sandspider Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Morning all We have an ancient Horstmann h37xl CH programmer, and two analogue (crappy) thermostats. The battery in the Horstmann has died and apparently it can't be replaced, and it keeps losing our settings. So, can it just be swapped for something like a Hive CH programmer? And can the analogue thermostats just be swapped for Hive thermostats? Or is there a bit more to it than that? I imagine so! (I assume the Horstmann could be replaced with another the same in a straightforward swap, but I don't want another one, and it would be good to have moveable digital thermostats...) Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Won't comment on the technicalities but do you really need to allow a swarm into your life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted November 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 True. Not dead set on the Hive, though occasionally it would be useful to be able to turn the heating on remotely. I mainly want to know how big a task it is to replace the existing controller and thermostats... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonty Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 I have hive and I think it's great. When you buy the unit(s) there's an option to buy installation too - i think it was about £60 for installation and it was a no brainer, it wasn't worth me even considering to fit it myself for that money. In a simple system, they wire a controller directly into the boiler and then you have a small wireless hub to connect to our own wifi and then the thermostat talks to that. if you have multiple heating zones, you have a controller and thermostat for each zone. once its fitted you can set your schedules etc up from a tablet or phone and then also override the schedules or change settings remotely - I really think its a very good system and the installation costs is far lower than getting a sparky in yourself to fit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 46 minutes ago, sandspider said: True. Not dead set on the Hive, though occasionally it would be useful to be able to turn the heating on remotely. I mainly want to know how big a task it is to replace the existing controller and thermostats... Know that but? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymo Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 My parents programmer / timer used to loose it settings. Not one to be defeated, opened her up ignoring the warranty label ( duh, it’s well out of warranty anyway), and low n behold it had a standard CR2032 button battery on it. Fixed for pennies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 I went with google nest for ours. It makes a massive difference control wise. I fitted it to our system and it was relatively straight forward. I say relatively as it’s daunting as hell when you see the mass of wires and lack of colour coding that seems usual in heating systems. I had a wall thermostat but opted to use the nest one on a stand so it can be moved about as the old location isn’t ideal. So far I haven’t taken the old one out of the circuit but just left it turned to max. Function wise I haven’t left it to it’s own devices yet but it knows when you leave the house etc so can revert to eco settings when you are out and things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 See page 2 of thread here to see how battery can be changes (at your own risk!) https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=207&t=1537250&i=20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted November 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Thanks folk. I did toy with the idea of opening it up and seeing if I could replace the battery, but the control unit is a bit rubbish anyway, so probably easier to replace it - assuming another one would be a simple swap. Moveable thermostat like the Nest one would be good too, as our 'stats aren't sensibly placed either. Probably simpler to get a plumber or electrician on the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilts#Dave Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Fitted all manner of heating thermostats/controls in my job…..just fitted a new v3 hive to my own new heating system, great system and incredibly simple to use! Easy enough job for an electrician, very easy to wire into a combi boiler and only a little more involved on a system with a tank etc. If you control your heating and hot water independently, they do a two channel version. My preference for the hive in a lot of instances is that the thermostat being battery powered makes it more portable where the nest requires it to be plugged in constantly if not fixed to the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Hive and Nest both very good, we’ve had them in our last two houses. The £60 hive installation charge is money well spent. My plumber and electrician had messed up our new heating controls and thermostat/clock (that we were binning anyway) so we certainly got our value worth. On Saturday night I cleared a load of old “junk” from around the kitchen and put a box in the car. Woke up roasting so wide turned the heating off via the app and I had to retrieve the thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted November 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 Thanks both. We have a tanked hot water system, plus two heating zones - under floor and normal radiator. Sounds like a Hive install by an installer would be worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the crowman Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 I've got Honeywell and it's a excellent bit of kit...had it about 6yrs now and hasn't missed a beat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HantsRob Posted November 7, 2021 Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 Just remember to get the right controller for your boiler! There's several like heating only, heating and hot water, and some other variations. I have hive and love it, nest was still too new when I got hive. You could wire yourself but I wanted my plumber to do it for safety. Sure it's great to have a cool thermostat, but being able to turn the heating off remotely and turn it on when coming back from holiday by app or text was so great! I've never regretted it once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted November 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2021 👍👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.