Latching the motorised zone valves open

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  • bruce_miranda
    Automated Home Legend
    • Jul 2014
    • 2307

    Latching the motorised zone valves open

    I normally tell people not to latch motorised zone valves because
    a. They might cease in that position.
    b. Latching them, does not actually open them completely.
    But something I hadn't realised at all.
    c. Latching them open does not operate the microswitch inside them. Probably because of b. And depending on what your microswitch is connected to, you might want that switch to be ON when the zone valve is open.

    Hope this helps.

    As I was getting ready for the heating season I realised that my HW zone valve has failed at some point and we had not noticed I have solar panels and it has kept the HW cylinder topped up, so the fault has gone unnoticed for a while.
    Just needed a new motor head. I also noticed that you can actually buy just the motor as a spare too. But I wasn't keen on buying from somewhere that I couldn't guarantee was a genuine Honeywell part. And in the big stores the cost between the motor and the entire motor head was pennies. So it turned out to be a no brainer. Probably a bit more wiring at the junction box rather than just replacing the motor inside the head. But it would have taken me just as long to rewire and install the motor on its own too.
  • DBMandrake
    Automated Home Legend
    • Sep 2014
    • 2361

    #2
    When I had to replace a faulty motor head on one of my Honeywell zone valves I was able to find the entire zone valve on ebay (new) cheaper than I could find the motorhead on its own anywhere.

    So I ended up buying the whole thing and just swapping over the head so I didn't have to drain the system...

    Comment

    • bruce_miranda
      Automated Home Legend
      • Jul 2014
      • 2307

      #3
      Yes its mad when you think how much they sell just the spare motor for. How many people are actually changing just the motor? I guess it's a little less work because you don't have to open the main spaghetti wiring box.

      Comment

      • DBMandrake
        Automated Home Legend
        • Sep 2014
        • 2361

        #4
        Originally posted by bruce_miranda View Post
        Yes its mad when you think how much they sell just the spare motor for. How many people are actually changing just the motor? I guess it's a little less work because you don't have to open the main spaghetti wiring box.
        That doesn't make sense. When you replace the motor head you still have to re-wire it, it's just the valve that stays so you don't have to drain the system down.

        I just found it annoying I could buy a complete valve with motor head considerably cheaper than the motor head by itself, when one of the selling points of the valve is that the motor head can be replaced separately.

        So out in the garage I have a box with a new, unused zone valve body and a 2nd hand faulty motorhead (the motor is open circuit so not anything that could be repaired)

        Comment

        • bruce_miranda
          Automated Home Legend
          • Jul 2014
          • 2307

          #5
          If you buy just the motor, not the motor head, you just have 2 wires and twist locks to deal with. You don't have to work out how the motor head has been wired inside the central heating's wiring centre.

          Comment

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