CH Controller/Timer

Our Village Hall has exactly the same requirement and there is such a beast

- although with two separately heated rooms we use a dual channel machine. However, I don't have a record at home of the make/model. I'll try and take a look at the weekend.

Whatever complex system you use, add a simple mechanical timer or it will be unworkable at some time by some people.

NT

We have a press button that runs the heating for

Mike

The only control that is accessible by hall users is the thermostat and even then I've got another one in series that limits the max temperature. Too many wanted 28C for their meetings!

Peter

I did consider that but that doesn't allow the heating to be on before people arrive, the hall takes about 30 - 40 minutes to warm up from cold and the exercise groups and pensioners lunch clubs need it to be warm when they arrive.

Peter

We use programmable thermostats which return to their preset temperatures at the end of the booking. The trouble is that too many people believe that if they set the temperature high the room will heat up quicker. Mind you, I had to stop the porter at St Giles Hotel setting the conference rooms to 28°C when we had the RISC OS Show there in October.

If there's wireless internet at the hall, a switch that is programmable over the internet might work for you?

I built this smart thermostat

My version uses a Raspberry Pi Zero, and a wall-wart PSU, so my prototype is smaller (if not neater).

I hand wired the interface board rather than attempt to etch a double-sided PCB, that would have ended in tears. Total hardware cost, under £10. I did it primarily to piss-off my friends who had bought BG Nests!

I just wish I understood the software, so I could make some changes. What I really need is the DHW channel to be excatly the same as the CH with its own 1-wire sensor on the cylinder.

You will find the brain dead think the building will warm up from cold quicker if the thermostat is set higher.

Unfortunately no internet available, hence my Arduino which can also send me a text message giving me the status of the door lock, hall temperature and the amount of time that the heating will remain on.

The lock status is interesting as it really shows which key holders are taking the 'p' with their rental periods!

What I want to do next (not because I need it, but just to see if I can do it) is have an electric lock, that can still be key operated, so that I can lock and unlock the premises remotely!

Peter

More sophisticated boilers will have more sophisticated control.

However, I'd look at a programmable thermostat to see if it would do what you want.

The Honeywell CM927 7 day Wireless Programmable Room Thermostat does what you want (although it is a thermostat not just a boiler programmer).

In my CH I have the boiler programmer set permanently on, and use the programmable room stat to control the CH. The boiler programmer still controls the HW.

Just looked at Honeywell web site and they do various 7 day bolier programmers:

is not bad.

Thanks, the ST9100C will do a treat - should pay for itself in about 3 months.

Peter

An otherwise good customer that runs 45 minutes late is a far better propos ition than a ---- that operates on time.

Electric locks are easily shouldered. And when your customer shows up and c an't find something essential to their event you do need to be there or the y may look to you for compensation for a pile of costs & liabilities, since it was you that didn't keep your side of the contract. And such events do not result in building ongoing business.

NT

Not just the brain dead, an awful lot of otherwise bright people think the same. At least the brain dead will be happy with a dummy thermostat, the brighter ones will look at the stat setting and think, it's not 28 C but the heatings off. Why? And start investigating, find and adjust the limit stat, still using the flawed higher = faster reasoning of course...

Also applies to fridges or freezers that have a temperature display (or internal thermometer). Typical scenario is the fridge gets up to

Would such a button be handy for the weekend events when someone turns up to set things up before the other people arrive?

I installed one in the local Scout hut for exactly the same reasons you had (different times different days for different groups) with the bonus of the holiday function that allows the heating to be turned off easily in the school holidays by any of the Scout leaders.

A 3 month payback is impressive! The Scouts got a 1 day payback (I had a spare programmer in the van and fitted it for free).

Now that many things have PID control systems that do indeed heat up faster when further away from the set point the prejudice of the uninitiated that this is what *should* happen is more and more vindicated.