30+ Year Old Oil Fired CHW Boiler – No Control System

[paul.deitch]

This boiler has separate pumps for water and central heating, no room thermostat, no timer controller, and no pump run on. It does have a manual mix valve on the heating to reduce the radiator temps.

I have been quoted 400 plus installation for a mixer valve controller (naturally including a standard room thermostat, controller etc) but I am not sure that it makes sense to spend so much money on a boiler that could become a problem quite soon.

So any product recommendations for a simple 2x switched live pump controller with room thernostat/timer that I can fit until we decide to change the boiler and renew the complete system?

[Jaguar steve]

£400 will buy you 1000 litres of heating oil instead.

I'd keep it. We had a ancient SAAB oil boiler in our last house that was Tonka Toy tough and simple enough for a 10 year old to dismantle and put back together. All the parts were still available too - including some I salvaged from a skip outside a neighbours house when they had their identical one changed for a more lesbian single mother polar bear friendly one that you needed a PHd in boiler control management systems to get some warmth out of.

Assumung the boiler fires whenever its live and the CH or HW side is calling for heat how about fitting 13A plugs to both pumps and using plug in 24 hour timers from IKEA to turn them on and off? Worked a treat on ours for several years when our controler packed up. If you're clever you could wire a room stat into the supply for the CH one.

IIRC total grief over 17 years of use was a new CH circulating pump, oil supply pump (my fault for running it dry) and injector and a couple of said timers. I know people who've had more drama with modern boilers in that as many days.

[shtu]

I'd be thinking about converting the controls and pipework to a bog-stock S- or Y- plan layout now, and keep running the boiler you have until it expires.

If you later replace with a fairly std. system boiler, the pipework would only need minor alterations to fit a replacement.

The "Honeywell Wiring Guide" is worth reading, it'll show you the options.

[Pheo]

agreed - if you have separate pumps, this is essentially S Plan is it not - you just wire it accordingly.

Hell, could homebrew it with Zwave controllers and a couple of temp thermostats relatively easily

[Rickyy]

If you are planning to replace the boiler for the same type in the future, get it converted to fully pumped (S or Y Plan), as it would need doing when a new boiler is fitted anyway.

[paul.deitch]

I like the idea of timers on the circuits as it is my kind of technology but it is a rental house we are renovating so might not be suitable for many people expecting a proper controller. Don't want to start doing conversions at this stage as one thing always leads to another. So still looking for a controller solution.