Multi-zone wireless thermostat system with one base station?

lsitongia

I have a Munchkin boiler for hydronic radiator heat with three zones (one is sidearm tank, so I think I can ignore that). I'd like to have two wireless thermostats that talk to one base station that is wired to the Munchkin in the crawlspace under the house. Is that possible? Everything I've found has separate base stations, so I'd be wiring up multiple ones in the crawlspace. If that's the usual way to go, then okay, but it would be nice to have one base station. Thanks.

Bob Bona_4

That may be a tough feat. Honeywell wants each equipment interface modules something like 2 or 3 feet apart to avoid cross signal/interference. I can see why a multiple input receiver would be a problem.

lsitongia

Thanks for your reply, Bob. I'm wondering, what do people do? What's the usual practice? I haven't used a wireless thermostat yet, so I don't know what's in the box. I assume there's a wireless base and the separate thermostat. Does one simply wire the base up to the wires of the thermostat that's currently on the wall and then put the wireless thermostat somewhere else? Or, what I think would be better, cut the wire to the thermostat somewhere in the crawlspace and wire the base in there. So, I would end up with two wireless bases connected to the boiler, separated by some distance, attached to the floor joists and put the wireless sending thermostat units wherever I want in the living space.

Ironman

The bases go to the boiler, but you're gonna need a zone control to bring on the zone pumps or valves between the bases and the boiler. In other words, thermostat signals the receiver, it wires to the zone control which activates the zone pump or valve and then it signals the boiler to run. Receiver to zone control, to boiler, in that order.

If you have zones circ's, then you need something like a Taco Sr503.
If your have zone valves, then a Taco ZVC403.

lsitongia

I should have said that I'm replacing existing wired thermostats, so I must already have zone controls or something that's already working. Well, the reason why I want to replace them is that they are located too close to each other in a hallway between the two zones, so they are feeding back on each other, creating interesting fluctuations in heating. Here's a graph from my weather station, where I'm using two wireless thermometers to monitor what's going on in the two zones.

ratio

Perhaps only one needs moved, & the other can remain hardwired? In any case I can confirm that, while not recommended by Honeywell, having the receivers adjacent is not an immediate deal-breaker. Seven zones tied in to a TrueZONE panel (+ TAZ-4) with one Equipment Module for each zone, mounted above a lay-in ceiling, single floor office space, max distance from panel to zone stat ~40' through interior walls. No apparent deficiencies in system operation.

I dunno how the TrueZONE panel compares to hydronic kit price wise, but it might be a contender itself. That, plus one THM4000 wireless adapter will operate up to four zones. You get one form C contact for a zone damper that should Do The Right Thing when the zone wants heat, & a heat call that can fire the boiler. While I doubt that the panel itself can be configured for heat-only, the stats can be programmed as as such, which should give the same result of eliminating the possibility of the zone deciding to cool by opening it's "zone damper" & accidentally turning on a pump.

Just a thought.