evohome Water temperature sensor battery life

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  • davewf
    Automated Home Lurker
    • Sep 2017
    • 9

    evohome Water temperature sensor battery life

    I seem to be getting comms error after around a month and changing the two AA batteries solves the errors. All I get is a comms error no mention of the batteries.

    Is a months battery life normal for this this sensor?
  • basiluk
    Automated Home Sr Member
    • Oct 2008
    • 89

    #2
    Absolutely not, you should get at least a year. Sounds like a dodgy unit, I would get it swapped under guarantee?

    Comment

    • HenGus
      Automated Home Legend
      • May 2014
      • 1001

      #3
      Does the fault restore? I have had this off and on for 4 years. It usually happens when there is no HW ON period or demand. The CS92 has been changed and Honeywell reported No Fault Fund with the old one, and told me not to worry about it when I reported similar occurrences with the new CS92. If a comms fault was to occur when the zone valve was open, I am happy that the normal tank stat would close the valve.

      Comment

      • Dan_Robinson
        Automated Home Ninja
        • Jun 2012
        • 347

        #4
        My batteries are over 2 years old. Although to be fair I stopped using the hot water function a few months ago.
        Kind Regards - Dan Robinson (Jennings Heating Ltd)

        Comment

        • DBMandrake
          Automated Home Legend
          • Sep 2014
          • 2361

          #5
          Batteries should last 2 years on the CS92 and certainly more than a year. After all there is no motor to turn like an HR92 and that can manage 1-2 years...

          Comms error doesn't mean flat batteries - do the signal strength test (check the CS92's manual) to see what signal strength you are getting to the controller. They are very picky about placement close to other objects.

          I had to move my CS92 as I just couldn't get rid of intermittent comms errors - although it's hard to be sure I think mine was unhappy about being too close to the BDR91's - although it was over 30cm away as specified by Honeywell. I had to move mine to a different wall in the boiler closet entirely to get it reliable, and then I started having problems yet again a few months later and ended up getting a warranty replacement. Finally (touch wood) it is reliable!

          Comment

          • G4RHL
            Automated Home Legend
            • Jan 2015
            • 1580

            #6
            I had similar issues. Initially I needed to move the sensor a little further away from the other devices, more than the suggested minimum of 30cms. My first lot of batteries lasted less than a year. My second lot lasted until October last, about 1.5 years. As also mentioned in the forum, check the batteries sit tight. Honeywell did not do a good job with the battery boxes in their devices and it is common to have to slightly bend the contacts to get a better and tighter connection.

            Comment

            • davewf
              Automated Home Lurker
              • Sep 2017
              • 9

              #7
              Thanks for the replies, I have now moved the sensor a metre way from the BDR91's and I am seeing an excellent signal hopefully this will solve this issue if not I will get onto Honeywell.

              Comment

              • davewf
                Automated Home Lurker
                • Sep 2017
                • 9

                #8
                Update the sensor has continued to loose comms, so after a discussion with Honeywell I am relocating the BDR out of the airing cupboard and into the hall coat cupboard. This hopefully will put paid to the loss of coms.

                I have to say in all honesty knowing what I know now re the Evohome system I would be buying a Tado. Honeywell are getting seriously left behind on the wireless front.

                Comment

                • HenGus
                  Automated Home Legend
                  • May 2014
                  • 1001

                  #9
                  The Honeywell wifi guide suggests that Honeywell components should ideally be located 1M away from all other electrical equipment. Given that most BDRs etc are located for convenience near the cylinder; motorised valves; pump etc, then clearly 1M is just not possible. When my Evohome system was first installed, my installer said that he had located his two BDRs and Cs92 next to each other and he wasn't having any comms issues. My system was installed using the min distance of 300mms and, for the first 6 months, comms issues were a major annoyance. As I have mentioned before, I have had fewer comms issues with Evohome since one of the two BDRs in my airing cupboard was made redundant and an OT bridge was located close to the boiler.

