ThermGuard installation help?

[dfelicia]

Hi, all. Based on recommendations from this forum, I purchased a ThermGuard to keep my baseboard heating pipes from freezing (again) when my wood stove prevents my thermostat from ever kicking in.

What I'd really like to do is install it in my basement, but I'm not at all familiar with how boilers are wired. Would anyone be able to nudge me in the right direction by looking at the attached pictures? @bridgerman ?

I have three zones, and want to use ThermGuard on the one in the middle labeled "Family Room."

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

[black smoke signals]

I'm looking at three zone valves now do you also heat domestic hot water tank with a separate zone valve? If so there is a lever on the bottom of the (family room)slide the lever and lock it in place when your boiler calls for heats your domestic hot water to zone valve will always be open.Now no domestic hot water then all of your wiring will be at the room thermostat with two wires here a link http://www.bearmountaindesign.com/tg_installation_Hot_Water.htm Hot water boilers should use a special anti freeze to prevent from freezing

 

[dfelicia]

I'm looking at three zone valves now do you also heat domestic hot water tank with a separate zone valve? If so there is a lever on the bottom of the (family room)slide the lever and lock it in place when your boiler calls for heats your domestic hot water to zone valve will always be open.Now no domestic hot water then all of your wiring will be at the room thermostat with two wires here a link http://www.bearmountaindesign.com/tg_installation_Hot_Water.htm Hot water boilers should use a special anti freeze to prevent from freezing

Thanks fo replying! I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying, though.

I do have a domestic hot water tank, but I do not believe it has its own zone valve. The house has three separate heating zones, so three thermostats total.

What I'm aiming to do is hook up the ThermGuard to just one of the heating zones - the one that I can heat with my wood stove, and which also has baseboard pipes that run through the garage and are susceptible to freezing. (SPoke to my plumber about antifreeze, which has pros and cons. ThermGuard seems a better solution.)

The instructions to connect the ThermGuard to the thermostat are dead simple, but I do not want to do that. Instead, I want to install it on the other end in the basement.

So, in the end, I'm just trying to identify the "tail end" of my family room thermostat wiring. Attaching some more pictures, in case useful.

 

[Lloyd the redneck]

If you want to be sure, on the white and red small wires you think are the t stat to that zone, unhook them in the basement test them with the thermostat set all the way down and then all the way up. You should have a open and then closed circuit. That way you can be sure that's the proper wire to add your device. (Have never herd of them but makes sense what your trying to do )

 

[dfelicia]

If you want to be sure, on the white and red small wires you think are the t stat to that zone, unhook them in the basement test them with the thermostat set all the way down and then all the way up. You should have a open and then closed circuit. That way you can be sure that's the proper wire to add your device. (Have never herd of them but makes sense what your trying to do )

Thank you, I did a variation of your suggestion:

Turned off power, disconnected thermostat, disconnected what I believed were to thermostat wires in basement. Did a continuity test from the upstairs end of the wires with my multimeter. It failed as it should. Twisted the basement wires together and repeated the test. Bingo.

I’m happy that I stuck it in the basement. When it’s counting down the interval a green LED blinks to let you know it’s on and doing something. That would drive me nuts if it were in my family room, especially if the lights were off and I was watching TV (or my fire).

Bottom line: it’s a great investment if you have a wood stove. Very happy this forum recommended it.

 

[mass_burner]

Thank you, I did a variation of your suggestion:

Turned off power, disconnected thermostat, disconnected what I believed were to thermostat wires in basement. Did a continuity test from the upstairs end of the wires with my multimeter. It failed as it should. Twisted the basement wires together and repeated the test. Bingo.

I’m happy that I stuck it in the basement. When it’s counting down the interval a green LED blinks to let you know it’s on and doing something. That would drive me nuts if it were in my family room, especially if the lights were off and I was watching TV (or my fire).

Bottom line: it’s a great investment if you have a wood stove. Very happy this forum recommended it.

View attachment 220851

I have almost the same scenario, difference is two zones which meet just off the panel and are attached to that transformer looking thing. Is the wiring different when two are involved?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[dfelicia]

I have almost the same scenario, difference is two zones which meet just off the panel and are attached to that transformer looking thing. Is the wiring different when two are involved?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

If you want to guard two zones, I think you need two ThermGuards. What you want to do is find the two thermostat wires for each zone. Assuming we're talking about a hydronic heating system, the easiest way to locate them is probably to look at the wires going to each zone valve. You should be able to differentiate the ones coming from upstairs from the ones coming from the transformer.

 

[ToltingColtAcres]

I am using a Sonoff 4CH Pro flashed with ESPEasy to control 3 zone valves.... $35 vs $210, and more control (although requires slightly more technical expertise). Plus I can monitor the status over my wifi connection, or push the data to a server for monitoring on my phone. the only downsize is, unlike the thermguard, the sonoff cannot detect if the zone has called for heat recently and thus not run the zone...


on System#Boot do
GPIO,12,0 // turn off zone valve bathroom
GPIO,5,0 // turn off zone valve tvroom
GPIO,4,0 // turn off zone valve pianorooom
timerSet 1,30 // initial timers for zone valve programs
timerSet 2,60
timerSet 3,90
endon

on Rules#Timer=1 do
gpio,12,1 // open bathroom zone valve
timerset 4,300 // run timer for 5 min countdown
endon

on Rules#Timer=4 do
gpio,12,0 // close bathroom zone valve
timerSet 1,1800 // run again in 1/2 hour
endon

on Rules#Timer=2 do
gpio,5,1 // open tvroom zone valve
timerset 5,180 // run timer for 2.5 min countdown
endon

on Rules#Timer=5 do
gpio,5,0 // close tvroom zone valve
timerSet 2,900 // run again in 15 minutes
endon

on Rules#Timer=3 do
gpio,4,1 // open piano room zone valve
timerset 6,600 // run timer for 10 minute countdown
endon

on Rules#Timer=6 do
gpio,4,0 // close piano room zone valve
timerSet 3,3600 // run again in 1 hour
endon

 

[mass_burner]

If you want to guard two zones, I think you need two ThermGuards. What you want to do is find the two thermostat wires for each zone. Assuming we're talking about a hydronic heating system, the easiest way to locate them is probably to look at the wires going to each zone valve. You should be able to differentiate the ones coming from upstairs from the ones coming from the transformer.

Sorry, let me elaborate. Hot water system, two zones, I have two thermgaurds, wires from both thermostats known in basement.

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[mass_burner]

Also, I'd like to setup a switch type process so I won't have to switch the wires, or in case my wife/daughter can do it.

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