Any heating engineers on here?

[Milo]

More specifically, any that have experience with Vaillant boilers and the VSmart system.

 

I had an entire new heating system installed earlier in the year, with a Vaillant ecoTEC plus 637 boiler and a Megaflo tank. The plumber included a VSmart system (bit like Hive) to operate the entire thing...but I'm having problems.

 

I've contacted Vaillant a couple of times and they haven't got back to me. I've looked online and all I can see is people saying how brilliant the VSmart system is, which really isn't helpful. 

 

The problem is that the heating decides when the house is warm enough, and cuts off when it thinks it's reached a nice temperature. This is regardless of what I tell it to do. It has never gone above 20 degrees since it's been installed, no matter what temperature I set the thermostat or the VSmart temperature to.

 

Now, you might say that 20 degrees is plenty warm and is good for the planet, etc...but that's kind of beside the point. 

 

The graph below highlights what I mean.

 

The black line is what I set the thermostat to - in this case I decided to go wild and set it at 28 degrees. The boiler was having none of it, and levelled out at 19 degrees again, as shown by the blue dotted line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The radiators work, the valves are fully open and the water temp in the boiler is set to 75, so that's fine. The hot water system works well, so not a problem there, either. And I've moved the mobile thermostat around from room to room as an experiment, but it doesn't change anything.

 

It's not due to heat loss from the house, as the radiators come on fully to get the house up to 19 degrees...and then ease off to maintain that temperature. as shown by more graphs below.

 

 

 

 

 

So, if anyone has experience of using the VSmart system, or suggestions about what I could try, I'm all (cold) ears.

 

 

Edited 4 November 2021 by Milo

[FoxesDeb]

Is there are thermostat for the heating on the boiler itself? If that's set at 20 the heating will only get to that temperature, regardless of what you ask the remote stat to get to 

[Milo]

7 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Is there are thermostat for the heating on the boiler itself? If that's set at 20 the heating will only get to that temperature, regardless of what you ask the remote stat to get to 

Thanks - there’s nothing on the boiler. Not even an override so you can just switch the boiler on for a couple of hours. 
Everything has to go through the crappy VSmart app 😕

[LiberalFox]

Does it not come with some sort of user manual?

[Milo]

3 minutes ago, LiberalFox said:

Does it not come with some sort of user manual?

Haha - yes. 
 

And yes, I have read it. 

[FoxesDeb]

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:795be386-c6a2-4959-a38e-4901b0c03011

 

It looks like it's in the menu function on the boiler. Have a look at 4.10, it shows how to adjust the heating temperature on the boiler. If the installation engineer set it too low, this might resolve it for you, to use the Vsmart it needs to be turned up to the highest temperature. 

[String fellow]

Reading 4.4, it looks like there are installer-level settings which are code-protected. That's a bit worrying.

[Milo]

16 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:795be386-c6a2-4959-a38e-4901b0c03011

 

It looks like it's in the menu function on the boiler. Have a look at 4.10, it shows how to adjust the heating temperature on the boiler. If the installation engineer set it too low, this might resolve it for you, to use the Vsmart it needs to be turned up to the highest temperature. 

Thanks Deb - It’s set at 75, which is the maximum. 
 

The radiators get very hot initially (to bring the temperature up to 20 degrees), so I think the flow temp is ok. 
 

YouTube videos, etc all show the blue dotted line nicely tracking the black desired temperature line. 
 

It’s incredibly frustrating 

[FoxesDeb]

33 minutes ago, Milo said:

Thanks Deb - It’s set at 75, which is the maximum. 
 

The radiators get very hot initially (to bring the temperature up to 20 degrees), so I think the flow temp is ok. 
 

YouTube videos, etc all show the blue dotted line nicely tracking the black desired temperature line. 
 

It’s incredibly frustrating 

If the rads are getting hot to get it to 20 and the boiler stat is on max it sounds like a problem with the remote stat, rather than the boiler itself. 

