does thernguard only work for 1 zone?

[j00fek]

i have 3 that would need the guard

 

[imacman]

Don'tknow for sure if 1 ThermGuard can control multiple zones.....why don't you send Bridgerman aPM and ask....he designed & sells them.

Did you check the website for FAQ's?

www.bearmountaindesign.com

 

[j00fek]

good call


I have more than one temperature zone in my hot-water heated home, how many ThermGuard units do I need?

One ThermGuard unit should be used for each zone which has heating pipes which extend to the outside walls of your home. Certainly, one should be used for any heating pipes that run through garages or attics.

i hope he could make one for multiple zones, it would be more cost effective

 

[Dr_Drum]

The website says they are installed into each zones thermostat, so you would need three.
Mike -

Edit: beat me to it.

 

[kast]

I believe there is a way to hook this up at the furnace so you can use just one.

 

[wil lanfear]

I believe there is a way to hook this up at the furnace so you can use just one.

I agree. I would connect a 2-wire thermostat wire to each of the three zone thermostats or to the zone controllers, splice together with a 2-wire cable that will connect to the Thermguard, where the controllers are would be the easiest. The Thermguard will start and stop circulation on all three zones. The Thermguard is actually just a timer that is programmed for time off as well as time on.

 

[vgrund]

Reminds me of when I exchanged all the old-fashioned mercury thermostats for programmable ones, shortly after I moved into my house. 4 zones x $50.

Victor

 

[bridgerman]

I believe there is a way to hook this up at the furnace so you can use just one.

I agree. I would connect a 2-wire thermostat wire to each of the three zone thermostats or to the zone controllers, splice together with a 2-wire cable that will connect to the Thermguard, where the controllers are would be the easiest. The Thermguard will start and stop circulation on all three zones. The Thermguard is actually just a timer that is programmed for time off as well as time on.

Hi guys,

Sorry I have been out of the loop for a while. I am currently at a trade show in New York and just plugged the computer this evening.

If you connected all the thermostats in parallel as described above, then any thermostat calling for heat would turn on all the zones. For your system for work properly, each thermostat needs to be independent....with no electrical connection between them.

So to answer the question, out of the box, one ThermGuard needs to be connected to each thermostat. That being said, they make a multi-contact 24VAC relay (available from Digikey) that ThermGuard could drive. I would connect a 24VAC transformer to ThermGuard through the relay. Then, each of the 4 closure contacts could be wired independently to the thermostat contacts (best done in the boiler closet since it has all the connections sight there).

This is not a project for the faint-of-heart. It would be less expensive than buying 4 ThermGuards and would be a fun project for the weekend for those with a technical bent. I could supply some drawings if anyone is interested.

Communications will be a bit slow while I am on the road, but I will check the thread when I can.

Cheers,
John

 

[Dr_Drum]

I'd be interested in drawing when you get time. I have a single circulator system with Taco zone valves.
Thanks, Mike -

 

[bridgerman]

Bridgerman, if you have a single circulator system with Taco control valves, is it possible to have a single Thermogard just drive the circ pump independent of the other Tstats, as if it were just another zone, but either jumper additional wires to the Taco valves (from the transformer already there) or manually override the valves using the open/close lever on the side of each valve, leaving them in an open state? This sounds like it would work without any added components, but I'd appreciate your advise. If the Thermogard was wired (jumpered) and had the control valve in an open state, and then the Tstat called for heat would it double the line voltage to the valve solenoid, or would it do nothing?
Thanks, Mike -

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the thoughts....

Hmmmm....If you manually overrode the zone valves, with a single circulator, when any zone called for water, all the open zones would indeed get water. In that way, ThermGuard would only need to be tied to one zone. You would have to open the zones manually without activating the "end switch" on the valve if there was one connected. With a Taco controller, I don't think they are used so that wouldn't be a problem. If you didn't have the taco and the thermostats just drove the zone controllers, it would be a problem. You could always disconnect the end switches if you wanted to configure the system this way.

