Smart Thermostats and existing boiler

rjmachin

I have a fairly old boiler, it's a Glow Worm 30cxi. By old, i'm thinking 10-15 years old. We moved in 5 years ago.

On the wall is a British Gas WR1 which is wired to the boiler and receives signals from a British Gas RCPlus wireless device that we can use to set the temperature at set times of the day etc.

I would like the ability to control my heating from my mobile, both in and out of home.

Ive looked in to devices like HIVE and NEST, but am concerned that my boiler may not be compatible.

It's a combi boiler, there is no tank in the loft. The hot water is heated on demand (turn on the hot tap and the boiler kicks in). The central heating radiators are all controlled by the same boiler, as is the shower etc.

Any ideas if a smart thermostat would be compatible?

omendata

I had a Horstmann setup i am using a 1963 4kw vented cylinder and just wired up a SONOFF 4KW heavy duty smart switch - total cost £12.

I can now switch my boiler on from the bus on the way home using my mobile and can set times using the ewelink app settings which programs the SONOFF - In addition i can download reports on energy useage watts, volts , amps etc from the switch directly or monitor it on the app to see what the boiler is doing - only some of the SONOFFS have this ability though. I was going to setup my own Openhab server in my flat due to hearing about the reliability issues with ewelink and the other magichome websites but have not had to as there has only been 2 outages in the last 3 years!

Everyone goes for these so called hive and smart doorbells when it is possible to wire your entire house up for less than £100 using genuine sonoff devices.

I just walk into my lounge and say "lounge on" and the app switches my tv, surround amp, lights go on and blinds close and all from 2 x £5 Sonoff basic switches - it does require some IT wifi knowledge, wiring and knowledge of electricity so you might be better getting a sparkie to help you but it can be done safely for peanuts. Those hive things are overengineered - my setup has been running for 3 years with no problems , my neighbours Hive has failed twice in 1 year!

All my devices and switches have surge protectors and other little addons to minimise any overheating issues and potential fire hazards though so i am a bit more paranoid than most but as all these smart devices are on 24 hours a day you should be aware they do use leccie all the time mainly due to the wifi chips and may be prone to failure if you buy the wrong one.
Been running 3 years now not a single problem using genuine SONOFF devices on my home network!¬

I also have ipcams in and outside my property sending me emails for every movement at my front door or inside my lounge or hallway been running for 7 years 24 hours a day using £20 Chinese DB-Power ipcams with not a a single failure just the odd reboot! I can watch my flat from my home in Slovakia any time I have internet access and a web browser - I dont even need a special app which is a becoming a con these days locking you into paying for cloud storage and restricting web access so be award of this its a nasty little con! Most ipcams now wont allow use of a web browser so lock you into using a bespoke phone app so restricting you from using a pc unless you use an emulator like bluestacks or Andy and its mainly from a security perspective they do this but its just another money making exercise that is going to get worse so watch your Hive and Nest contracts and small print as they will all be at it in the future making the likelihood of having to install Openhab more of a choice for some to avoid blackouts and cloud storage charges!

So do not believe all the so called energy smart experts who tell you , you need to install the most complex and expensive guff - I do work in IT security and have an electronics degree but anyone should be able to get it installed and just forget it once its been installed as my setup was installed 3 years ago and i havent had any issues at all and only mess with it to update the firmware on the sonoffs now and again!

Set it and forget it should be the motto of any smart engineer!

PS. Best to get your shower wired to the mains cold water - thats what i did much better pressure than an old boiler and less stress on the combi its the shower that kills the combi boiler so i am told due to the 9.5kw-10kw energy draw it takes! You would have to install and electric shower though but it will relive the motherboard caps and transistors inside your combi and make it last longer - never wire a shower to a combi-boiler if you want longevitiy!

Talldave

@rjmachin
Why would your boiler not be compatible? Boiler control is very very basic - thermostats switch a mains live feed as a "call for heat" to the boiler. These super sexy smart systems still interface to the boiler by closing a relay, which routes the live feed as a call for heat.

@omendata
Why would running a shower stress a combi?? What about a bath, or a couple of wash basins? Surely it's designed to run flat out, and does just that, particularly when running radiators?

boo_star

If the boiler is capable of being turned on or off remotely it can almost certainly be turned on or off by a "smart" thermostat.

It's the thermostat that is "smart", not your boiler.

Umiamz

The WR1 has a standard backplate so Hive would be a doddle. Just unclip the WR1 and clip on the Hive controller. You'd need the heating-only Hive kit (as opposed to the heating & hot water version).