looking for a wireless thermostat system for Bosch Greenstar 30i boiler

spaceboy

Currently the boiler has the basic clockwork timer and it's not keeping time reliably now. Can anyone recommend a way to get it working with thermostats? There's so many options and I don't know where to start and if there are any I could fit myself?

QrizB

What control system do you have with the boiler? Just the electromechanical timer, no room thermostat or programmer?

spaceboy

QrizB said:

What control system do you have with the boiler? Just the electromechanical timer, no room thermostat or programmer?

Just electromechanical timer.

MikeJXE

Wireless ? Do you mean Smart ?

I got the Hive mini a few weeks ago (cheapest) 

I don't have to press buttons and I haven't set a schedule 

I just tell Alexa to set the heat to 20 when I am not warm enough which is most of the time now, Alexa set the heat to 15 (when I go to bed)

I was married for 50 years but she was never as obedient as my new woman 

Reed_Richards

Your electromechanical timer probably plugs in to a standard backplate.  If so, you can unplug it and replace it with something else.  What you would probably use is a box that communicates wirelessly with a room thermostat that you can program for different temperatures at different times.  In this new regime the boiler would be on whilst the room temperature is less than the programmed set temperature but off when the room is at (or above) the set temperature.  This should be cheaper to run than what you have at present.  Any wireless room thermostat system should work unless your electromechanical timer is very far from your main room, where the wireless thermostat would reside.

Could you fit this yourself?  Possibly, but I would not recommend it; what a specialist could do easily you might find difficult.

Even more sophisticated forms of boiler control exist but I'm not sure if your boiler is compatible with these.
      

spaceboy

Reed_Richards said:

Your electromechanical timer probably plugs in to a standard backplate.  If so, you can unplug it and replace it with something else.  What you would probably use is a box that communicates wirelessly with a room thermostat that you can program for different temperatures at different times.  In this new regime the boiler would be on whilst the room temperature is less than the programmed set temperature but off when the room is at (or above) the set temperature.  This should be cheaper to run than what you have at present.  Any wireless room thermostat system should work unless your electromechanical timer is very far from your main room, where the wireless thermostat would reside.

Could you fit this yourself?  Possibly, but I would not recommend it; what a specialist could do easily you might find difficult.

Even more sophisticated forms of boiler control exist but I'm not sure if your boiler is compatible with these.
      

ok....what "box that communicates wirelessly with a room" would fit where my electromechanical timer is situated in my boiler currently? That's the sort of thing I'm trying to find out.

Reed_Richards

The electromechanical timer is inside the boiler?  It's not a standard part of the boiler, I think.

Edit:  I see now there is a position for an optional programmer.  You would probably need to remove that and refit the blanking plate, if you still have it.  Because it's inside a metal case it would not be a suitable place for the control box end of a wireless programmer.  That would have to be outside the boiler and connected by a wire, but potentially it could be mounted on a wall near the boiler.  The operation is very simple, just opening or closing a connection to turn the boiler off or on; absolutely any wireless room thermostat system would do that.      

markin

You need a gas safe person to open up and wire in the new Smart controller/thermostat, I don't know if the are any 'Smart' after market snap in controllers, And it seems silly not to go smart nowadays.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6482750/no-thermstat-on-boiler-is-it-possible-to-install-one/p1 

spaceboy

markin said:

You need a gas safe person to open up and wire in the new smart controller/thermostat, I don't believe the will be any after market snap in controllers.

Ok, thanks. Shame they don't make a snap in one.

markin

spaceboy said:

markin said:

You need a gas safe person to open up and wire in the new smart controller/thermostat, I don't believe the will be any after market snap in controllers.

Ok, thanks. Shame they don't make a snap in one.

I made a rather big edit, I was thinking of a Smart snap in.

FreeBear

markin said:

You need a gas safe person to open up and wire in the new Smart controller/thermostat, I don't know if the are any 'Smart' after market snap in controllers, And it seems silly not to go smart nowadays.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6482750/no-thermstat-on-boiler-is-it-possible-to-install-one/p1

Doesn't need to be smart, but a fully programmable thermostat is well worth fitting. You can then schedule different temperatures throughout the day/week - Some research has indicated that this could save 10% or so on energy. In reality, more likely 5% for most people.

When you book your next boiler service, ask about having a smart(er) timer/thermostat fitted - Hive are on offer at places like Screwfix at the moment for under £100.