The baseplate locates into the body by a clockwise turn engaging 3 sets of interlocking plastic lugs. On three of my devices the lugs have broken off and so, the baseplate can no longer be connected. I suspect that the plastic has become brittle with heat or that the lugs are not thick enough to bear the load of pushing the valve actuator (or both). In either case it suggests a design fault.
On one TRV the lug that hinges the metal battery plate has broken too.
There is precious little I can do about it other than switch to another manufacturer which is a shame as the firmware is good.
I have very recently purchased one brt-100 to try it out, before buying a couple more. What other brand would you try out? I have a problem with it that the radiator is warm when it should be completely off. The set temperature is lower than the room temperature and HA hasn’t turned it on. As if the trv cannot push the pin in far enough.
Good question. What is a good alternative? In any case, my advice is don’t buy any more BRT-100-TRV models.
Are you sure your TRV is not pushing the pin in? All of mine exert quite a lot of force.
I notice that someone (Dominik Karall) has created a 3D print design to replace the baseplate by one having screw holes so it must be a common problem. I have bought some self-tapping screws to fix the baseplate to the body. Drastic measures but worth a try.
Hi, I’m actually not sure anymore. On second thought I think the BRT-100 TRV is setting the temperature to a setpoint that HA doesn’t know about. HA was reporting the values of the TRV as follows. The pink/purple line is the target temperature:
You can see the temperature rising to 19 degrees on 21 October in the morning, whereas the target temperature was on 15 degrees. I thought it was due to a mechanical malfunction, resulting in my previous post.
Finally I could see that the valve position in HA was at values above 0% as well at that time. I then hit the - button on the TRV to set it to 15 degrees as well, which made the valve position go to 0% immediately and in HA made the mode change to “Temporary manual”.
What should the TRV be set to in order for HA to have total control? I have it new right out of the box, so it surprises me that it does schedules on its own with target temperatures unknown to HA and not set by me.
After much experimentation I adopted the ‘Programmed’ mode of the TRV and I have Node-RED send it a schedule at the start of day (and also by button presses if I want to override with a different schedule - e.g. if I’m going out for the day). Once the schedule is in place the TRV will control and report the valve state (open/closed) and the valve position (0,25,50,75%) and will continue do this independent of HA (which I think is good).
Then, I let HA modify the TRV’s calibration value dynamically as a way to make the whole schedule a bit hotter/cooler to reach the desired room temp more quickly. I use Aqara room temp sensors to get the true room temp as opposed to the TRV’s temp which is obviously affected by the rad heat.
As a final refinement I have HA dynamically change the main hallway thermostat demand temp to ‘follow’ demand from the rads so my system ignores the hallway temp and just supplies hot water when the rads want it.
Thanks for your explanation! And sorry for hijacking your topic
What is the advantage of sending a schedule to the TRV, instead of HA maintaing that schedule? My plan was to have HA send target temperatures to the TRV, following my schedule in HA. Is that idea too simple?
Yeah, they made this part with a battery really bad. It’s really easy to bend something or broke plastic. @deechtewber probably because you can turn on or off heating with a valve. Of course if your boiler or furnace support this.
In the end I don’t use schedule anywhere as I found out it just drains battery and basically do nothing. I keep it in manual mode. The good thing about it is that it can automatically open or close valve depending on desired temperature and this is done pretty accurate especially if you are using outdoor and bedroom temperature sensors.
@deechtewber Imagine you have multiple radiators in rooms with different heating requirements. Also, what will you do when HA is down. How will you store the schedule to persist between reboots of your HA host? Yes it is possible but not simple.
They provide good firmware that does all this for you and manages the valve well but is sadly let down by poor mechanical design and choice of materials.
@ddaniel Thanks.
By “in the end I don’t use schedule anywhere” you mean you don’t use the internal schedule of the TRV, right?
I think I am expecting the same when you say “it can automatically open or close valve depending on desired temperature”. I want HA to set the target temperature (based on my schedule and automations) and I want the TRV to maintain that temperature using its valve. For now I’ll settle with the internal temperature sensor of the TRV. I’ll also do this without any connection to the central heater, so the TRV may try to raise the temperature without there flowing any hot water through it. That’s fine by me.
My problem is that the TRV has a life of its own. I set the TRV to manual mode. At any random moment the next day or so, it will have set itself to programming mode and it will be heating to 18 or 19 degrees. This is without HA doing any automations with it. I have the TRV new out of the box and didn’t program any schedule to it. I don’t even have the Moes app. I’ve already factory reset the TRV more than once, but that doesn’t make a difference. Why doesn’t it keep its valve closed when room temp > target temp? Is my unit faulty or do I simply not understand the logic fully?
BTW I’m using ZHA to control it.
@hunterdrayman thanks.
This TRV (for instance) is in my home office. I was simply thinking about a HA automation that sets TRV target temp to 20 degrees at 7AM at work days and another automation that sets it to 11 degrees at 5PM. The TRV should maintain this temperature using its valve, which it can only do when there’s a hot water supply, but that’s fine. Is this a weird way of doing this, considering you mention persisting of the schedule between reboots of HA or when HA is down. It seems you have a completely different approach to doing this? How and why? Is my way of thinking incorrect or strange?
The way of using smart trv depends on your boiler or furnace, its integration in ha and some other factors.
I have buderus furnace, its a bit old, but it’s integrated in ha. You can set or program this furnace and automate it so I don’t need smart trv to fire up the heating. Heating is on or off depending on outside temperature, as this furnace has outside temperature sensor.
I use smart trv because I have a lot of radiators and temperature in various rooms or part of the house is not the same.
The bottom line is this.
You need less energy if you heat up less radiators. If I don’t use some parts of the house I can set temp to 17 or 18 degrees, radiator valves will mostly be closed as it’s usually warmer than that, but most of the heat will go in bedrooms that I use.
Furnace doesnt need the same amount of energy if you heat all the radiators or just a few that you actually need.
On the other hand it woudnt be a good idea just to turn off some radiators as the house has large thermal capacity. If you empty all warmth from the walls house will act as a fridge.
Hope I gave good explanation.
@deechtewber No, that makes sense if you want a uniform temp all day and don’t mind if your general thermostat isn’t at the same temp as all of your rooms. In my case I’m bending the rules to take a more rapid and ‘holistic’ approach to heating the house. I hope you have success with it. 20 degrees?!. You like it chilly, then. That will keep you alert.
@ddaniel I get what you mean. I have a non-smart natural gas fired furnace that’s only connected to a Nest V3 thermostat in the living room (integrated in HA), but supplies hot water to all radiators in the house. I plan on equiping the radiators in that living room with TRV’s and the rooms in my house I want to heat separately too. I have a wood fire heater in the living room too, so often the living room is warm and the rest of the house is cold.
If I want to heat any other room in my house I plan on setting the Nest’s target temp at 2 degrees above current high living room temp due to the wood fire, closing the TRV’s in the living room and opening the TRV in the desired other room.
@hunterdrayman thanks, all clear then. Like I wrote above here, I’ll just set the main Nest thermostat to something higher than the living room temp and close the TRV’s in that room.
Anyway, can you think of any reason why this Moes TRV will open it’s valve to start heating, when HA hasnt given it a target temperature above current temperature? This thing has a mind of its own.
I have a wood fire heater in the living room too, so often the living room is warm and the rest of the house is cold
I have similar setup. I have fireplace in living room but this is connected to the radiators and has its own water pump. It can heat the who house without a furnace and it does it much better. it only draw back is that you have to watch over it and put some wood in it.
