How to use a digital central heating programmer

[@kirzyabra]

I looked for the manual on the internet for about 30 minutes, and nothing was there. And here she is, beautifully explaining everything. God bless

[@kirshan5]

Absolute saint, had no idea how to use this exact timer as the screen is broken but I have been able to get it working with your help now!

[@csebristol]

Thanks, Kirshan. Glad to be of service!

[@user-zf4hq2uy3r]

Winter is here and back again for the settings.

[@rb120896]

Just one word of advice on the RWB9. In this hot summer I wanted to turn off my heating completely and reduce the on/off periods for my water. I learnt that I cannot change the on/off times for my HW independently; when the lights start blinking after you select PRG SET, make sure that you select both HW and CH before trying to change the on/off times. If you select HW only you will be unable to change the on or the off time from the existing settings. After putting in the new times you can always use the 'select' button for CH and set it to off. And, of course, you can always turn the wall thermostat to minimum!

[@DarkKnight12012]

what a lifesaver you are. just moved into a new house so this is very helpful. thank you very much

[@csebristol]

You're welcome! We hope you're nice and warm now.

[@Dehkada]

I would let the camera focus on that timer all the time so everyone could see it properly and understand it if this video is for this purpose.

[@luttrell1973]

Thank you so much, I've just moved into a flat with this programmer

[@sergiobarreto7496]

Thanks a million! This video helped me to understand how works my own one in my new place. Thank you again!

[@csebristol]

Excellent! Glad to help, Sergio.

[@Homeimprovementstuff]

Mine is set to off, off - but we still get hot water or radiators come on at random times, is there a way to set this unit off completely so we can choose when we put hot water on?

[@stephen2o07]

This was really useful thanks. Been looking for a good detailed video like this

[@csebristol]

Great! We're glad you found it helpful.

[@rosiejambo2197]

Hi, Your run-'thro' is brilliant!..albeit, I have an even more ''simplified' version';(😤)NO! Still unable to get the *** thing working at all, so let alone the timer! I only need heat!! [as I have a'Combi'!]. Mine has the 'led' screen; 2 arrow buttons[up/down]; select;set & reset minute- button{for needle} Sounds very simple!😒. I am still in the🥶cold 4days going now! (& no Snow yet!❄️!) Can you help me at all? Thanx.Rosie 🦓

[@hjl3719]

Good info Easy to follow. Now to do it to my timer

[@csebristol]

Great! Thanks for letting us know, and good luck!

[@daromambu]

Thank you so much! This really helped in setting up our own one.

[@colmcoleman6421]

I have two seperate manual clocks one for water and one for heating and i am looking into getting a digital time will a digital timer control both

[@MrDarndt]

You just saved my life ;) Thank you so much for good explanation.

[@301093AR]

Hello! We have the exact same model and have just moved into the house. We have worked out how to set the timer but how do we override it? The timer is ok in the week when working but with the Christmas holidays coming up we would like to be able to put the heating on throughout the day if needed. Thank you

[@iperspolise]

Thank you, this was so helpful and informative.

[@anuronbhusandas2134]

We have the exact model at home RWB9. However the lights fir CH and HW are not coming on now and none of the heating will start. Would anyone know what's the problem.

[@csebristol]

Hello Anuron, I’m sorry to hear that. The first thing you should do is check the batteries which may need replacing. Secondly, check your thermostat. The reason your heating and hot water aren’t coming on might be because the temperature on the thermostat is set too low. Try turning up the thermostat and see if this helps. Otherwise I advise speaking with a Gas Safe Register heating engineer as they will be able to troubleshoot this further. 😊

[@hywel4605]

Mine come on sometimes when it is off. even now when it is reasonalbly mild. the boiler is in the loft so maybe it just thinks it's cold. i feel i have no control over it. it is really annoying.

[@marie-thereseshennan5465]

Uaeful but how do you keep your heating on all the time.

[@David_F579]

Excellent explanation - very useful. Thank u.

[@csebristol]

Thanks for the feedback. We're glad you found it helpful.

