Builders & Evohome

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  • ShortLass
    Automated Home Lurker
    • Feb 2017
    • 2

    Builders & Evohome

    Just waiting for quotes back from builders for extension & refurb project on my house. I want to install wet underfloor heating (overlay) downstairs and leave the radiators upstairs. I want Honeywell Evohome to control it all.

    Is this something builders can do? I assume whoever I use will have a heating engineer. I was going to put some specific instructions in the tender information, but I wasn't entirely certain what they would have to put in exactly. I'm perfectly happy to do the binding and setting up bit, but not plumbing or electrics.

    I'm thinking maybe get an installer in to do the basics, then builders can just add the Honeywell underfloor heating controller when they put in the UFH, and the plumber can put on the right TRVs on the upstairs radiators when he changes those. Although, the wiring doesn't look that complicated for an ordinary electrcian.

    I rang the Honeywell Evohome helpline, but the woman didn't know very much and could only tell me general stuff which I've read in the brochure. I rang a Honeywell Connected specialist eight miles away and he said he doesn't travel as far as me. He said maybe he could come round in a couple of weeks if I ring him then. I tried asking him some questions about wiring it in, but all he did was tell me how to lay underfloor heating pipes, which I already know.

    The Evohome Shop forum said the installation can only be done by an installer. So I went through Honeywell and ticked four Network Installers closer than eight miles away to contact me. Two days and I've heard nothing.

    I just want it done during the building works, not after. So all the boxes are out neatly on walls before decorating and I don't end up wiring in the underfloor heating controller that comes with the system, only to take it out and replace it with an Evohome one straight after, and paying twice.

    Is this system really, really that difficult?

    I'm hoping someone here can help. Apologies for long post, but I'm struggling to get answers.
  • bruce_miranda
    Automated Home Legend
    • Jul 2014
    • 2307

    #2
    Is the UFH in the extension going to be all one zone or multi zones? You don't need the Evohome UFH zone controller if it's all one zone. Also the builders / plumbers will install the UFH like they normally do regardless of Evohome or not. Also if the electrician brings in constant electric feed from the Heating junction box close to the UFH manifold then you have all bases covered. Most of Evohome is wireless after that anyway.
    Last edited by bruce_miranda; 22 February 2017, 06:49 PM.

    Comment

    • ShortLass
      Automated Home Lurker
      • Feb 2017
      • 2

      #3
      Many thanks for your reply. The UFH will be two zones. I don't want to heat the utility room while I'm in the lounge or evening, or I don't want to be heating downstairs when I'm working in the office. The extension is only small, but I'm putting UFH on the whole of the ground floor.

      The Evhome Shop says an ordinary electrician will do it wrong and I need a proper installer. It looked easy to wire in to me. I can do all the wireless stuff, and if I get stuck, I have w computer expert friend.

      So I'm still confused. So the plumber/electrcian puts in the UFH, then what?

      Comment

      • bruce_miranda
        Automated Home Legend
        • Jul 2014
        • 2307

        #4
        If your UFH is going to run multiple zones then you need a Evohome UFH controller. This complicates things slightly. But is still straightforward if you know what you are doing. The UFH controller has a number of actuator outputs that will operate each of the outputs on the main fold as though they were separate zones. Every mainfold output will need a motorised actuator too. Each zone will need it's own temperature sensor too. Weigh up the potential benefits of converting the UFH area into zone. Also you can't heat and cool UFH zones like radiator zones anyway, they take long to heat up but stay heated for longer too. If you have your UFH run as a single zone then you just control the entire manifold using a Y87RF.

        See image of the UFH controller and 5 motorised valves installed on the manifold.



        Each of those parts will have to be bought separately and remember that if you divide your manifold even into 2 zones then your need controllers on every output, unless you can be clever and say I am never going to need heating in only the Utility room.

        If the Utility room is really small, then I wouldn't bother with making that another UFH zone. Controlling the entire UFH zone as one, is very easy and you can always not have the entire UFH zone on when using the upstairs.
        Last edited by bruce_miranda; 22 February 2017, 10:37 PM.

        Comment

        • MichaelD
          Automated Home Guru
          • Mar 2006
          • 167

          #5
          I've been struggling with this, my sister is having an extension built which will add two UFH zones. The plumber that her builder uses tried to talk her out of Evohome, saying that it does the same as thermostatic valves but costs loads more. So I've been trying to explain to her and the plumber that thermostatic valves were impressive stuff 25 years ago, but they are much too limited and now we want better control so we can save money.

          Now the plumber thinks its all about electrics so he wants me to discuss it with the electrician. Doh!

          Am going over there tomorrow to see what they have fitted, I know there is a manifold, because I saw that a few weeks ago, but am worried what they have done with it ...

          Comment

          • bruce_miranda
            Automated Home Legend
            • Jul 2014
            • 2307

            #6
            Evohome can be installed later to a UFH system and zoned. You can zone a single manifold too provided the under floor pipes have been laid in a manner that supports zoning. The plumber is probably correct that Evohome is more an electrics job than a heating job but they both need to know how these things work.

            The manifold might still have a thermostatic valve on it but that purely for mixing the water temperature at the manifold and has nothing to do with the room temperature control which will still need a room stat and this is where Evohome comes in.
            Last edited by bruce_miranda; 23 February 2017, 08:37 AM.

            Comment

            • MichaelD
              Automated Home Guru
              • Mar 2006
              • 167

              #7
              Thanks, I saw what they have installed earlier this week, and it is a manifold with 3 zones, but no actuators. Presumably on a conventional setup they would manually set whatever the actuators do, then each of the zones would work at their chosen level forever? But with Evohome the actuator turns zones off and on as directed by the Evohome controller?

              There is a thermostatic valve on the manifold, which presumably sets the maximum water temperature for the floor?

              Comment

              • bruce_miranda
                Automated Home Legend
                • Jul 2014
                • 2307

                #8
                Are you sure the manifold has 3 zones and not 3 output ports. Depending on the size of the area to be heated the outputs on a manifold may all be heating a single zone because each underfloor pipe run has a maximum length before it gets ineffective.

                If the single manifold has been set up for 3 zones then each zone will need it's own thermostat and a method to switch on/off it's own manifold port.
                Yes the thermostatic valve controls the manifold high temperature.

                Comment

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