replacement heating controler

[CampinGazz]

We have an 11 year old standard boiler and cylinder heating system in the house, was in when the house was built 11 years ago,

For the past 3 years the battery back up on the heating/hot water programmer has been dead, so every time we loose power we have to re-set the damn thing, and it's not the easiest programmer to set in the world, just lately we've been having power cuts every other morning, and i'm getting fed up of re-setting the thing.

we do have the british gas boiler and bits replacement plan thingy, but they wont replace the controller just because the back up battery is dead, it can't be replaced as it's soldered to the board.. well it could, but i'm not going to,

So it's time for a new controller, the existing one is a randal 972, it fits onto a wall plate with contacts on the back, i think there are 6 contacts, but can't be 100% sure without taking it off the plate.. and having to re-set the bloody thing again.

Anyone know if the randal 972 heating controller uses this industry standard back plate so i can just buy any controller and plug it in and it'll work? or if it's a non standard back plate, where do i get an adaptor, or do i just buy a new controller and it comes with the back plate so i just swap the wires over like for like (i recall something on the back regarding a certian couple of terminals to be linked for one type of heating, un linked for another) the system is a Y plan i think, 3 way mid position valve in the airing cupboard, open heating system i.e. tank in the loft and all that.

[Roger Mills (aka Set Square)]

Virtually any 2-channel controller should do. You don't need any links - that is just for gravity hot water systems to force the boiler on when just heating is selected.

If it's a Y-Plan system, you *must* have a HW off connection in addition to CH on and HW on - otherwise it won't work.

[CampinGazz]

Cheers for that,

i'm asuming it's Y plan, going from earlier discussions when i was after a 3 way mid position valve that ran on 12 volts.

Basicaly in the airing cupboard there's the hot water cylinder, 22mm pipe comes down from the loft, through the pump then goes to the 3 way valve, in the up position (htws) it goes to the coil in the cylinder about mid way up (with a Tee off it to an air vent/safety valve), comes out the bottom of the coil, and goes through the floor and around the house,

The bottom direction from the 3 way valve (htg) goes straight down through the floor,

Does that sound like a Y plan system then?

[Roger Mills (aka Set Square)]

Could be - but it doesn't sound *totally* conventional! Is the boiler in the attic? If so, the coil return may first go down to join up with the heating return before going back up to the boiler somewhere else. If you could post a photo of your airing cupboard setup somewhere, it would be useful.