Boiler wire-ups help for apprentice

[J.C.E]

For my apprenticeship, my company swap which engineer your with from time to time so you get to experience all the feild instead of just say rewires! At the moment I am on the boiler rewires team..

Usually if the old wiring is ok and re-usable, I am just told to wire in the new room stats and cylinder stats and pumps and boilers (but I leave the other ends of the cables for my engineer to wiring into the wiring center and the programmer)

Basically what I am after, is maybe tips and advise, just so I can fully understand and soon be confident in doing all the wiring correctly?

Few grey areas:

what are all the types; I keep hearing combi, s plan, y plan ect :s
whats with st400 and st100 programmers (1/2 channel) difference?
any pdf on explaing all the cables coming together in the wiring center?

Hope with your info, I can get my head around all the different types and maybe be able to tackle the COMPLICATED MAZE of a wiring center!

Thanks

 

[lj.l]

there is usually a installation manual that comes with any programmer get a hold of it and try to understand what each switch wire does.A 1 channel programmer has 1 timed switch an 2 channel has 2.It is just a series of switches to switch on the boiler.

 

[silva.foxx]

Hey Joe... you wanna give it a go... Honeywell Y-Plan Explanation


Lots of info on t'interweb, especially from Honeywell. Sundial S Plan - Honeywell UK Heating Controls - not the link I expected but register for plans.

Lenny's posts; http://www.electriciansforums.net/central-heating-systems/11718-central-heating-diagrams.html should siffice.


Here's a little gem too; DATA LIBRARY
.

 

[J.C.E]

Hey Joe... you wanna give it a go... Honeywell Y-Plan Explanation


Lots of info on t'interweb, especially from Honeywell. Sundial S Plan - Honeywell UK Heating Controls - not the link I expected but register for plans.

Lenny's posts; http://www.electriciansforums.net/central-heating-systems/11718-central-heating-diagrams.html should siffice.


Here's a little gem too; DATA LIBRARY
.

Thanks...
so a 'y plan' has a single '3port' controlling both HW and CH and a 's plan' has two '2ports' 1 controlling the HW and the other CH?

And the term 'combi boiler' is used a lot by the engineer I am working with (he seems to favour it and thinks it better than others)

I am right in thinking a combi boiler heats CH and HW on demand as and when you need it, and doesnt heat water and store it in a cylinder?

If I am correct in the above statement above, what are alternative to combi boilers then? more than 1? and I take it these heat water then stores it in cylinder and then is realease on demand?

EDIT....

Little research later.

I think the oppisite to a combi (which doesnt have cylinders and tanks) are regular boilers and system boilers (which do have water cylinders and tanks)

 

[silva.foxx]

I am right in thinking a combi boiler heats CH and HW on demand as and when you need it, and doesnt heat water and store it in a cylinder? - spot-on.

If I am correct in the above statement above, what are alternative to combi boilers then? more than 1? and I take it these heat water then stores it in cylinder and then is realease on demand?

Combi and System are the two main types.

The most popular boiler type on the market today is the Combi. This is mainly due to its convenience, as most central heating systems will heat a copper cylinder located in an airing cupboard using a system, or heat-only boiler to provide hot water, but a combination boiler will heat the water needed around the house for taps and such from within its unit, and is combined with a central heating system. A combi system will not require a cold water tank or separate water cylinder to supply it, which means that the costs of hot water will be a little lower than with a boiler that holds water in a cylinder. The only downside to the lack of water cylinder in a combi boiler is that the rate of hot water produced is likely to be lower than with a boiler with a water cylinder, even more so in the colder months.


I have a back-boiler, Potterton Housewarmer, with gravity hot-water heating and pumped central-heating, so with a cylinder, no valve or cyl. stat. I'll look to either upgrade from the back-boiler to system boiler with S-plan or move completely to combi and weigh-in the copper cylinder. I know combi's are said to be more efficient but with the inticate parts inside, they're probably more prone to failure! But I'm no heating engineer.
.

 

[J.C.E]

Combi and System are the two main types.

The most popular boiler type on the market today is the Combi. This is mainly due to its convenience, as most central heating systems will heat a copper cylinder located in an airing cupboard using a system, or heat-only boiler to provide hot water, but a combination boiler will heat the water needed around the house for taps and such from within its unit, and is combined with a central heating system. A combi system will not require a cold water tank or separate water cylinder to supply it, which means that the costs of hot water will be a little lower than with a boiler that holds water in a cylinder. The only downside to the lack of water cylinder in a combi boiler is that the rate of hot water produced is likely to be lower than with a boiler with a water cylinder, even more so in the colder months.

.

Thanks, I think I just need a little bit more on 2 portS and 3 port, any good sites to explain?

 

[ringer]

Look on the Honeywell site for training days - they do a days training on wiring up different sorts of systems, you get given data books with diagrams, and a free lunch. Well, not free, but £30 for a days training from Honeywell is not to be sniffed at. Persuade your mentor you need to go on this - they do different venues all over the country.

Honeywell United Kingdom Heating Controls

 

[silva.foxx]

A sticking-point in understanding the Y-plan system is understanding how the mid-position valve works... a fundamental, really. Learn this and you'll be telling your mentor how to!

Mid position motorised valve - How it works

and

UK DIY FAQ

Remember... Google is your friend. I'm only lurking on CHS cos there's nowt going on in the industrial electrics threads!

And can you need any more info than all this; http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Central_Heating_Controls_and_Zoning

.

 

[gazlittler]

If you go on the honeywell site it will explain everything to you and also the best thing is to do is see if you can get hold of the two diffrent instruction books for a combi boiler and a system boiler it tells you everything you need to know in there most of them also show the wiring systems that how i started to learn and the reason he will perfer a combi boiler will be Combi boilers take their cold water feed direct from the mains supply. By installing a combi boiler the cold water feed tank, this is not required and save space and reduces the number of components in the system simplifying combi boiler system installation. As combi boilers do not store hot water they heat water direct from the cold mains supply as you use it this save money and also, this gives you the equivalent of a power shower without the need for a pump.

 

[millwall ken]

For my apprenticeship, my company swap which engineer your with from time to time so you get to experience all the feild instead of just say rewires! At the moment I am on the boiler rewires team..

Usually if the old wiring is ok and re-usable, I am just told to wire in the new room stats and cylinder stats and pumps and boilers (but I leave the other ends of the cables for my engineer to wiring into the wiring center and the programmer)

Basically what I am after, is maybe tips and advise, just so I can fully understand and soon be confident in doing all the wiring correctly?

Few grey areas:

what are all the types; I keep hearing combi, s plan, y plan ect :s
whats with st400 and st100 programmers (1/2 channel) difference?
any pdf on explaing all the cables coming together in the wiring center?

Hope with your info, I can get my head around all the different types and maybe be able to tackle the COMPLICATED MAZE of a wiring center!

Thanks

Look mate, take a tip... Ask the fella your working with. Rape his brain!!! Any decent spark won't mind, because it shows that you're keen.

 

[J.C.E]

Look mate, take a tip... Ask the fella your working with. Rape his brain!!! Any decent spark won't mind, because it shows that you're keen.

I do ask him questions, I just wanted to impress him and research abit, I think I am getting there with the different type of boiler wiring, main thing now is trying to remember which cables go will what in the wiring center!

 

[jase]

Look mate, take a tip... Ask the fella your working with. Rape his brain!!! Any decent spark won't mind, because it shows that you're keen.

I second that, and get in over his shoulder when he is wiring a wiring centre, sometimes you need to really watch whats being done aswell as ask the questions, you never stop observing and learning in this game.