[@Wardey2008]

Brilliant video! I just moved into a new apartment that has this exact model. Is it normal that when I press the "ON" button on the Central Heating side that the radiators dont come on? Once I press "ON" on the Hot Water side, the radiators then come on. Have you any ideas?

[@csebristol]

Hi Brian. There’s a slightly technical explanation for what you have encountered. We believe the way the programmer would have been set up by the installer is determined by whether you have a gravity-fed or pumped system. According to the manufacturer’s guidance for this programmer unless you have a fully pumped system with either ‘mid-position or zone valves controlling the circulation’ it is not possible to have the heating on without also turning on the hot water. So although having to turn the hot water on to get the central heating to work seems counter-intuitive it is likely that it is necessary to set up the programmer in this way due to design of the heating system.

[@Wardey2008]

Thanks a mill for the reply. Hopefully we can find a solution for this problem as the same issue will persist in the opposite case. In the summer(when the heating will not be needed) but we will still require hot water, we cant seem to get hot water by itself without the radiators turning on along with it. We have tried just turning the hot water to "on" but the radiators come on straight away. The apartment will be like a sauna!

[@chalbash]

Thanks a lot! You helped us big time.

[@csebristol]

Great! Thanks for letting us know ...

[@lawrencejeyaraj8787]

Thank you so much, this is super helpful

[@jaketurner1914]

I have the same control apart from the days, yet when my HW is on it's not actually on but the CH comes on. Can you help?

[@csebristol]

Hi Jake. What you describe sounds like a fault with the programmer. The device may have a reset button like the one in the video or a way to return it to factory settings so that you can start from scratch. If this doesn’t fix the problem then we’d advised getting a Gas Safe registered heating engineer to check your heating system.

[@eileenfitz]

Is it possible to only have the hot water set to come on once for a period of time, not twice in one day? I only want the hot water to come on for an hour in the morning, no more.

[@smiley9872]

i have the same question

[@smiley9872]

I found this reply to another comment, you will find it helpful. Hi Alejandra - You could do this by setting the same ‘on’ and ‘off’ time for one of your hot water time periods. For example, you could have your hot water set to come on at 7am and off at 8am in the morning and then in the evening it could be set to come on at say 6pm and also off at 6pm. This way the hot water tank will not heat water in the evening. From 3:00 in the video Anna explains how you can choose to copy the times set for central heating over to your hot water. If you press ‘no’ at this point then you will be able to set the hot water precisely to meet your needs. You do need to make sure that your hot water times meet the needs of your daily routine. If the hot water only comes on for an hour early in the morning then the water may not still be hot enough by the evening if someone wanted to take a shower then. It may take a bit of trial and error to get this just right for your household.

[@TheArseEndOfCivilisation]

It is possible to have the hot water come on and off just once for a period of time. That's what the ONCE option is supposed to be for - however she just glossed over that option in the video.

[@smiley9872]

@@TheArseEndOfCivilisation As far as I know the "Once" is for instant turn on and has nothing to do with programming the timer. The fix I mentioned above about the setting the timer to go on and off at the same time takes care of the issue for me.

[@TheArseEndOfCivilisation]

@@smiley9872 I have this programmer. The ONCE is to turn the HW/CH on at a certain time and then have it switch off at a certain time. For e.g. on at 6am and off at 6pm. It is possible to set the times for this - a Vaillant engineer did this for me recently but iv forgotten how he did it. For instant turn on you press ON.

[@sebypereira1112]

Hi. Pls if any gas heating engineer could guide me. i have reset the thermostate to change the CH & HW timings but when i start the CH for +1hr, both CH and HW turns on. How do i change that setting to, so i just want only CH on when i start +1 hr or only HW on when i start +1hr. Thanks is advance.

