Tekmar Net4 Thermostats
samanprabhath
Posts: 1
Anyone has experience in integrating Tekmar Net4 thermostats?
-Saman
-Saman
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samanprabhath
Posts: 1
Comments
There's also a gateway w/ web server that I supose you could connect via IP HTTP and use to control the system but it was a little more work than I wanted to do. At the time I was looking at doing something with this I felt the simple contact closure input switch to set a scene and using the contact closure output for feedback was simplest way to go. These are regular manual push button switches with contact inputs on the back but I would most likely keep the switches in the mechanical room for integratoin only.
With radiant floor heating systems you really only need 2 maybe 3 scenes. Home, Away and maybe a Night.
On a positive note, the Tekmar system is supposed to be extremely effective at using the outdoor temperature as well as the various heating/cooling methods to efficiently manage the climate within the house. The other positive is that more of the HVAC programming is done by the HVAC people and all we have to do is report the temps and allow the homeowner to recall preset scenes. (We'll see how this holds up when I have an actual protocol tho).
Jeff
Typically TekMar T-Stats are used for radiant floor hydronic heating systems but the TekMar controllers are often installed just for boiler management on hydro-air systems to control the boilers firing point and high limit based on demand and outdoor temperature (outdoor reset), alternate boilers on multiple boiler systems and manage domestic hot water. At least with the systems installed on jobs we've been associated with the TekMar T-Stats are only installed for radiant zones and we use Aprilaire T-Stats on the hydro air zones.
You wanted to know about TekMar integration so I assumed you meant for a radiant system or radiant portion of a larger system. If this is the case as I mentioned previously a simple ON or OFF (Home or Away) and possibly Night or Vacation is really all that is needed since the response times for these types of systems is so slow. Even changes from day to night scenes is pushing its capabilities unless you change to night 4+ hour before night and switch back to day 4+ hours before you wake. Typically you set it and forget it and only set back if you're away for an extended period of tiime as with a week end house.
What type of control or feedback are they looking for? Are you using TekMar Stats for hydo air zone or just the radiant zones? I think you only need TekMar for the radiant zones to connect a slab sensor otherwise any communication T-Stat should work. You just set up the TekMar controller for the various set points and it just cares about a call for heat from any type of T-Stat.
They decided to go with Tekmar for everything. (in concept, it is better than Aprilaire... imho) They want the ability to see the temps and set points for all zones and the ability to change the set points as well as set scenes. The new integration piece allows this. It's similar to their webserver, but it is designed to allow AMX and others integrate with the system.
We did suggest Aprilaire at the time, but they choose to go with Tekmar. They didn't believe us when we said "Don't count on integration until it is actually available."
Jeff
P.S.
It's a VERY large house and I don't know how many zones they have, but it is easily over 10 (might be over 30). I haven't gotten into the details yet because we haven't had any ability to do anything with the information.
Did you try to integrate with the gateway's web server? I would think it would be fairly easy and stable since the web pages couldn't change unless you do a firmware update and even then they probably wouldn't change. I probably would have tried it on a job if we weren't just controlling radiant zones w/ TekMar Stats. I'm sure the HVAC guys who engineered the system wouldn't hear of using AprilAire and they probably brain washed the customers. After all they know more & know better!
That's the problem, I believe most of the stats are hidden and they are using remote sensors. (But I'm not positive this it the case).
I looked at integrating with the web server, but the job was not quoted to include the cost to do this. Part of it is also not letting Tekmar get away with the web page as the final solution. Tekmar GUARANTEED that the integration piece would be done before Dec 07 (not sure if it was in writing, but it was part of the stipulation in Tekmar being chosen). They then came up with this web server idea which is sort of kludged together. It is really just a mac mini with a USB interface to some other box and the mac mini is running a web server that is talking to some program that talks to the usb device. We refuse to assume responsibility for the duck tape solution, because that is what happens the minute we say "Okay, we can integrate that." With all of those failure points, not to mention a less than stellar response time (based on using a computer to view the web pages), it is just asking for trouble.
Jeff
--John
Has anyone else had success with the AMX module?
Another word of warning.... the AMX module does not support control over the Slab Setpoint (in floor temp)... since one of the big selling points of this system is how well it integrates heating of the house using a combination of radiant (floor) heating and forced air heat, it seems like the Slab Setpoint might be a useful thing
Jeff
Don't even get me started on the 8825 ... I am so incredibly disappointed with Aprilaire on that device (yes, I know it's made by someone else, but that's not material).
1) It takes over the RS-422 buss entirely, so you can't piggy back it with a touch panel interface to get the best of both worlds. It's only viable as a stand-alone solution (though I have successfully installed one on a PC and used a panel to VNC into it, it is an ugly solution).
2) It's running a Java app., and is subject to breakage with every update; furthermore, you can't even parse it like a normal web server to use on a touch panel.
3) It currently doesn't work with any properly updated browser. Worried about your computer security? Well, don't if you want to access your thermostats. Aprilaire has been promising me a fix for months, and one by one clients have been calling me, irate that they can't adjust their schedules.
/hijack off
I did offer you use of my scheduling module and it's always available in the ModPedia section if you need it, complete w/ GUI. Of course it was written several years ago and I wasn't as smart as I am today (no comments!) but it's been working fine for me and can be easily modified to suit ones needs. It's been running in several jobs for years and in my own house too and I haven't been yelled at once. (knock on wood).
Resume TekMar discussion........
Dave,
If I recall a feature you liked about the 8825 was a logging feature. This could easily be added into the ViewStat Scheduling module but I actuall do it using your DevTermLogger module. I add T-Stat changes to the log and send myself a daily email listing daily items of interest. This could easily be changed to read write just HVAC entries to a different log file and viewable on a TP.
Section from daily email:
Resume Tekmar.........
I'm looking into the TekMar Gateway 482, any other words of wisdom? Did you ever get the control working? Anyone else have any experience with it?
Thanks,
Brian
The documentation from Tekmar is very good and it wasn't that difficult to write the module. I know AMX is aware of the issue and they were going to be working on the module, I am just not sure if they got it finished.
Jeff