What I was trying to get to with my original post was to have the system function normally (all zones independently controlled). What you are suggestion would tie all the zones together and the system would not work normally if the stove went out or (in my case) Grandma came over to watch the kids for a week and had no idea how to work the system if there was a problem. It also might waste more energy than needed. It would take longer for the system to heat up if all the zones were in parallel. In general if you were willing to put up with the changes this would mean to your system, your idea would indeed work with a single ThermGuard for an arbitrary number of zones.

To answer your other question, ThermGuard goes into a reset state and does nothing if the thermostat calls for heat. When the thermostat closes the contacts to call for heat, it shorts out ThermGuard's 24VAC signal and shuts it down. It is like it is not even connected.

Cheers,
John

 

[charles u farley]

Usually the zone valves will come off the manual hold open then return to closed position if the thermostat calls for heat and is satisfied. IMHO using the manual hold open is asking for trouble if you don't notice this.

The relay you need to add to connect more than one thermostat gives you several 'dry contacts' meaning it is not a power source, just a switch. The voltage to your valves is the same 24v if both the Thermguard and thermostat were both on at the same time.

If you have end switches on your zone valves and the valves are not in the boiler room you will most likely need to run a new 2-wire to each thermostat. If so the existing wires visible at the boiler will probably just be 24V to the stat and the end switches coming back to enable the boiler. There is nothing there to open the valve if that is the case without running new wires.

CUF, sparkie by trade.

 

[Dr_Drum]

I believe there is a way to hook this up at the furnace so you can use just one.

I agree. I would connect a 2-wire thermostat wire to each of the three zone thermostats or to the zone controllers, splice together with a 2-wire cable that will connect to the Thermguard, where the controllers are would be the easiest. The Thermguard will start and stop circulation on all three zones. The Thermguard is actually just a timer that is programmed for time off as well as time on.

Basically what he said, (I'm catching up with you guys) I think I just want to install it in parallel so that it is invisible to the normal system operation, but when the Thermgard would close it's contacts, it would energize and open all the Taco's and start the circulator, just as if all the Tstats called for heat at the same time. I guess I'd have to look at the wiring more. I don't want to mess with the manual override levers. This is a really simple furnace installation and the transformer junction box is located about 3 feet away from the circulator and the Taco valves. No need to run wires to the Tstats as they come to this junction box. I could install the Thermgard right at the box. It shouldn't matter if the Thermgards contacts are closed or not when a Tstat closes, a closed circuit is a closed circuit, right? Only problem is if the Thermgard is closed when a specific Tstat calls for heat, the whole house gets heat until the Thermgard timer opens.
Sound right?
Mike -

 

[bridgerman]

I believe there is a way to hook this up at the furnace so you can use just one.

I agree. I would connect a 2-wire thermostat wire to each of the three zone thermostats or to the zone controllers, splice together with a 2-wire cable that will connect to the Thermguard, where the controllers are would be the easiest. The Thermguard will start and stop circulation on all three zones. The Thermguard is actually just a timer that is programmed for time off as well as time on.

Basically what he said, (I'm catching up with you guys) I think I just want to install it in parallel so that it is invisible to the normal system operation, but when the Thermgard would close it's contacts, it would energize and open all the Taco's and start the circulator, just as if all the Tstats called for heat at the same time. I guess I'd have to look at the wiring more. I don't want to mess with the manual override levers. This is a really simple furnace installation and the transformer junction box is located about 3 feet away from the circulator and the Taco valves. No need to run wires to the Tstats as they come to this junction box. I could install the Thermgard right at the box. It shouldn't matter if the Thermgards contacts are closed or not when a Tstat closes, a closed circuit is a closed circuit, right? Only problem is if the Thermgard is closed when a specific Tstat calls for heat, the whole house gets heat until the Thermgard timer opens.
Sound right?
Mike -

I guess I would have to look at the wiring for a Taco controller. Is there a connection that is actuated by 24VAC that will activate all the zone valves in parallel? That sounds a little weird since there is no use for such a thing in normal operation mode. If there is not, you would have to do the relay closure as I described above, or buy a ThermGuard for each zone.

John

 

[Dr_Drum]

Thanks for all the help Bridgerman, I think I am all set for now. I'll look everything over.
Mike -