[@csebristol]

Hi Seby. If you’re pressing the +1hr button for the central heating, but both the central heating and hot water are coming on, it may be worth resetting the programmer, then setting the time and date correctly and programming it before trying again. If your heating is only able to come on when the hot water is also on, this may be due to the design of the heating system (see our reply to @Wardey2008). If this is only an issue that occurs with the +1hr button, then you may be able to get round this issue by using the advance setting (explained at 5:48), or, if you regularly use the +1hr button at the same time, changing your settings so the central heating is always on at this time.

[@elainemfarrell4476]

I have this , but it won't turn on now after not in use all summer, any idea why not 😔

[@csebristol]

Hi Elaine. Sorry for late reply. You probably know this by know, but it’s worth checking if the batteries in your central heating programmer are flat. If they are, remember you may need to set the correct time again to get your programmer working correctly when it turns on.

[@anuronbhusandas2134]

I have just left a question as comment. This might be our issue as well. How can we change the battery in this model. We have never changed battery in the last 7 years that we have used this model

[@quemserei]

i have the UT1l from british gas (an old one) and this worked great! Thanks!

[@hywel4605]

what do you do if you just want to use it manually? with no timer?? i press on and nothing happens; then i shout and the neighbours knock at the door and ask if i am ok.

[@csebristol]

Hi Hywel. It is advisable to use the ‘AUTO’ setting so that the heating can only come on at times you've set, as this will ensure that you are not running it unnecessarily (e.g. when you are not at home or while you're asleep). Setting it to the ‘ON’ position essentially means that the boiler will be ready to provide heat 24 hours a day. A programmer like this one is designed to be used with a room thermostat. The thermostat tells the boiler to start working if your home drops below the temperature you have set. If your boiler is not firing up when the programmer is in the ‘ON’ position it may be because the temperature where the room thermostat is located has not dropped below the level you have set. The one you can see at 6:42 in the video has been set to 20 degrees but if yours has been left below 10 degrees or is perhaps in frost protection mode it might never get cold enough for it to tell the boiler to start working. Hope that helps, and we're glad you have neighbours who are concerned for your well being.

[@Theslimbudda]

Hywel 4 I

[@ronpalmer1371]

Hi, what is the make and model of this unit and can it be used with a new Viceroy boiler ? ( not a combi)

[@csebristol]

Hi Ron. The programmer in the video is a Siemens RWB9. We offer advice on using heating controls but we are not experts on installation. To find out whether it is compatible with your boiler we would strongly advise getting in touch with a Gas Safe registered heating engineer.

[@ronpalmer1371]

csebristol Thank you for the reply, much appreciated

[@Taken252]

Hi, wondering how you set it to not have the HW come on at all, just the CH? Or maybe that isn't possible.

[@csebristol]

Thanks for your question Frank. Yes, it is possible to set it so that the hot water does not come on at all. On either side of the digital display there are lists of settings. On the left hand side are the settings for HW and the right hand side is for CH. So you can set the central heating to AUTO and it will follow the heating pattern you have programmed whilst having hot water set to OFF meaning that it will not come on at all. Anna demonstrates this from 4:21-5:32 in the video. Hope that helps.

[@hywel4605]

do you know how to change the batteries?

[@malgorzatao.8348]

Hello, recently my gas boiler was replaced, and now something strange is happening, when the central heating is switched off and I heat just the water the central heating on the first floor is on, although on the control panel is off, can somebody help and tell me what is the problem

[@csebristol]

Sorry. This is not something we can help with. Sounds like you need a qualified heating engineer to take a look.

[@williammahon7792]

the day of the week is not coming up on mine can you answer why

[@ciflau]

Both hw and ch are on but the boiler won't start :(

[@alejandracastro6675]

Is not possible to have the hw programe for just once a day? Like early in the morning for a hour and that's it.. I'm just concerned if the bill comes high because the hw is programe for twice a day..

