Help with Salus auto-balancing actuators

[JohnMo]

5 hours ago, Ewan said:

intermittent solar gain in one room, would putting auto balancing actuators on help potentially

Don't really see it making much difference to anything.  I found them a waste of money and faff. 

[Guest 34]

On 15/08/2023 at 11:41, Ewan said:

Anyone seen the new Salus THB Ultra ABAs available in the UK yet?

Seem's they've done away with calibration need.

https://saluscontrols.com/gb/introducing-the-ultra-thb-auto-balancing-actuator/
 

Emailed Salus and was told they'd be coming to the UK in Spring this year. I'd add a month or 20 to that estimate to avoid too much disappointment.

[joth]

On 02/01/2024 at 22:52, Guest 34 said:

Emailed Salus and was told they'd be coming to the UK in Spring this year. I'd add a month or 20 to that estimate to avoid too much disappointment.

Anyone know if these arrived in the UK yet?  And, what is their part number? AFAICT everywhere is still stocking THB23030 / THB2430

[JohnMo]

36 minutes ago, joth said:

Anyone know if these arrived in the UK yet?  And, what is their part number? AFAICT everywhere is still stocking THB23030 / THB2430

Keep your money in your pocket, simplify, get rid of zones, then you don't need a devise to compensate for zones switching on and off - which is the intended service of these actuators.

[joth]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

Keep your money in your pocket, simplify, get rid of zones, then you don't need a devise to compensate for zones switching on and off - which is the intended service of these actuators.

thanks for this but afraid the advice is not required in this instance, as my use case is completely different actually - trying to shut off water into a fan coil (used for cooling) just after the DHW heat up cycle. Traditional zone actuators are too slow, whereas these Salus ones are much better (faster response time and lower power draw; basically use zero power when open). As I said up thread, if there was an non-autobalancing fast response (i.e. servo driven) actuator available I'd rather go with them 

 

Also FWIW I already have auto balancing actuators on my UFH and they work fine there. I broadly don't use zoning, but I do shut off zones when necessary to avoid specific rooms overshooting.

Edited July 13, 2024 by joth

[joth]

On 13/07/2024 at 11:57, joth said:

Anyone know if these arrived in the UK yet?  And, what is their part number? AFAICT everywhere is still stocking THB23030 / THB2430

FWIW it looks there's a few places stocking these THB23031 auto-calibrating models now, e.g.

https://www.ecowizard.co.uk/actuators/salus-thb23031-auto-balancing-actuator/

https://www.plumbarena.co.uk/product/salus-thb23031-ultra-auto-balancing-actuator/

 

[joth]

On 27/11/2024 at 12:25, joth said:

FWIW it looks there's a few places stocking these THB23031 auto-calibrating models now, e.g.

https://www.ecowizard.co.uk/actuators/salus-thb23031-auto-balancing-actuator/

https://www.plumbarena.co.uk/product/salus-thb23031-ultra-auto-balancing-actuator/

 

Also FWIW, I bought one of these new ones and using on my Fan Coil manifold. Totally overkill for the application as I really don't need the auto-balancing function, but it is working fine and has the intended improvement of  O(10secs) to turn off.  This is important to stop a slug of hot water going into the FCU when the UFH comes on during cheap night rate (00.30 am). Up until that point, I want the FCU circuit open and blowing as it uses the ASHP freeze-protect as free cooling for the bedrooms (or the bedroom provides free freeze protection for the ASHP depending on your view), but once heating cycle starts I need to keep the warm water out the FCU. even shutting off the secondary pump doesnt help as the primary pump is strong enough to shunt water through it. And I want to keep the FCU fan going all the time as it still brings in cooler air from the loft to the bedroom which is beneficial even without water cooling.

 

 

[recoveringbuilder]

Hi, I’m having a bit of trouble with a couple of the salus auto balancing actuators not operating, thermostat calls for heat but they don’t open, only two of them that I can see. I’m about to unscrew them and give them a spray with a silicone spray in case the pin is seized but my question is- is the pin in the head of the actuator or on the pipe it is screwed onto?

[Super_Paulie]

the pins are on the manifold, the Salus' just wind down against it. Id just remove one and then see what the state of play is with the pin with some pliers first. Then call for heat and see if the salus responds while its in your hand?

[recoveringbuilder]

1 hour ago, Super_Paulie said:

the pins are on the manifold, the Salus' just wind down against it. Id just remove one and then see what the state of play is with the pin with some pliers first. Then call for heat and see if the salus responds while its in your hand?

Ok I’ve had the 3 actuators off that aren’t working, the pins are moving ok but the actuator doesn’t respond when there’s a call for heat, I’m guessing these 3 have stopped working but is it not odd that it’s 3 that are positioned together? It’s zones 7,8 and 9, I can send for replacements but don’t want to waste money if it’s something else like the wiring centre, although it lights up ok when there’s a call for heat. Would it be a straightforward enough job to replace the 3 that aren’t working?

[Super_Paulie]

1 minute ago, recoveringbuilder said:

Ok I’ve had the 3 actuators off that aren’t working, the pins are moving ok but the actuator doesn’t respond when there’s a call for heat, I’m guessing these 3 have stopped working but is it not odd that it’s 3 that are positioned together? It’s zones 7,8 and 9, I can send for replacements but don’t want to waste money if it’s something else like the wiring centre, although it lights up ok when there’s a call for heat. Would it be a straightforward enough job to replace the 3 that aren’t working?

id just cut and splice with Wago if they are hard to get at. I have mine connected with Wagos in an easy to get at box, but thats just me.

Could just whack a plug on the end of the it and test with the mains if you think they are totally dead?

[JohnMo]

Do a factory reset on them first, then a recalibrate on them (it may just be a recalibrate you can do - haven't seen the instructions for a long time). That may kick them into life.

 

[Alan Ambrose]

It could be that they’re not wired in properly. Eyeball where they’re connected in and/or check with a meter.