Can PWD totally mess up the controls?

[SMBeach]

Hello.
I really can’t decide between Hive or stick with normal set up for heating. I see the huge benefit from hive as I am the only family looking out for dad and I live 500 miles from him.

My real worry is that he can mess up the controls from the thermostat? I know it has a back button and a menu button I think on the front so I’m concerned he will go into these to see what they do, balls everything up to an extent I’m not there to sort it. Can this happen? Could he do anything from the thermostat that I wouldn’t be able to correct from my phone?

I know people hide the hub or put the thermostat somewhere hidden but his house is small with lots of floor to ceiling inbuilt cupboards and tv units so there’s not many options when it comes to hiding things. And if he did find it hidden would most likely feed his curiosity more.

Can dad mess things up from the thermostat that I wouldn’t be able to correct?
What would happen if he picked up the hub and put it under a pile of books for example?
He won’t fall for the trick of leaving the old thermostat up to play with. He’s more likely to call me and say it’s not clicking or lighting up so must be broken.

He’s got a new boiler going in soon and I’m really struggling to know which way to go. Also has anyone’s PWD ever had the thermostat fall from the wall plaque? I’m worried it’s not a firm attachment and will fall off? I couldn’t leave it out loose as he’d definitely pick it up and lose it completely. Plus I assume the thermostat and hub won’t work as they should if hidden well enough that he won’t find them.

Would I be better just going for the usual set up and letting his carers check the thermostats each morning when they arrive?

 

[nitram]

Even if you manage to stop him fiddling with the thermostat he will still be able to switch boiler off or fiddle with controls and if that does not do what he wants he can adjust the thermostatic radiator valves.

You have to accept that PWDs can always find ways of messing things up, all you can do is stall things until they do.

 

[SERENA50]

Hi

We toyed with the idea of hive but gave it up as a bad job. Dad didn't even realise his heating was broken that was one year, another year he kept saying it was too hot and stat wasn't working and in all the other years in between he blew up about five microwaves by microwaving for ages when he thought it was on convection and using plates that were not meant for the microwave . We also had tv remote controls that became a complete nightmare. We had many a call about those as well lol. Not much help to you but if the carers can check when they go that might be okay but it is possible your Dad will press something and not be able to get back to where it was in the first place.

 

[RosettaT]

It didn't really matter what I did to help mum or make life easier for us both she would find a way to short circuit the system (not literally) or break it, or hide it.
In some ways her ingenuity was amazing but soooo frustrating too.

 

[Chaplin]

Hi, I have a hub and it’s secured to the wall. I rarely touch that and use my mobile to adjust heating etc.

Despite the fact your dad will want to fiddle, I still think it’s great so you can check if he has the heating on, especially during the really cold days of winter, wherever you are.

Can you tell him when he has the new boiler fitted there is no longer a thermostat and the boiler regulates temperature etc. ? I know that’s really pushing the truth but just an idea.

Like others have said, my mum although living with advanced dementia still amazes me with her inquisitive nature!

No easy answer but as a Hive user, I love the flexibility! Can you ask someone more local to pop in and make sure he’s not turned it off etc. good luck

 

[SMBeach]

Hi, I have a hub and it’s secured to the wall. I rarely touch that and use my mobile to adjust heating etc.

Despite the fact your dad will want to fiddle, I still think it’s great so you can check if he has the heating on, especially during the really cold days of winter, wherever you are.

Can you tell him when he has the new boiler fitted there is no longer a thermostat and the boiler regulates temperature etc. ? I know that’s really pushing the truth but just an idea.

Like others have said, my mum although living with advanced dementia still amazes me with her inquisitive nature!

No easy answer but as a Hive user, I love the flexibility! Can you ask someone more local to pop in and make sure he’s not turned it off etc. good luck

I guess what I need to know is if he can turn the boiler off completely at the thermostat to a point where I couldn’t correct it using my phone? I dint know how much can be done from the thermostat. Can I ask how you attached the hub to the wall. I’m sure the hub I saw was barrel shaped.

 

[silkiest]

Hi @SMBeach, we use a hive thermostat for MIL. MIL's hive connection is intermittent as we are having problems with solid walls in her house but this does not stop the boiler from working. When it hasn't been used it goes dim so might not catch your dads attention. MIL used to fiddle with the normal thermostat but as she doesn't understand this it is left alone.
Our worst problem has been with the individual radiator valves - she was turning all of them off so all radiators were off and when the timer turned on the boiler it nearly blew up. We have removed all individual thermostat valves from the radiators so the heating is controlled totally by the hive.
I would think very carefully about which room you site the hive thermostat - MIL's was originally put in her kitchen where she spends most of her time, but as she has the fire blasting out all day (even in the heatwave) the central heating did not go on in the day and the rest of the house was very cold.

 

[SAP]

You can only do so much . Try your best with new tech and look at what is available for pwd , there is a lot of new tech out there. But remember that nothing is fully guaranteed to work, even before my mum had memory issues, she would alter the heating in a way that kept breaking the thermostat ! Caring from a long distance is hard work, always trying to second guess what is going on, I did it for years. Do what works for you both and if it stops working, well that is the nature of dementia. The carers , hopefully will be able to let you know if his home is warm enough, maybe discuss this with them as well then all bases are covered.

