Can PWD totally mess up the controls?

[Bod]

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?

There is only one way to stop a PWD fiddling with any form of controls, is to put the controls, all of them, behind locked solid doors!
A lesson learnt from my father, the only thing he left alone was the Grandfather clock!

Bod
(Why we never found out, but it had been his Grandmothers, a formidable woman by all accounts.)

 

[Lynmax]

My mum found ways to mess with all the heating controls, thermostat, valves and the boiler controls! We ended up fitting cages around them all including the boiler! They were secured by a a key which we put in the key safe, and gave the code the any engineer who needed access.

I can’t remember where I bought them, I googled boiler caver or cages in care homes and found an amazing supplier who sold all kinds of safety covers.

We installed Hive, also had the hub in a cage, but left the old thermostat on the wall with electric power so it lit up and clicked but the engineer who fitted the Hive unit disconnected it from the boiler. He said it was something lots of people had to do!

The hardest thing we found was hiding the router for the internet, used for the Ring security system, so we had it fixed to the wall behind a small table. She only found it once and did switch it off but her carer was able to sort it out,

 

[SMBeach]

My mum found ways to mess with all the heating controls, thermostat, valves and the boiler controls! We ended up fitting cages around them all including the boiler! They were secured by a a key which we put in the key safe, and gave the code the any engineer who needed access.

I can’t remember where I bought them, I googled boiler caver or cages in care homes and found an amazing supplier who sold all kinds of safety covers.

We installed Hive, also had the hub in a cage, but left the old thermostat on the wall with electric power so it lit up and clicked but the engineer who fitted the Hive unit disconnected it from the boiler. He said it was something lots of people had to do!

The hardest thing we found was hiding the router for the internet, used for the Ring security system, so we had it fixed to the wall behind a small table. She only found it once and did switch it off but her carer was able to sort it out,

Oh wow. I’ve ordered Hive to be installed as there’s not much difference in price and because it gives me more control than without it. So long as dad mucking up/switching off the hub doesn’t stop him getting heating and hot water and only stops me from tending it remotely, then I guess we will be no worse than had we not got hive. If he turns off the hub will that turn off the boiler? And will that then presumably stop me from being able to turn it back on remotely? I’m 500 miles away. I’m beginning to feel I’m throwing too many gadgets into the mix and will end up making a rod for my own back. I’m going to look up the cages you talk about.
Thank you.

 

[fromnz123]

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

Yes they are just normal batteries. They last a long time probably about a year. You get notified on the app when running low.

I’ve recently been looking into adding Hive thermostatic valves to the radiators, they are about £40, you can set temperature and schedule just like the main thermostat you can control the radiators from the app as well, so if your father turns it off you can turn it back in from the app.

 

[SMBeach]

Yes. I am thinking of getting the hive ones so I can do that. That’s good to know there is a warning about the batteries as I can get dads carers to change or his cleaner. Thank you.

 

[SAP]

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

It was the thermostat valves on the radiators, she over tightened them to the point that not even the plumber could shift them….amazing really as she is tiny and you wouldn’t have though she had the strength.

 

[Palerider]

My mum was a nightmare with the heating controls and she was very successful at completely messing them up consistently. I did think about Hive and other systems, but we didn't get to that point in the end as mum went into care. If we had still been at home I would certainly looked at options that could help with the heating including smart technology -but it would have to be resistent to attack.

 

[SMBeach]

It was the thermostat valves on the radiators, she over tightened them to the point that not even the plumber could shift them….amazing really as she is tiny and you wouldn’t have though she had the strength.

?‍♀️?‍♀️?‍♀️

 

[SMBeach]

My mum was a nightmare with the heating controls and she was very successful at completely messing them up consistently. I did think about Hive and other systems, but we didn't get to that point in the end as mum went into care. If we had still been at home I would certainly looked at options that could help with the heating including smart technology -but it would have to be resistent to attack.

I’ve now found a couple of websites with very straight forward boxes and gadgets for stopping dials being turned on boilers and thermostats. I won’t arrange just yet to have them put on as dad will question them and he’ll get very upset that all control is being taken from him in his own home. But at least I know they are there if it comes to it. Thank you to everyone for your responses. It’s a great forum.