Nest Install

[GTR_Auto]

Just picked up a nest and having issues installing into my condo (baseboard heating, no fan) Previous wires were Y and R. Found C behind wall and wired that up as well.

Being that I wanted my nest to say heating and not cooling I moved the Y to W. Turns out my valve needs to be energized in order to close.

Anyway to adjust the nest so that it would say heating vs cooling? Jumper wire? Firmware flash?

[imranm]

I have a couple of Nest's in my house. If i remember correctly, when I installed it, it specifically said it won't work with baseboard heaters. That said, I would call NEST - their phone support is really good and they will find a fix for you (if there is one)/

[eglove]

I want one of these so bad, but like you I just have the Y and R and I assume the C shoved somewhere behind the box. But I haven't found a definitive answer if it works with waterpipe baseboard heaters.

[yellowGTS]

I know the nest is really cool and is easy to use, but would you ever consider a Honeywell? I had one since the Nest didn't work in my house with both A/C and Heat.....needed to have a C wire installed and it wasn't worth the hassle.

[rage2]

It's not a supported or recommended solution. These guys made it work with a bunch of relays and transformers, but stopped recommending it.

http://cadetheat.com/blog/wi-fi-ther...-cadet-heater/

Originally posted by yellowGTS
I know the nest is really cool and is easy to use, but would you ever consider a Honeywell? I had one since the Nest didn't work in my house with both A/C and Heat.....needed to have a C wire installed and it wasn't worth the hassle.

Honeywell is noted in the link, same issues with baseboard heaters. Not sure why Nest didn't work for you for both heat + cool, it definitely supports that.

On a related note, Ecobee is miles better than Nest. The remote temperature sensors really changes the dynamic of how the whole system works. Generally, people like a single set temperature, which is affected by the different areas of the home based on heat loss in those rooms and when you're in those rooms. The Nest learns where you are and what temperatures you like based on your daily routine. The Ecobee knows exactly where you are using remote sensors to adjust even if you are "off schedule". So basically, the Nest guesses, the Ecobee gets real information to adjust.

[ganesh]

+1
On Ecobee. Way better smart thermostat.
I also have Lyric on the main floor

[imranm]

I had an ecobee with multiple sensors. It tried to balance out the temperatures based on the sensors but never really found a good middle ground. Some rooms too hot, some rooms just right.

Smart features other than that, NEST app way better.

[JustinMCS]

I am in a condo with water baseboard heaters and my nest works with it. I have W1 and RH wiring though, I have a step down transformer near the electrical panel that powers the zone valve.

[GTR_Auto]

Thanks everyone

When I called nest to confirm they said yes it will work no problem....sure. Maybe return and try ecobee?

As of right now it is hooked up via Y and is working but it will not do the learning ect because the system thinks it is cooling.

I have looked into installing a relay to the valve. Might be something I tackle down the road

[Crazyjoker77]

I've only installed 2 nests and both where on conventional heating systems so it was straight forward. Thermostats are actually really standardized and they all basically function the same doesn't really matter what brand.

R(RH) closes to W when the temperature falls below the setpoint.

R(RC) closes to Y when temperature Rises above the setpoint.

R closes to G when the fan is switched from "auto" to "on"

C is just the other side of the transformer that R is fed from.

Problem is 2wire heating valves are opposite of every other heating device. All you usually need is a SPDT or Normally closed relay to get it to work properly though.

Here is a quick wiring diagram of what you would have to do to get it to work for you. (top would be your typical setup) and bottom is with the relay wired in.




That being said and working in the HVAC industry I do have a certain distain for electronic thermostats and even more so for microprocessor controlled ones such as the nest. On something as critical as heating in Canada I like the reliability of a conventional mechanical thermostat even though you lose some neat features but after seeing so many fancy stats fail that I wouldn't trust them in my properties or at the very least I would install a duct stat in the return ducting set for like 5degrees so that when it does fail there is still some backup.

[Crazyjoker77]

Originally posted by rage2
It's not a supported or recommended solution. These guys made it work with a bunch of relays and transformers, but stopped recommending it.

http://cadetheat.com/blog/wi-fi-ther...-cadet-heater/


Honeywell is noted in the link, same issues with baseboard heaters. Not sure why Nest didn't work for you for both heat + cool, it definitely supports that.

On a related note, Ecobee is miles better than Nest. The remote temperature sensors really changes the dynamic of how the whole system works. Generally, people like a single set temperature, which is affected by the different areas of the home based on heat loss in those rooms and when you're in those rooms. The Nest learns where you are and what temperatures you like based on your daily routine. The Ecobee knows exactly where you are using remote sensors to adjust even if you are "off schedule". So basically, the Nest guesses, the Ecobee gets real information to adjust.

That link deals with line voltage control(120 or 240) which is a whole other issue and has stats specially for that. Its not very common in Canada for rad valves to be line voltage due to electrical code. Electric heaters on the otherhand almost always are line voltage.


Also seems that you could get the nest heatlink addon for it which would give you a set of NO and NC contacts for both heating and cooling which you need. Seems heatlink is generally needed for non conventional heating systems and would work for you but would be a absolute nightmare of a install.

[yellowGTS]

Originally posted by rage2
It's not a supported or recommended solution. These guys made it work with a bunch of relays and transformers, but stopped recommending it.

http://cadetheat.com/blog/wi-fi-ther...-cadet-heater/


Honeywell is noted in the link, same issues with baseboard heaters. Not sure why Nest didn't work for you for both heat + cool, it definitely supports that.

On a related note, Ecobee is miles better than Nest. The remote temperature sensors really changes the dynamic of how the whole system works. Generally, people like a single set temperature, which is affected by the different areas of the home based on heat loss in those rooms and when you're in those rooms. The Nest learns where you are and what temperatures you like based on your daily routine. The Ecobee knows exactly where you are using remote sensors to adjust even if you are "off schedule". So basically, the Nest guesses, the Ecobee gets real information to adjust.

The heat + cool didn't work in my home because the Nest requires a constant power (5 wires) for a house with 1 furnace and A/C. My home only had 4 wires and due to the lack of constant power the Nest always shut down and ran into issues. I could only connect the heat and/or cool at one time for it to work properly. This is the only reason why I switched to the Honeywell, I liked the App of the Nest and the ability to set a min and max temp range (not available on the Honeywell I had).

I did consider the Ecobee, but read a few bad reviews from early adopters and was a little gun shy. I'm sure those issues are very old now, but at the time, I didn't want to take the risk.

[rage2]

Ahh, yea the Ecobee comes with a Power extender kit specifically to address this problem and magically sends power through one of the 4 wires.