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I've just run into a problem, which, to be frank, has me steaming mad with Drayton controls for being more like Apple than Apple are. I had been using a standard immersion heater type time switch to turn our heating system on and off each day. This worked fine (in fact I've just had to re-install it due to Drayton's stupidity) but it wasn't as intuitive to set and adjust as a normal heating controller. All I need is a single channel time switch, with programmable days and times, nothing famcy. All it does is switch a single low current control circuit on or off, but it does need to be something that my other half can use easily. As we have a Drayton programmable thermostat controlling the combi in the old house, and as SWMBO can work that just fine, I decided that if I fitted the simplest timer that Drayton make, that works in much the same way as the programmable thermostat she's used to, then life would be easy. Alas, all was not so simple. I fitted the thing about a year ago, and it has worked fine, until now. It seems that the idiots at Drayton now send these things out with a gas boiler service interval timer pre-enabled. This means that after a year the bloody thing starts flashing "SEr dUE" on the display, and sounding an alarm. 30 days later the bloody thing just stops working, until it's reset using a special tool from Drayton, that they will only sell to a properly certified heating engineer, plus the tool costs £50!!! More than the damned time switch. I've got hold of the installers instructions, and it seems that there is a process for disabling the service interval timer in these things, by holding down the "-" button for 8 seconds, when a service mode menu comes up, which allows the service interval feature and the audible alarm to be disabled. This is fine, you can disable these in this menu, but unless you then hold the super-duper, expensive, service resetting tool up against the front of the unit when the "Con" message comes up (for "confirm") then the unit stays dead; the service menu changes don't get saved. Right now I have a programmer for our ASHP that is just junk, unless I can get hold of the special tool. Sadly I don't know any heating engineers, and the ones I've rung around want more than the cost of the tool to come around and do 30 seconds work resetting the thing. So, my options are: 1. Ask kindly on here to see if anyone has the special Drayton tool (it's described in this document: http://www.draytoncontrols.co.uk/sites/default/files/LPsi Reset (I. Guide).pdf ) and if so would they mind lending it to me for a day so I can turn this "feature" permanently off. 2. Bin the year old controller and buy another one that doesn't have this feature programmed in default by the factory. FWIW, I can understand why this feature could be very useful for gas appliances fitted in rented properties, where it would force the landlord to do the required annual gas boiler servicing. I can understand why it's useful for anyone who needs a reminder to get a gas appliance serviced. What annoys the living daylights out of me is that Drayton pre-programme these things into this mode, so anyone with electric heating or who doesn't need the servicing or alarm nanny has a major inconvenience. What's more, they don't make it clear when you buy one that this stupid feature is enabled by default, and to disable it will more than double the cost of the unit............... Screwfix sell the reset unit, for £125, I've just discovered ( http://www.screwfix.com/p/drayton-lpsi-reset-unit/6292r ), but as I only paid around £30 (IIRC) for the new programmer, I'm buggered if I'm going to pay £125 for something I'll use once, just to make the damned programme do what it is supposed to do.
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- drayton
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