New Hive Controller - Zone Valve issue

[sine220]

Boiler: Greenstar 30CDI

Hello,
First post on here and hopeful of some assistance with my new Hive thermostat and controller. Pics included hopefully.

I have a Greenstar 30 CDI conventional boiler.
I have removed the room thermostat and previous programmer.
There were only 4 wires going to previous controller. (live, neutral, heating on, hot water on)
I've installed the HIVE with these 4 wires and the heating and hot water off terminals are left unconnected.

I noted at the point of install that I only have one zone valve....I thought i would have had two as previously I was able to get hot water without heating.....but I'm now wondering if it was setup in such a way as to draw water to the radiators from the hot water tank so....I could get hot water without heating...but if heating was requested it drew the water from the hot water tank..?

However

On initial connection of the HIVE I had hot water but no heating. The controller just flashed when i pressed the central heating button. A bit of fiddling with the wiring centre and I was able to get heating and hot water.....

But the current issue is if hot water comes on....the heating comes on too....

Is it possible for HIVE to work with a single zone valve in the way it worked with the previous controller? or am I required to install another zone valve.

Pics at the bottom. Any assistance greatly appreciated.

 

[stem]

You seem to have a bit of a non standard system. There is certainly only wiring for one motorised valve shown at the wiring centre. (I assume that the black cable goes to the single 2 port valve also shown in one of your photos) It would appear that the valve is only partially wired up too, as there doesn't seem to be anything connected to the motorised valves grey wire which would normally be used to control the boiler.

It's an unusual occurrence but not unknown. However, there may be several different reasons for the valve. What does the motorised valve actually control? What is it connected to? (by this I'm referring to the plumbing not the wiring) How did the system work before you installed the Hive? Was it working correctly? or was the Hive installed in an attempt to rectify something? Could you have the central heating on alone, or was the hot water also on at the same time?

From an electrical connection point of view, the Hive is made up of two on / off switches for the hot water and heating, the same as the previous programmer. So the wires correspond, assuming you have the correct Hive (Dual Channel Version) it should work exactly as it did before. If you previously needed to have the hot water 'on' to also get central heating, the Hive should be set to gravity fed mode.

N = Neutral
L = Live
3 = Hot water on
4 = Heating on

The tricky bit is what did you do with the original room thermostat wiring? You cannot simply disconnect it because it will leave the heating circuit 'open' and the heating will never come on. It needs to be decommissioned correctly so that the Hive can be allowed to take full control. This can be done in one of three ways:

1. Find the opposite end of the thermostat cable to the thermostat, and disconnect it. Then link the terminals where the two switching wires (but not any neutral, if one is present) came from together.

2. Remove the existing thermostat and replace it with a junction box, connect the two switching wires together and isolating the neutral (if there is one)

3. Leave the existing room thermostat in place and set it to the highest setting. (Or better still put the switching wires in the same terminal)

 

[sine220]

Hi and thanks for the reply..... I'll try to provide as much info as i can.

The HIVE was intended to improve the home automation, previous system did work.

Previously, If i switched the CH on, the HW sign automatically came on too..... If i switched the HW on the CH did not come on.

I note you mention it should be set to gravity fed - It isnt.....I'll do this when i get home.

Re: Thermostat...... Another mistake by me /-:

I removed it from the wall, traced the wires back to the wiring centre and disconnected it....I was under the impression this was a sensible thing to do, apparently not! I guess i could try to reinstate if required.

Last bit of info....to get the CH to work currently I changed the red wire coming out of the top of 9 into 12 (boiler). It was previously in 6.

thanks again for your assistance

 

[stem]

Previously, If i switched the CH on, the HW sign automatically came on too..... If i switched the HW on the CH did not come on. I note you mention it should be set to gravity fed - It isnt.....I'll do this when i get home.

Yes unfortunately, it looks like that is due to the limitation of the plumbing.

Re: Thermostat...... Another mistake by me /-: I removed it from the wall, traced the wires back to the wiring centre and disconnected it....I was under the impression this was a sensible thing to do, apparently not! I guess i could try to reinstate if required.

If the thermostat wiring has just been disconnected, then you need to change it as per my previous post. Just removing the thermostat wires means the heating will never come on, as it's an open circuit.

If you can say which terminals the thermostat was wired to at the wiring centre and where each wire went to at the original thermostat, plus thermostat make / model, I can advise further.

Last bit of info....to get the CH to work currently I changed the red wire coming out of the top of 9 into 12 (boiler). It was previously in 6.

Then you need to put it back exactly as it was.

 

[sine220]

cheers.

I'll put it back as it was and put into gravity fed mode later.

Re:thermostat - I cant remember how it was wired in but I'll have a look when i get home.

It was a Drayton one with the dial on the front but cant remember model etc....I'll provide this later.

Thanks again.

 

[stem]

to get the CH to work currently I changed the red wire coming out of the top of 9 into 12 (boiler). It was previously in 6.

Are you sure that the red wire was previously in 6 and not 7? [So that the link was between 12 and 7]

 

[sine220]

I'll not finish work until quite late tonight so might be tomorrow until i get back to have another go.....but this photo was taken earlier in proceedings....before i tampered with anything other than removing the thermostat. Looks like that red went into 3 or 4.....it'll probably be clearer when i see it

 

[sine220]

Pic

 

[stem]

OK, I'm pretty sure that one end of the room thermostat would have gone to terminal 2 but I can't see where the other ends of the cables are connected to work out everything else.

 

[stem]

OK just seen the last pic. Was the thermostat between 2 & 4?

If they were, then they should be linked together. The easiest way will be to move the brown wire going to the motorised valve into terminal 4.

 

[sine220]

Hello, right, finally back home now
Hive is into gravity fed mode
Wiring centre is definitely back to the way it was (minus the thermostat)
Hot water is working perfect, heating isn't coming on when hot water only is requested
When central heating comes on, hot water comes on too, but that's exactly the same as the previous setup (1 zone valve)

However, radiators are not warming up, presumably due to the thermostat being disconnected

But I cannot be sure of how the thermostat was wired in! So annoyed I didn't take a picture but was certain at the time I wouldn't need to reinstate
Anyway, any ideas how it would have been in?
Pictures of the current wiring centre and stat are below

Thanks

 

[sine220]

I'm thinking I bridge 2 and 3 and all is good?

 

[stem]

From your latest photo 2 and 3 looks good to me.

In effect you are connecting the 'Heating on' from terminal 4 of the Hive, to the motorised valve brown wire via the red link between the wiring centre terminals 3 & 9

 

[sine220]

Went for it there the now

Looks good so far.... !

Ill let you know if there are any probs

Thanks so much for taking time to help me. Really appreciate it

 

[stem]

You are welcome. Glad it's working OK, I think you pretty much worked it out for yourself, once the thermostat issue was explained. I doubt you will have any problems now, but if you do, you know what to do.