 

Is the Vsmart telling the heating to come on? So you know it's actually talking to the boiler? 

[Milo]

Just now, FoxesDeb said:

If the rads are getting hot to get it to 20 and the boiler stat is on max it sounds like a problem with the remote stat, rather than the boiler itself. 

 

Is the Vsmart telling the heating to come on? So you know it's actually talking to the boiler? 

Yes - I have the app on my phone and then a small box thermostat, like the hive unit. 
 

You can press the plus/minus buttons on the thermostat unit and the boiler kicks in, or you can set via the phone app and the same thing happens. 
 

If I use the app to change the temperature, the unit temp display changes, and vice versa, so everything is talking to everything else by the looks of it. 
 

I’ve just contacted Vaillant for a fourth time, so I’ll see if they get back to me. 

[LiberalFox]

I genuinely have no idea, it should work for settings 7-30C. At least you can get 20C. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

Am I the only one suspicious that Milo needs more than 20°c because he's got a cannabis farm?

 

 

Actually, scratch that. If he did, he'd be far more chilled about this.

[FoxesDeb]

7 hours ago, Milo said:

Yes - I have the app on my phone and then a small box thermostat, like the hive unit. 
 

You can press the plus/minus buttons on the thermostat unit and the boiler kicks in, or you can set via the phone app and the same thing happens. 
 

If I use the app to change the temperature, the unit temp display changes, and vice versa, so everything is talking to everything else by the looks of it. 
 

I’ve just contacted Vaillant for a fourth time, so I’ll see if they get back to me. 

Other than trying to reset the stat if that's an option, and you've probably tried that if it is, I'm out of ideas, sorry 

[Milo]

7 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Am I the only one suspicious that Milo needs more than 20°c because he's got a cannabis farm?

 

 

Actually, scratch that. If he did, he'd be far more chilled about this.

Edited 5 November 2021 by Milo

[Jattdogg]

20? Mine is set to 22.5

 

It gets bloody cold over here on this side of the Atlantic 

[Buce]

18 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Am I the only one suspicious that Milo needs more than 20°c because he's got a cannabis farm?

 

 

Actually, scratch that. If he did, he'd be far more chilled about this.

 

The problem farmers face is one of excess heat, not too little.

Edited 5 November 2021 by Buce

[Milo]

Very possibly sorted - thanks for your help, and especially @FoxesDeb who suggested the problem may lie with the thermostat unit. I took the batteries out and let the back up battery drain and then replaced everything. Set the desired temperature to 25.5 and it's currently at 23 degrees and rising...the first time it's been over 20 degrees since we've had it!

 

I'm currently sitting here in my Speedo's basking in the sweltering tropical zone that is my lounge

 

  

 

 

 

[Otis]

You'll have Greta knocking on the door. 

[Crinklyfox]

Around three weeks ago the thermostat for my boiler died.  New batteries did no good and a quick internet search indicated that it was gone for good.  The manufacturer didn't make the model any more but I found a company that offered equivalents that could be linked to the existing receiver for the boiler so I bought one.

 

After arrival I programmed the new thermostat (it came with default timings and temperatures already set) and with the help of a youtube guide referenced by the supplier got it linked to the receiver.  All was then well, my only niggle was that it was cutting the boiler operation a little below the set temperature.  After a couple of weeks operation I found that the room temperature was too low and when I examined the thermostat found that it had reverted to its default settings.  I reprogrammed it again but the boiler didn't fire.  I examined the receiver and found that the operating light was off and the boiler was giving me a message that the thermostat was turned off.  I hit the restart button on the receiver, the green light came on an the boiler fired up.  It operated as usual until the room temperature reached the programmed setting when it turned the boiler off.

 

I thought that all was then OK but I was wrong, the boiler failed to restart when the temperature dropped.  Once again I manually started it and once again the boiler heated the house until it reached the programmed temperature then once again it turned the boiler off and refused to restart.

