Extension kit heating always on/calling for heat - blinking 4 times

I've just installed the Tado Wireless Heating starter kit (room thermostat and extension kit).

The extension kit is connected to an Ideal Esprit Eco 30 boiler, following the detailed step-by-step provided by Tado. Photos of wiring attached.


I have existing Tado valves so have connected to the existing Bridge. The internet bridge shows all devices online and it is still managing the rad valves as expected. I can adjust the room thermostat on the app or on the stat itself and they update each other to the same value so that appears connected fine too.

The extension kit is flashing 4 times then pauses then flashes again. It is constantly calling for heat and never shuts off.

I found this topic (https://community.tado.com/en-gb/discussion/comment/13392#Comment_13392) with a similar issue (but on the water circuit), resetting/rebooting extension kit/bridge doesn't seem to make any difference.

Tado don't seem to provide phone support so I've submitted a support ticket but every hour gone by is an hour of wasted energy - which somewhat defeats the object of a smart heating system 😂

Wondered if I've missed something blindingly obvious or if anyone has any hints? TIA.

Answers

  • Since posted this (and desperate to stop the endless consumption of gas!) I thought I'd try some more things.

    I'd expect the app to tell me but I wondered if it might be something like a flakey connection - the bridge is on the ground floor and boiler in the loft. I disconnected the extension kit and ran it's cable from the loft to the first floor so it's closer to the bridge (now on the ground floor immediately below). All powered up, exactly the same 4 blinkey lights and non-stop heat.


    Next I wondered if it might have been something trivial like having set devices up in the wrong order (the extension kit and thermostat were a "starter kit" so maybe they needed to be done first?), also to be absolutely sure it wasn't compatibility with an older bridge (the model number ends 04 on the "old" (last year), 07 on the 'new') I deleted my home in tado and started from scratch.

    First up the bridge, this connected fine.

    Then the extension kit, this connected OK.

    Then the thermostat, this connected OK.

    Then all of my rad valves, these all connected OK.

    Now I have no call for heat at all - so the exact opposite of before. 😫

    To make it worse, 10-15minutes later all devices show as "No Remote Access" in the Home Screen but in settings they all show connected, except the Extension Kit which now shows disconnected. Despite "No remote access" I can blink all radiator valves and the thermostat from the app. The app also keeps saying "Open Window Detected" so clearly something is working.

    I left it an hour or so and they stayed the same. Now in a worse position, with no heat, I tried again.

    Removed the home and started the sequence. Again, everything connected and all looked good (including the extension kit), again 10-15minutes later the extension kit dropped off and screwed the rest up. The extension kit now shows no LED lights, the "help" (not so helpful) guide says this is faulty wiring.

    So at 8:45pm back into the loft to check the boiler connections. These are all secure (as in my previous photo). Check the extension kit, these are all secure (as in the photo). Put it all back together, extension kit has light. Then gives up again.

    I've now put the Nest back in so at least I can control the boiler - the fact this worked flawlessly and was set back up within minutes is hopefully an indicator that the Tado extension kit is faulty (or poorly engineered?).

    So now I have heating control back (no thanks to Tado) but because the 'Extension Kit' is still "Offline" have apparently no control over the rad valves. 😡😡

    Maybe I've messed it all by disconnecting/re-connecting. What might be useful to avoid endless wasted hours would be some product support... oh, wait.

    I really liked Tado when I just had the valves. This experience is making question them altogether. At least with Nest you get a phone number for people that are happy to help you fix things same day... heating is pretty important, whether it's to be able to turn it on or off - the product is useless otherwise.

  • Still no reply from Tado support after a week - how long should I expect to be waiting?

    I've put a new ticket in chasing my old one...127919800860910 

  • Finally had a support response. The wiring instructions provided in the online guide were incorrect (they haven't acknowledged this so I'm actually hoping someone might follow the installation guide and tell me I'm wrong) and could have damaged the boiler.

    Correct wiring for an Ideal ESprit ECO Boiler as provided by Tado Support (follow at your own risk):

    BOILER TERMINALS

    • Live connected to Live terminal
    • Neutral connected to Neutral terminal
    • Black and grey connect to a room stat terminal each


    EXTENSION KIT TERMINALS

    • Live to live terminal
    • Neutral to Neutral terminal
    • Black and grey connect one each to terminals 1 and 4 (doesn't matter which way around)
    • Switch the jumper to Position 1