Ecohome questions

**DBMandrake** · 24 September 2016, 03:09 PM

Originally posted by JasonF88 View Post

Hi

Really interested in getting evohome system for a house I've recently moved into, have a couple of questions I hope you guys can help with.

1. Currently have a Honeywell timer (ST6400C) and rotary dial thermostat installed in a nice central location, would I be able remove these and use their existing wiring to the boiler to locate the BRD91 nice and centrally?

You could, but I'm not sure why you would want to install the BDR91 in a central location that is far from the boiler.

The BDR91 only has one button on it - a temporary manual override button (which is also used to perform the initial binding during setup) but other than that you would not normally have any need to touch the BDR91 - and it's not a particularly handsome looking box that you would want on show in your hallway etc...

It would be more normal to install the Evotouch on a wall mount in place of your old thermostat and just install the BDR91 in a location near the boiler which is convenient and gives a good signal to the location you decide for the controller.

To give you an example installation layout, our original system has the boiler in a porch closet that backs onto the kitchen - the old timer was mounted on the kitchen wall with the wires passing through the wall to the boiler on the other side, and the thermostat was out in the hallway on the wall. The wires for the thermostat went down through the plaster, under the floor boards and across into the boiler closet.

From a wiring perspective, the BDR91 replaces both your original timer, and original thermostat with one box. So in my case I elected to install the evotouch controller on the optional wall mount located in the same location in the hallway that had the original thermostat - it's a nice central downstairs location that is just outside the living room and easy to get to from any downstairs room, and easy to glance at when moving from room to room.

As the Evotouch needs a permanent mains supply I re-purposed the original under floor mains flex that went from the boiler cupboard wiring centre to the old thermostat as a power feed cable - you can either pass 230v mains through the cable to the small transformer in the back of the wall mount, or if, as in my case, the panel is mounted directly onto plaster without a back box, you can locate the small transformer remotely - I located it in some spare room inside the wiring centre box, that way 5 volts is fed through the mains flex directly to the panel mounted flat on the wall. As long as the mains flex has sufficient wire gauge this is an accepted installation method which saves gouging out a chunk of wall to fit a back box to make room for the transformer...

I then installed the BDR91 on the kitchen wall where the old timer used to be as the wires were already there, and also because it means one less wall for the wireless signal to have to pass through from the controller in the hallway just into the kitchen. I did actually test the BDR91 directly inside the boiler closet through another layer of brick and it did seem fine as well, but I didn't want to tempt fate so decided to stick with it being on the kitchen wall - I do find it handy to glance at the LED sometimes from the kitchen to see if the boiler is running or not.

So by all means if it's most convenient for you to install the BDR91 centrally using existing wiring that will work, but personally I would put the controller there in the prime location (unless you just use the stand mount) and leave the BDR91 closer to the boiler and more out of the way, perhaps even inside the boiler closet out of sight if the wireless signal is good there.

2. I have a room with both UFH and Rads can the evohome cope with these in the same zone?

Thanks

Can't help you with that one I'm afraid.

**JasonF88** · 24 September 2016, 03:36 PM

Thanks DBMandrake, really helpful

Ecohome questions

Ecohome questions

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