Electronic time controls

SPOTLIGHT ON... LIFESTYLE LP AND LPSI ELECTRONIC TIME CONTROLS

When the clocks change in Spring and Autumn, you can guarantee that you're going to get calls from householders who don't know how to change the time on their heating programmer.

Fortunately, when you fit a Drayton electronic timer, the problem is solved as the unit automatically adjusts at both the start and end of British Summer Time and reverts to GMT at the right time and day.

Timers are vital to achieving a true energy efficient installation and electronic timers are now rapidly overtaking mechanical timeswitches as the product of choice.

Drayton’s Lifestyle LP range of electronic time controls are very popular because of the large buttons and easy to read display, which makes them perfect for elderly or infirm home occupiers, yet the product has an attractive streamlined design and is very easy to use and set up.

Suitable for gravity or fully pumped systems, the LP time controls are ideal for combination boilers and the control of additional zones etc (volt free contacts).

The LP offers 3 timing periods per day with a simple push “programme advance button".

There are two LP timeswitches in the range, LP111 for 24 hour control and LP711 for weekly control. Then there are four LP programmers with 24 hour common timing for hot water and heating; 24 hour separate timings; 5 day/2 day “week/weekend” programmers and the LP722 seven day model.

The units have a memory saver so there is no need reset if power is lost, plus a boost feature that enables users to temporarily run the heating for one, two or three hours during periods of extremely cold weather for example.

With proven reliability and fitted with a universal backplate, the LP range is complaint with Part L in England and Wales and Part J in Scotland.

However the real star of the LP range is the LPSi, which features a boiler service interval alarm.

The LPSi warns householders that a boiler service is required, by entering a warning period 30 days prior to the due date. During this time, an audible alarm sounds and the backlit display flashes to provide a visual warning.

If the boiler is not serviced, the LPSi will reduce the comfort level (reducing heating and hot water to a safe but uncomfortable level), encouraging the householder to call an engineer to check their heating system.

This removes the worry of scheduling boiler maintenance and ensures householder safety is not compromised, making it ideal for rented properties, whether in the social or private housing sector, where landlords must comply with regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (installation and use) Regulations 1998.

The service period can be selected by the landlord or homeowner and unlike many other products, the LPSi will not disable gas supplies or programming features during the warning period.

The LPSi also has a separate re-set unit, which the landlord can retain, to ensure that the unit cannot be tampered with and over–ridden.

So for any installation in a rented property it is now well worth taking a few minutes to explain the features of the LPSi to your customer as it should create a valuable “up selling “ opportunity which will deliver genuine benefits to the landlord, yet still remain simple and quick to install.

There are five models of LPSi with 24 hour and 7 day common timings and 7 day and 24 hour separate timing models, plus a 5/2 day separate timings and the LP722Si which offers full 7 day separate timing programming.

Further information and technical data is available at http://www.draytoncontrols.co.uk/LPTimeswitchRange.aspx