central heating systems help!

[Leesparkykent]

Hi all.

The cylinder stat was wired up backwards so always on i.e. bypassed. All working ok now with that.

Now there is a problem with the Horseman Centaurpuls C21 programmer. The central heating will not work on the timer. I can only get the CH working by leaving the programmer on the off position which sends a live feed to the room stat so the CH must be controlled manually using this. If I put the CH on timer/ all day/ 24 hrs it switches the live feed to the room stat off and the CH won't work.

What is going on?

Thanks in advance.

Have you changed any of the wiring in the programmer as it sound like CH is terminated to CH off and not ch on as it should be.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Have you changed any of the wiring in the programmer as it sound like CH is terminated to CH off and not ch on as it should be.

No. All I have done is get the HW working properly on timer and stat controlled rather than being on all the time. The system was originally controlled via a wireless stat but that didn't work properly. Then the lady had someone in to put a room stat in but they put it in the garage so the CH was coming on all the time.

Then the lady had someone else in to move the room stat into the utility room the other side of the wall but she said they didn't know what they were doing and left her with scalding hot water on constantly so she switched it off and was just using the immersion as and when.

Last weekend I sorted that and she's happy with the water temp and timing. At the moment she has to manually control the CH as the programmer switches the room stat off when it comes on. The CH is now 'off' on the programmer which leaves the room stat on. When she doesn't want heating she switches the room stat right down, then back up when she wants heating.

I don't know if the wireless original programmer has been replaced with one suitable for the system. It says in the instructions that if the system is partially pumped then you can't have CH without HW and the link has to be removed, but it looks like it is still in.

I think the system works, all the wiring for s-plan looks correct but the programmer is working the wrong way around? If that is the case, then what do I need to do to put it right?

Sorry for the long post, but that's the long and short of it.

Thanks again.

 

[Leesparkykent]

No. All I have done is get the HW working properly on timer and stat controlled rather than being on all the time. The system was originally controlled via a wireless stat but that didn't work properly. Then the lady had someone in to put a room stat in but they put it in the garage so the CH was coming on all the time.

Then the lady had someone else in to move the room stat into the utility room the other side of the wall but she said they didn't know what they were doing and left her with scalding hot water on constantly so she switched it off and was just using the immersion as and when.

Last weekend I sorted that and she's happy with the water temp and timing. At the moment she has to manually control the CH as the programmer switches the room stat off when it comes on. The CH is now 'off' on the programmer which leaves the room stat on. When she doesn't want heating she switches the room stat right down, then back up when she wants heating.

I don't know if the wireless original programmer has been replaced with one suitable for the system. It says in the instructions that if the system is partially pumped then you can't have CH without HW and the link has to be removed, but it looks like it is still in.

I think the system works, all the wiring for s-plan looks correct but the programmer is working the wrong way around? If that is the case, then what do I need to do to put it right?

Sorry for the long post, but that's the long and short of it.

Thanks again.

Take the programmer off and make sure the ch on is connected to number 4 and not number 2.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

http://www.partscenter.co.uk/wcssto....all/ti/on/Horstmann_C21-C27_Installation.pdf

Right, I think that the system I am 'working' on is number 7 in these instructions (which were not left with the customer).

I will check that the outputs in the programmer are correct then.

Thinking back there were 2 wires connected into the programmer but left live unconnected in the wiring centre. I think these need to go back in somewhere!

 

[Leesparkykent]

http://www.partscenter.co.uk/wcssto....all/ti/on/Horstmann_C21-C27_Installation.pdf

Right, I think that the system I am 'working' on is number 7 in these instructions (which were not left with the customer).

I will check that the outputs in the programmer are correct then.

Thinking back there were 2 wires connected into the programmer but left live unconnected in the wiring centre. I think these need to go back in somewhere!

Do you know what room thermostat it is ?

 

[Leesparkykent]

Just looked at number 7 , if it's a standard s-plan with spring return valves you do not need ch off and ch satisfied from the room thermostat and programmer.

number 4 on programmer should be connected to common on room thermostat, SL from room thermostat should be connected to brown on the two port valve. The only time you really use the ch satisfied on thermostat and ch off on programmer is if you have motor open/motor closed valves.

 

[Leesparkykent]

If you are still having problems with it after you have checked the programmer wiring you can PM me the make/model of the individual components such as boiler, valves, room stat, cylinder stat, programmer, etc I can make you up a drawing specific for the components you have if need be.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

Thanks for everyone's input, really appreciated. It sounds like those two wires are not needed then if spring return, so it could be a simple case of mixed up output on programmer. I think the biggest problem here is that too many people have meddled about with things they don't know about.

That may sound a bit rich coming from me, but before I touched anything I downloaded the s-plan wiring diagram and checked all wiring and was then able to diagnose and fix the cylinder stat issue. Now it's just a case of getting the programmer to do it's job on the CH.

