Boiler control using Nano IO Air

[Harry Phelps]

Hello,

My missus is fed up with the thermostat which controls the heating in our house, this gives me a chance to let Loxone run the heating using zones. As I understand it I should be able to use a Nano IO Air to make or break the contact to fire the boiler up in the same way that the current old fashioned thermostat does. I would also need to run power to it, this should not be a problem if I use the current site of the thermostat as it is situated in the hall at the bottom of the stairs underneath which is my consumer unit. I have valves on each radiator in the house and temperature feedback from them so I can use zoning in the house to hopefully shave a little off heating bills.

Does anyone control their boiler or central heating like this currently? I have heard that the logic is all important here in order to stop the boiler being asked to fire up, stop, fire up, stop in quick succession. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Andy Wain]

Hi Harry.

I have this exact setup. Re the location of the nano Io air, assuming the air signal is strong enough at the boiler in need to go next to the boiler and use the same power supply as the boiler.

If your don't then the boiler has power from two different circuits which is potentially dangerous.

Re the logic. Use an intelligent room controller for each zone and a new climate control to control the boiler itself. Have a look at the inputs, outputs and parameters and see how you get on.

Ask any further questions if you want

Andy

[Andy Wain]

Also you need to check the boiler can take 240v on its thermostat connections. Some are volt free and others a different voltage. If that's the case you will need to use a relay which the nano Io air energises which in turn connects to the boiler

Andy

[Arnaud]

Hello,

As Andy points out, the configuration requires: the intelligent room controller in each zone, as well as the climate controller to 'allow' or not the boiler to start according to the demands in the zones. (in V10).

if you are still in V9, you need the Room controler in each zone, and the Intelligent temperature controler to centralize.

There the Nano IO must be connected to the boiler instead of the room thermostat. In the configuration, you connect the corresponding relay of the nano IO to the Qp output of the Intelligent temperature controller, or the Qh output of the climate controller (I haven't tested the v10 yet on this subject).

I will check, but it seems to me that the advantage of this configuration is that the boiler does not start until there is at least 1 valve open, which avoids the need for a differential valve or a valve all the time open.

[Harry Phelps]

Chaps,

Sorry for the rather late reply, I got rather busy at work. Thanks for the advice, will be checking to see if I have a suitable place to install the nano air today so will probably be back with some more questions soon....

[Harry Phelps]

Soooo, the boiler (Worcester Bosch combi) is mounted on a wall but with a counter top immediately below it. I can see the cable from the thermostat goes into the top of it, the power supply is below the counter and is a fused switched spur. This is in my extension which also has a small consumer unit in the loft which is handling all the power to the extension. Is that consumer unit the best place to site the IO?

[Arnaud]

I'm not sure I understand everything (translation), but to clarify the role of the Nano IO, it just serves as a switch, and connects instead of the room thermostat, so the location of the nano IO doesn't matter much, it just needs to be powered in 230v, and it just needs to be connected to the boiler instead of the room thermostat.

[Andy Wain]

It is very important that the nano Io air is fed from the 240v feeding the boiler.

For Harry it needs to to be fed from the same fused spur that the boiler is fed from. If not someone will turn off the boiler fused spur and think the boiler is completely electrically isolated but it isn't and they could well get electrocuted.

If you are not confident about this then you really should have a partner help you. Because then there is the question of are the thermostat contacts 240v, a different voltage or volt free, and which terminal is the switched live. If you get that wrong you wreck your boiler

[Harry Phelps]

Thanks for the advice chaps. I am a Loxone partner but only really interested in programming. I have a friend who is a qualified sparks who will do any installation that involves 230v. Hanging the IO off the existing thermostat cables in my hall would have been the perfect location as I could flam a nano touch air (or whatever they have named the keypad that slots directly in to the nano) and used it for control but if I can't do that I will site it nearer the boiler.