Priority domestic hot water PDHW

Southsealee · May 19, 2020

Hi everyone,

I have a customer who needs a new system boiler, currently has a 22kw which I've roughly calculated as enough heat output for the heating (its a 6 bed victorian terrace house), but this doesn't take the 200l unvented cylinder demand into account. Currently the system is setup on S plan, with no priority domestic hot water. When I fit the new boiler, I would like to try and set it up with PDHW for obvious reasons, but I'm not sure if this is possible with the existing two x 2 port valves (both normally closed).

I know PDHW is a hot topic at the mo, but I've not delved into it as yet (mostly combis in my area). I've found a wiring diagram for W plan using a three port (2 position) valve, but can't find any wiring diagram for a two x 2 port valve arrangement. I've found a little info on X plan, but again, not much info out there and it looks like it's something to do with Intergas boilers. I will be fitting a Vaillant on this particular job.

If any of you guys can point me in the right direction that would be great.

Thanks, Lee.

ShaunCorbs · May 19, 2020

Have you looked at the Viessmann’s 4 pipe system?

if you must go with vaillant you will require there controls best speak with your local rep they should have a drawing and will help you to set it up

SJB060685 · May 19, 2020

What a coincidence.

I've just joined a Facebook heating and hot water group. One of the recent comments on a post mentioned PDHW, although I'm still not sure what this as a system is. I have found no information online and only a little on X plan system.
Can someone explain to me how a PDHW system works and secondly what an x plan system is?
From what little I have found on x plan is it ramps the boiler up to full load drastically decreasing recovery times? The CH side is on a normally open 2 port valve

ShaunCorbs · May 19, 2020

SJB060685 said:
What a coincidence.

I've just joined a Facebook heating and hot water group. One of the recent comments on a post mentioned PDHW, although I'm still not sure what this as a system is. I have found no information online and only a little on X plan system.
Can someone explain to me how a PDHW system works and secondly what an x plan system is?
From what little I have found on x plan is it ramps the boiler up to full load drastically decreasing recovery times? The CH side is on a normally open 2 port valve

priority hot water even if heatings calling it will do hot water first (full output of the boiler goes to hot water) so the recovery times are great has its plus and minus points tho

SJB060685 · May 19, 2020

And am I right in thinking the x plan is this which ramps boiler up to match cylinder coil rating? Does the primary flow temperature ramp up as well to match the 80-85°c most cylinders state their reheat times at?

ShaunCorbs · May 19, 2020

SJB060685 said:
And am I right in thinking the x plan is this which ramps boiler up to match cylinder coil rating? Does the primary flow temperature ramp up as well to match the 80-85°c most cylinders state their reheat times at?

yes ramps upto max load and then waits for the dry pocket sensor to say when to turn off / back onto heating

believe it’s intergas versions of a Viessmann 4 pipe

SJB060685 · May 19, 2020

Thanks buddy. I know this is gas stuff at the moment but hopefully oil will get there eventually 😂

ShaunCorbs · May 19, 2020

SJB060685 said:
Thanks buddy. I know this is gas stuff at the moment but hopefully oil will get there eventually 😂

it’s like anything need more demand for progress else manufacturers won’t look into it

SJB060685 · May 19, 2020

Exactly. Domestic oil boilers have been fixed rate for a long time. With pressure jet technology coming along we are now starting to see modulating domestic boilers, although still a long way to go. When it does take off then the oil industry will be able to utilise opentherm, weather compensation, load compensation etc technology.
[automerge]1589927400[/automerge]
Shaun above is a screenshot of the X plan from Intergas.
As you can see on the 24 volt side of PCB is feed to DHW timer and a NTC cylinder sensor.
Am i right in thinking these sensors can be set to a set temperature and must be set just below cylinder stat setting?
If that sensor was set to say 70°c and a cylinder stat to 60°c then that sensor will still require a load even though HW zone valve has closed and CH has opened again. This will obviously keep burner running at full load.

ShaunCorbs · May 20, 2020

No stat the sensor replaces the stat/cylinder stat

just used as an overheat stat eg 70

SJB060685 · May 20, 2020

Ok so the cylinder stat in picture is just the high limit stat with manual reset?
Is the NTC sensor adjustable or factory set?

ShaunCorbs · May 20, 2020

I would say so no reason for it to be there with a pocket sensor other than overheat

would say software set

SJB060685 · May 20, 2020

Yes I've actually found a similar wiring diagram from intergas, only the limit stat and NTC sensor are wired in series after the DHW timer. That makes sense more. From the wiring diagram above its a little misleading. When the sensor requires heat it brings on boiler and feed sent through limit stat, opening HW valve and closing CH. When sensor reads correct temperature it shuts down but if timer comes on 5 minutes later you have a feed back to PCB bypassing the sensor. This in turn would keep the boiler on max output for the duration of timer demand?

John.g · May 20, 2020

I have seen that some (if not all) quick recovery coils not only specify flow temperatures of ~ 85C but also very high flow rates to achieve this, I think I have seen flow rates of 25 to 35 LPM specified even for 200 litre cylinders which is often more than twice the normal flow rates but while most boilers now can be configured to raise the temperature SP on HW duty I have never seen where they increase the circ pump speed to increase the flow rate, maybe the PDHW does.