 

[fromnz123]

We’ve had a hive thermostat for many years, and have been able to correct most issues from the app. The only time that hasn’t been possible is if the Hive is offline this can either be due to poor internet connection or the batteries have run out. So as long as your dad doesn’t take out the batteries then you should be able to control it .

 

[SMBeach]

Thanks everyone. We are having thermostats put in all radiators as dad keeps turning off the water to them and the valves currently in the radiators aren’t built for continual turning like that, especially as they are many years old. The boiler engineer said it could cause leaks at the valve from wear and tear over the years from over turning. At least thermostat valves are made to be turned. We will just need to get carers and cleaner to keep an eye on those to make sure he hasn’t turned them all to snow flakes. But at least we will know from looking whereas now you can only tell if you actually turn the valves. I didn’t know boilers could blow up if water wasn’t getting through. ?I just thought the cold was all we had to worry about. ?‍♀️

 

[nitram]

We are having thermostats put in all radiators

Most TRV manufacturers either make tamperproof valve heads or supply covers to fit over standard heads, commonly specified for communal areas.
e.g. a cover for Drayton.

You could ask your installer about these.

 

[nitram]

I didn’t know boilers could blow up if water wasn’t getting through

It won't blow up, it will just get rather hot circulating water round the house without any going through the radiators wasting gas.

The TRVs can only limit flow through the radiator they control, they cannot switch the boiler off and stop water circulation , this job is left to a thermostat that is strategically set and positioned, it has absolute control to switch all heating so avoid sunlight and local heat sources.

 

[jugglingmum]

My mum didn't have a clue about the thermostat on the wall but she kept turning the radiator valves to off, let alone snowflakes, the carers turned them back on and she'd turn them down as soon as the carers left.

The flat had been designed with 'accessibility' in mind and so the valves were at waist height in the most obvious position possible so my mum saw them as she moved from room to room. As the flat was well insulated it never got too cold so I never got too involved in trying to 'fix' it.

 

[Chaplin]

I guess what I need to know is if he can turn the boiler off completely at the thermostat to a point where I couldn’t correct it using my phone? I dint know how much can be done from the thermostat. Can I ask how you attached the hub to the wall. I’m sure the hub I saw was barrel shaped.

Hi, the backplate on the hive unit is secured to the wall. You can easily unclip it but I leave mine in place at all times. You can manually switch off the hot water or heating on the hive but again you can remotely switch it back in again.

 

[SMBeach]

Thank you. That’s good to know as my main worry was if dad went into the control on the thermostat and messed up the settings so much that I couldn’t sort it remotely. If dad somehow misplaced or turned off the hub which I assume is needed with hive? Does the heating and hot water stay on? I’m guessing if he disconnected the WiFi or hub then I can’t do anything remotely? Is that correct?

 

[SMBeach]

My mum didn't have a clue about the thermostat on the wall but she kept turning the radiator valves to off, let alone snowflakes, the carers turned them back on and she'd turn them down as soon as the carers left.

The flat had been designed with 'accessibility' in mind and so the valves were at waist height in the most obvious position possible so my mum saw them as she moved from room to room. As the flat was well insulated it never got too cold so I never got too involved in trying to 'fix' it.

I know the hive radiator valves can be turned in and off remotely so at least I’d have control there.

 

[SMBeach]

It won't blow up, it will just get rather hot circulating water round the house without any going through the radiators wasting gas.

The TRVs can only limit flow through the radiator they control, they cannot switch the boiler off and stop water circulation , this job is left to a thermostat that is strategically set and positioned, it has absolute control to switch all heating so avoid sunlight and local heat sources.

Thank you.

 

[SMBeach]

Most TRV manufacturers either make tamperproof valve heads or supply covers to fit over standard heads, commonly specified for communal areas.
e.g. a cover for Drayton.

You could ask your installer about these.

Thanks. He has mentioned putting in the valves that can’t be turned at the other end.

 

[SMBeach]

We’ve had a hive thermostat for many years, and have been able to correct most issues from the app. The only time that hasn’t been possible is if the Hive is offline this can either be due to poor internet connection or the batteries have run out. So as long as your dad doesn’t take out the batteries then you should be able to control it .

Hello. Thank you for replying. Are they normal batteries? And do you know roughly how long they survive?

 

[SMBeach]

You can only do so much . Try your best with new tech and look at what is available for pwd , there is a lot of new tech out there. But remember that nothing is fully guaranteed to work, even before my mum had memory issues, she would alter the heating in a way that kept breaking the thermostat ! Caring from a long distance is hard work, always trying to second guess what is going on, I did it for years. Do what works for you both and if it stops working, well that is the nature of dementia. The carers , hopefully will be able to let you know if his home is warm enough, maybe discuss this with them as well then all bases are covered.

Thank you for replying. I as it a hive thermostat your mum managed to break or a standard thermostat?