced as the vendor had claimed it was last serviced in Aug 2015 but couldn't provide any paperwork to prove it. It turned out that the replacement timer for our boiler was nearly as much as a Nest unit, and given we had no thermostat on the heating, it was actually an improvement on the level of control we had as well. As such, we swallowed the extra £30 and went for the Nest upgrade. We haven't looked back. Although we have only been in 14 months, our gas bill dropped dramatically and I put that down to having a thermostat on the system and also not running it when we are not in. Its also nice, on a cold winters day, to turn the heating on before you head home from work, shopping etc and know the house will be warm when you get in.

CakeTime

Thanks all, apologies for not showing the model of my old device.

It's an "Ikon" device. I've never heard of one before and cannot find any about them online. That being said, it looks very similar to a Drayton LP522 so I wonder if they changed brand or something.

I've purchased one from Amazon on a whim because it was £20 cheaper than Screwfix and I don't want to spend days using the immersion heater. I'm really hoping the wiring is the same.

I wanted to get a Hive but at the moment I'm expecting a very large car bill so I'm being as frugal as possible until that's over with!

Thanks again - If you hear of a flat going up in flames tomorrow in Reading, you've found me.

Alex1983

Ikon is a rebranded Drayton timer.