wireless programmable thermostats

[Nick Harrison]

Hi, I'm in the process of upgrading the central heating with a new combi boiler. Most of the work is done and I need to upgrade the timer/thermostat. Currently the thermostat isn't placed sensibly. (It's in the main room where our occasional coal fires trips it early leading to a cold rest of house.) I don't have any convenient cable runs under floorboards to a suitable new location. As my current prgrammable timer has become redundant because hot water is on demand, someone suggested a (programmable) wireless thermostat. Anyone any experience of these? We need to set different heating times for weekdays and weekends. Are these wireless thermostats reliable? Can anyone recommend a manufacturer and model? The extra expense may be worth saved labour and damage to the decor. Regards, Nick Nick Harrison Lancaster UK

[Set Square]

This is certainly the one which is most frequently mentioned in this NG. I have the wired version - which works perfectly well, but I can't comment directly on the RF version.

As I'm sure you know, the RF version is in 2 parts - the switching part and the remote sensing part with the buttons and display. You can mount the sensing part anywhere where it has good radio contact with the switching part. You can either mount the switching part where the existing stat is located, or could abandon that and blank off the wires, and mount it close to the system junction box (in the airing cupboard?) - or maybe close to the boiler itself.

If you're shopping around for your stat, you'll probably find RKM Heating Controls [

] the cheapest.

[Stephen Dawson]

Go for a Honeywell CM67RF. Very good and reliable piece of kit. It is out chosen unit and generally all that we fit for clients.

Steve Dawson Fox Electrical Services Ltd

[Dave Liquorice]

But don't forget the Danfoss TP75RF, very good and reliable piece of kit. The TP75 gives you some features that are extra options on the CM67.

You need to look at the specs and your houshold useage patterns to make a choice between the two, or any of the others that are now on the market.

[Tony Bryer]

The Honeywell CM67RF in our church has been 100% reliable and has an excellent range of programming options.

[Ian Middleton]

I have a Drayton Digistat RF3 wireless programmable thermostat to control my conservatories heating. Cost about £100 but avoided the need to pull wiring around the walls. Works fine, in fact exactly the same as the non-wireless one fitted in my house.

[Tony Bryer]

Caveat: this unit may have changed since I installed one in our church several years ago. It had several key disadvantages, the key one being that if the transmitter lost radio contact the heating stayed off. Not so much of a problem in a house if you wake up and it feels a bit cold, but finding this in stone cold church at 1020 on a Sunday morning is not good news. The other limitation was the programming, 4 time steps per day as opposed to 6 on the CM67, more importantly the four temperatures, call them A,B,C,D had to be the same for each day. And you didn't have things like the CM67 party button which makes overriding the standard program dead easy.