Southsealee · May 20, 2020

ShaunCorbs said:
Have you looked at the Viessmann’s 4 pipe system?

if you must go with vaillant you will require there controls best speak with your local rep they should have a drawing and will help you to set it up

Thanks Shaun, will give Vaillant a buzz. I know their Exclusive Green IQ system boiler is 4 pipe. I didn’t appreciate that PDHW delivers higher flow temp to cylinder compared to heating, so makes sense that it will only work using a 4 pipe system boiler. Just need to convince the customer to fork out a bit more for PDHW rather than keeping the existing S plan arrangement and standard system boiler.

Thanks for the replies all.
Lee.

ShaunCorbs · May 20, 2020

Let us know how you get on

fixitflav · May 21, 2020

Southsealee said:
Thanks Shaun, will give Vaillant a buzz. I know their Exclusive Green IQ system boiler is 4 pipe. I didn’t appreciate that PDHW delivers higher flow temp to cylinder compared to heating, so makes sense that it will only work using a 4 pipe system boiler. Just need to convince the customer to fork out a bit more for PDHW rather than keeping the existing S plan arrangement and standard system boiler.

Thanks for the replies all.
Lee.

Hello Lee
I’ve come up with a wiring diagram giving HW preference. Assume spring return 2-port valves, boiler and pump powered from auxiliary contacts in the valves (the usual way). Sketch attached. I think it works but any comments welcome.

If using a programmer, it might not be convenient to bring the wire from the cylinder stat to the room stat through the programmer, depends on the house layout. But it’s not a big problem, if you don’t want heating, just turn the room stat down.

This is for a conventional boiler, heat-only or system. I can’t see how the make of boiler makes a difference. If the boiler has different flow temperatures for HW and CH I assume it has an input to tell it which is calling. If it takes 240 volt, that could be from one or both of the stats. If weather compensation is used there would have to be different temperatures as the flow temperature might be turned down below the cylinder stat setting.

Scott_D · May 21, 2020

On the ideal logic and vogue you can have weather comp on the heating and full temp if hot water is calling for heat.

fixitflav · May 21, 2020

scott_d said:
On the ideal logic and vogue you can have weather comp on the heating and full temp if hot water is calling for heat.

I assume the boiler needs an input to tell it which is calling.

Scott_D · May 21, 2020

here is the wiring diagram for a logic

fixitflav · May 21, 2020

scott_d said:
here is the wiring diagram for a logic
View attachment 43843

Could be wrong, but I don't think either of them gives PDHW. The Y-plan doesn't, and if you want
PDHW you would go for W-plan with either/or diverter valve. Cheaper and simpler.
With S-plan as shown there, if CH and HW are called, both valves open.
Interesting that there's now talk about PDHW, as that was the system way back, as in my first house in 1973, but then Y-plan and S-plan came out, presumably thought to be an improvement as no need to wait for HW to be satisfied before CH available.

SJB060685 · May 21, 2020

As above, neither of them look like they give PDHW

EvilDrPorkChop · May 21, 2020

Have quite a bit of experience of PDHW on systems;

Firstly you can make any traditional system PDHW without any changing of valves with a NC DP contactor quite easily. Basically on a HW demand the DP contactor opens the circuit and kills the power to the Heating zone valve, closing that and reheating the HW. When the HW stat is statisfied the DP resets to NC and the heating fires back up - simple. Dependant on how many zones you've got will determine which DP contactor you require. This is obviously a solution for a traditional system with one set flow temperatures.

The advantage to this is that you can have CH without HW on the clock, where as most PDHW systems require you to have HW & CH on at the same time.

I have this on my own system and it works well - I have it on a switch so you can knock it on and off as required.

Secondly; Vaillants systems will use HW priority when using their controls & wiring centres. You don't just need the GreenIQ 4 pipe boiler to do it. Any other their heat & system boilers will do it when using the Wiring centre and Vaillants control. You can either use a diverter or 2 two port valves, and I like to use the Probe on the tank too (VR10 I think). You can set DHW temp then, along with DHW flow temp (For reheat) and maximum time spent reheating DHW.

I don't have as much experience with Viessman but from my limited experience their system is very similar to Vaillants.

Thirdly; external controls will offer the same solution. Honeywell Evohome are just in the process of adding it to the next firmware update which does HW priority software based. I'm sure there will be a couple of other controllers that will do the same.

HW priority IMO isn't right for every system, it some situations it can be work really well. In other's I don't think there's much advantage.

John.g · May 21, 2020

Is there any simple way that you can also increase the DHW flow temp on a weather compensated boiler which may be only running at 40C when the hot water needs a boost, say maybe by having a additional resistor (controlled by another relay) wired into the outside air temperature sensor to fool it to increase the boiler SP temp.

SJB060685 · May 21, 2020

My understanding John is its preset in the PCB, so when you have a HW demand it ramps up boiler output and flow temp for fast recovery times. When the cylinder sensor is satisfied it will close HW zone valve and re open CH, which then reverts back to temperature curve set for weather compensation

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