[@csebristol]

Hi Alejandra - You could do this by setting the same ‘on’ and ‘off’ time for one of your hot water time periods. For example, you could have your hot water set to come on at 7am and off at 8am in the morning and then in the evening it could be set to come on at say 6pm and also off at 6pm. This way the hot water tank will not heat water in the evening. From 3:00 in the video Anna explains how you can choose to copy the times set for central heating over to your hot water. If you press ‘no’ at this point then you will be able to set the hot water precisely to meet your needs. You do need to make sure that your hot water times meet the needs of your daily routine. If the hot water only comes on for an hour early in the morning then the water may not still be hot enough by the evening if someone wanted to take a shower then. It may take a bit of trial and error to get this just right for your household.

[@Hannah-vw8xd]

How do we set it to kick in when the temperature falls below 18 degrees?

[@csebristol]

Hi Hannah, thanks for your question. If you have a room thermostat like the one in the video at 6:41 then you can set it to 18 degrees Celsius and your heating system will maintain that temperature during the heating times you have set on the programmer. (We recommend a slightly higher temperature if there is anyone in your household who would be at risk in the cold due to their age or a health condition.) Your heating system works on the assumption that the temperature recorded by the thermostat is the same throughout your home. This can cause some complications. For example if the thermostat is in a cold room or in a corridor with no radiators then the boiler will continue working until that space reaches 18 degrees even if the rest of your home is overheating. Conversely a thermostat located somewhere particularly warm, say too close to a radiator, this would result in the rest of the home being under-heated. You could monitor this by placing a couple of thermometers around your home, on internal walls away from radiators and draughts. If you find that your home is not being heated evenly you can use the thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) as shown at 6:47 in the video to adjust the temperature in each room. 18-21 degrees is a good target temperature for the rooms you are spending most time in. Other rooms can be kept a little cooler to help you save on your energy bills.

[@Hannah-vw8xd]

@@csebristol thank you so much for the detailed reply! ❤️ I do have the same one in the video. Thanks again!

[@johndempsey6464]

Can you please advise the Brand and Model shown in the Video.

[@csebristol]

Hi John - it's a Siemens RWB9

[@johndempsey6464]

@@csebristol Thank you

[@sierzantgarsija7823]

Hello . Can I set the HW to the AUTO , and the CH set up OFF ?

[@csebristol]

Thank you for your question Sierzant. The answer is yes you can. The HW and CH controls are designed to work independently from each other so you can have HW set to AUTO whilst the CH is OFF. Anna demonstrates how to adjust these settings from 4:21-5:32 in the video. Hope that helps.

[@sirbarryjohn]

Excellent tutorial thankyou.

[@Scoupe400]

RWB9 exact same as what was once made by Landis and Staefa.

[@roberthatcher2773]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@himaviperera9388]

how can i increase the temperature both water and central heating.i couldn't find the display of temperature

[@csebristol]

Hi Himavi - and sorry not to have answered before now. This device only controls the times for hot water and central heating. It does not control the temperature. At 6:38 on the video Anna explains how the temperature is controlled on a system like this.

[@robertryan2788]

How do I just stop the flashing to use the boost nothing else.

[@csebristol]

Hi Robert. To stop the flashing move the slider in the bottom panel to ‘RUN’. You can ‘boost’ by pressing the ‘+1hr’ button. This is designed to give you extra heating or hot water in addition to the programmed times. If you want to ignore these altogether then you can choose to just use the OFF and ON settings. Anna demonstrates these controls from 5:12-5:47 in the video.

[@stewartclark1496]

Hi, My parents have the slightly older version with slide controls on the outside (right-hand-side) and push buttons under the front cover. I can't help them out. I do do technology (to an extent)....dont do old buttons, connectors......can't handle the mixture of the two! A video would be great. Maybe their timer clock has to be laid to rest #potterton 3002

[@johnkingsnr9954]

Superb! Thank you kindly

[@csebristol]

Fulsome praise! You're most welcome ...

[@simonstones1918]

Gorgeous

[@brendanoconnor6088]

Hi. I'm sorry.. I'm still having trouble.. perhaps you could call around to my place and show me .. what kind of music do you like ? .. do you prefer red or white wine .. 😉😉😉

[@acidrain55]

Anna ❤️

[@Roozbeh599]

No helping