Programmable Thermostat for boiler zones
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
We just bought a walkout ranch that has a boiler and my wife wondered if we could install a programable thermostat. There are three heating zones; downstairs, bedrooms (3), living/dining rooms & kitchen. The last two are on the upper level and we have the BR zone set at the minimum heat. The house is empty most of the day. Would each of the zones need to have its own programmable thermostat? And would it actually save energy?
Replies
We have installed Techmars (multi zones capable of setback) with sucess in new construction, I am not sure how they would work out in existing because of the sensors the need to feel the slab heat. Check them out, I am sure they have a website!
bake
I guess I didn't provide enough detail in my first posting, but we have baseboard radiant heat not in-the-floor radiant heat. Does that change things with the Techmars thermostats?
If it was my system I would install a programable stat on each zone unless you can find a stat that will take care of all 3. I am sure in this day and age there must be a program out there you can run off your home computer and control the zones individualy.
bake
I decided to use a programmable stat on just the most used zone (at least for now). Now my problem is connecting it.
The old stat has 4 terminals (4,5,y6,0) and 3 wires coming in. Red is connected to the 4, white is connected to the 5 and blue is connected to the y6. The instructions for the new stat say if the wire has RH, R, VR or 4 on the existing stat, mark that wire as RH (24 Volt). If the wire has RC or VC, mark it as RC (24 Volt cool). If it has G or F, mark it as G (fan). If it has Y,C or M, mark is as Y (air conditioning compressor). And if it has Wor H, mark is as W (heating). The instrucions also state not to connect a "Common" wire (their quote marks) sometimes labeled C, as this provides electricity to non-battery powered units. The old unit was not battery powered.
So after doing that I've got a red wire marked as RH (24 Volt), a white wire marked with nothing and a blue wire marked as Y (air conditioning compressor). My terminals on the new stat are RH, W, Y, RC and G. It is a heat only but I can't figure out if it is a 2-wire or 3-wire system. I tried connecting the wires to as many different terminals and in as many different combinations as I could keep track of but I could never get the new stat to actually control the boiler. Help!
Go to the stat manafactures website and see if they have support, usually there is a wireing diagram on their site.
bake