 

I contacted the thermostat supplier who went deaf, I'm still waiting for a response.  I don't want to just send the thermostat back if there's a simple fix, plus the house will be cold until I get its replacement.  Does anyone have any similar experience or ideas about how this could be fixed?

[Milo]

This won’t be a perfect solution, but have you tried putting the thermostat in the fridge?

 

This would stop it cutting out below the set temperature.

 

Maybe an interim measure whilst you call out an engineer. 
 

I hope you have better luck than I’ve had 

[Parafox]

On 06/11/2021 at 10:17, Crinklyfox said:

Around three weeks ago the thermostat for my boiler died.  New batteries did no good and a quick internet search indicated that it was gone for good.  The manufacturer didn't make the model any more but I found a company that offered equivalents that could be linked to the existing receiver for the boiler so I bought one.

 

After arrival I programmed the new thermostat (it came with default timings and temperatures already set) and with the help of a youtube guide referenced by the supplier got it linked to the receiver.  All was then well, my only niggle was that it was cutting the boiler operation a little below the set temperature.  After a couple of weeks operation I found that the room temperature was too low and when I examined the thermostat found that it had reverted to its default settings.  I reprogrammed it again but the boiler didn't fire.  I examined the receiver and found that the operating light was off and the boiler was giving me a message that the thermostat was turned off.  I hit the restart button on the receiver, the green light came on an the boiler fired up.  It operated as usual until the room temperature reached the programmed setting when it turned the boiler off.

 

I thought that all was then OK but I was wrong, the boiler failed to restart when the temperature dropped.  Once again I manually started it and once again the boiler heated the house until it reached the programmed temperature then once again it turned the boiler off and refused to restart.

 

I contacted the thermostat supplier who went deaf, I'm still waiting for a response.  I don't want to just send the thermostat back if there's a simple fix, plus the house will be cold until I get its replacement.  Does anyone have any similar experience or ideas about how this could be fixed?

Buy coal.

[String fellow]

Not exactly a heating engineering question, but a plumbing one. What is the difference between 1/2" and 15mm pipe fittings such as stop-cocks? Or are they completely interchangeable in terms of inner and outer pipe-diameter and screw-thread ? Looking on the internet, I've strruggled to find anywhere where this very basic question is answered with any clarity. 

Edited 8 November 2021 by String fellow

[Buce]

1 minute ago, String fellow said:

Not exactly a heating engineering question, but a plumbing one. What is the difference between 1/2" and 15mm pipe fittings such as stop-cocks? Or are they completely interchangable in terms of inner and outer pipe-diameter and screw-thread ? Looking on the internet, I've strruggled to find anywhere where this very basic question is answered with any clarity. 

 

I would guess it's because 15mm is not the same as 1/2"; it's the same with screws/bolts/nuts - Imperial sizes are not interchangable with Metric.

[String fellow]

1 hour ago, Buce said:

 

I would guess it's because 15mm is not the same as 1/2"; it's the same with screws/bolts/nuts - Imperial sizes are not interchangable with Metric.

Yet the main stop-cock in my house is marked as a 1/2" fitting, but the house was built in 1985, more than 10 years after UK pipework changed from Imperial to Metric. Furthermore, yesterday from Wickes, I bought two blank capnuts, one marked 1/2" and the other marked 15mm, for a physical comparison. Their dimensions and threads appear to be identical. Therefore, I think that 1/2" and 15mm may indeed be interchangeable in some, if not all, situations.    

Edited 8 November 2021 by String fellow

[RobHawk]

Another plumbing problem,

 

The water in my house continues to work absolutely fine BUT the tap on the kitchen sink has gone from slow to a pathetic trickle and the hot water is temperamental too. 

 

I've checked under the sink and all seems fine so I'm thinking Its probably time for a new tap. Thoughts?