                  Comment

                  • Shaun Reinson
                    Automated Home Jr Member
                    • Feb 2017
                    • 16

                    #10
                    I had a TRV with batteries that failed after about a year - which I'm guessing is ok - and when I replaced they appeared to go flat within a week. Turns out that the metal connector that you unhook to replace had reacted with the batteries and had a coating of stuff on it preventing a good electrical connection. Took it off, stuck in a glass of vinegar overnight to clean and its all fine now. Think it was probably the original batteries that leaked, but worth checking this as well...

                    Comment

                    • DBMandrake
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Sep 2014
                      • 2361

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Shaun Reinson View Post
                      I had a TRV with batteries that failed after about a year - which I'm guessing is ok - and when I replaced they appeared to go flat within a week. Turns out that the metal connector that you unhook to replace had reacted with the batteries and had a coating of stuff on it preventing a good electrical connection. Took it off, stuck in a glass of vinegar overnight to clean and its all fine now. Think it was probably the original batteries that leaked, but worth checking this as well...
                      The battery contacts in the HR92 are definitely a weak point. Also check the tension of the battery contacts at the bottom - when I replace the batteries in mine I use a small screwdriver to carefully put a bit more tension on the contacts at the bottom - as they seem to lose it over time with the weight of the batteries resting on the spring contacts.

                      I also find I sometimes have to bend the shorting bar at the top slightly as it is also so soft that it distorts over time. I bend it slightly down at the ends and up in the middle so that when it is clicked into place it pushes a bit harder on the battery terminals. Really not a good design - the contacts are all far, far too soft and are not proper spring steel that you would find in conventional coil spring battery contacts. It's very mild stainless steel.

                      Comment

                      • davewf
                        Automated Home Lurker
                        • Sep 2017
                        • 9

                        #12
                        Rewired to take BDR out of the airing cupboard.

                        Well took around three hours to do but all the BDR are out of the airing cupboard and fitted in hall cupboard which is next to the controller. I left the water temperature sensor in there hopefully it was interference from the BDR that was causing the issue as Honeywell suggested. Luckily I have a bungalow so relatively easy to rewire.

                        UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1f25.jpg

                        The BDR are now a minimum of 40cm apart , no doubt if this hasn't cured it Honeywell will start blaming the Burglar alarm

                        Neat trick I spotted on youtube was to buy either a blank faceplate and drill a hole for the wires or one with a cutout, I used crabtree with a cutout . You then can neatly mount the BDR to a surface mount pattress box. If you don't do that the BDR looks a bit naff.

                        Last edited by davewf; 3 March 2018, 06:02 PM.

                        Comment

                        • Dan_Robinson
                          Automated Home Ninja
                          • Jun 2012
                          • 347

                          #13
                          Originally posted by davewf View Post

                          The BDR are now a minimum of 40cm apart
                          What about the copper pipe and that chrome bar in front of them?
                          Kind Regards - Dan Robinson (Jennings Heating Ltd)

                          Comment

                          • davewf
                            Automated Home Lurker
                            • Sep 2017
                            • 9

                            #14
                            Yep agree chrome bar and copper pipe will be yet another excuse for poor wireless performance. Perhaps I should have a Evohome friendly house built :-)

                            I am in my spare time the CTO of a startup company and we fit sensors into double glazing, these are seriously low power units transmitting in the 800Mhz band. Guess what? we have yet to find a house where our signals don't get through and I suspect we don't transmit any less data in our bursts as Honeywell do. OK we are at a lower frequency so that helps but we are at least two generations ahead of Honeywell in the RF stakes. Oh and yes we do have a repeater available just in case but so far its not been needed in our testing. http://glazealarm.com

                            We actually had an issue in our office where our partner was coding the control app and we are testing downstairs they spent ages trying to work out what was going on until they realised it was us. Now this is a prefab steel framed and clad building with concrete floors.

                            Comment

                            • Dan_Robinson
                              Automated Home Ninja
                              • Jun 2012
                              • 347

                              #15
                              Honeywell have to have this kit be backwards compatible with other parts of their range, hence the Lexi of development.


                              Just being devils advocate.
                              Kind Regards - Dan Robinson (Jennings Heating Ltd)

                              Comment

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