Thanks again.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Thanks for everyone's input, really appreciated. It sounds like those two wires are not needed then if spring return, so it could be a simple case of mixed up output on programmer. I think the biggest problem here is that too many people have meddled about with things they don't know about.

That may sound a bit rich coming from me, but before I touched anything I downloaded the s-plan wiring diagram and checked all wiring and was then able to diagnose and fix the cylinder stat issue. Now it's just a case of getting the programmer to do it's job on the CH.

Thanks again.

It's a good idea to take some piccies of it before you start playing with it so you have a point of reference to refer to after you've bolloxed it up.

I believe modern mobile phones have built-in cameras that couls be useful for this sort of thing.

 

[telectrix]

he's not yet tried a blowlamp or gaffer tape yet. what sort of a plumber is he?

 

[Geordie Spark]

he's not yet tried a blowlamp or gaffer tape yet. what sort of a plumber is he?

Young kids today .... there really is no hope! :frown2:

 

[VoltzElectrical]

It's a good idea to take some piccies of it before you start playing with it so you have a point of reference to refer to after you've bolloxed it up.

I believe modern mobile phones have built-in cameras that couls be useful for this sort of thing.

Hey Geordie,

I did just that, but I haven't touched anything in the wiring centre. All i have done is label up all the cables going into it, check the connections against a downloaded s-plan wiring diagram, and sort out the cylinder stat.

The old lady is happy now the programmer is switching on the boiler at the required time, and the stat is limiting the HW to the required level. All is good there. It means that she no longer has to switch on the immersion then remember to switch it off again, so result there.

In setting the times on the programmer, she phoned me a few hours later when the CH was supposed to come on and didn't, I went back up the road to discover that the only way I could get the CH to come 'on' was by switching it 'off' on the programmer. I left it at that for the night so as she could have heating.

I would like to get to the bottom of the problem so she can have full control over her system.

This isn't a paying job, it's a favour for a dear old lady of the village I have recently moved to. I am very hesitant in that I don't want to make any false moves that would leave her without heating as she is recently widowed and is receiving treatment for cancer.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Voltz

 

[telectrix]

well done to you for helping the old dear out FOC. a gesture like this could do you some favours in a new village. hope you get to the bottom of the problem soon. .

 

[VoltzElectrical]

well done to you for helping the old dear out FOC. a gesture like this could do you some favours in a new village. hope you get to the bottom of the problem soon. .

Cheers Tel. We're getting there and I'm learning loads and making friends in the process. Way better payment than money!

x

 

[Geordie Spark]

Hey Geordie,

I did just that, but I haven't touched anything in the wiring centre. All i have done is label up all the cables going into it, check the connections against a downloaded s-plan wiring diagram, and sort out the cylinder stat.

The old lady is happy now the programmer is switching on the boiler at the required time, and the stat is limiting the HW to the required level. All is good there. It means that she no longer has to switch on the immersion then remember to switch it off again, so result there.

In setting the times on the programmer, she phoned me a few hours later when the CH was supposed to come on and didn't, I went back up the road to discover that the only way I could get the CH to come 'on' was by switching it 'off' on the programmer. I left it at that for the night so as she could have heating.

I would like to get to the bottom of the problem so she can have full control over her system.

This isn't a paying job, it's a favour for a dear old lady of the village I have recently moved to. I am very hesitant in that I don't want to make any false moves that would leave her without heating as she is recently widowed and is receiving treatment for cancer.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Voltz

Good lad!

Keep up the good work! :hurray:

I used to do jobs like this for an old biddy who never stopped yapping from the moment I arrived to the moment I left with my ears ringing! I never knew what she was yapping about and I'm sure she didn't either!

She phoned me one day in hysterics because the bedroom carpet was wet and she thought it was something to do with the radiator so off I went to have a looksee and found the radiator life expired & leaking.

Off to the merchant and returned with a new radiator which was the nearest metric size to the original and that meant bending an offset into one of the tails to make it line up with the rad. valve.

Job done, money paid & off I went

Two days later phone rings & it's the old biddy and she's not happy with the bent pipe and she's shown it to her friends and her daughter who is a Solicitors Clerk and they all agree with her that it's "not right".

I explained to her that the alternative would be lifting a bit of carpet back, lifting a floorboard and modifying the pipe under the floor to allow for the tail to be straight.

She wasn't happy but wasn't going to have her carpet disturbed which was why I chose the offset option in the first place and unless she would let my lift the carpet she would just have to accept the job the way I had done it.

After what seemed an eternity, she agreed to my lifting the carpet & floorboard and that's when I found the pipe happily sitting in nicely formed notches in the joists with one 2.5 cable jammed down the side of it and it's brother jammed on the top of it. Both these cables were missing their grey coats due to the heat from the pipe and the red & black insulation was exposed.

I replaced both cables and ran them through holes I drilled through the joists well away from the pipe.

I often wonder how long it would have been before something went bang.