Does Omnistat RC-80 internal programming override OmniPro ii Automated Programming.

[acruxksa]

Greetings All,
My wife and I recently purchased and moved into a house that has an OmniPro ii.  In addition to the perimeter security system the OP2 has about 4 dozen UPB light switches and 7 RC-80 Omnistat thermostats.  It's been quite the learning curve over the past 2 weeks.  I've obtained a copy of Dealer PC Access and have been trying to learn the basics.  My automated programming so far is very rudimentary and confined to simply turning exterior lights on/off around sunset/sunrise and turning the heat down/up a few times per day depending on our needs.
 
This is where my first question comes in.  Here's an example of what I mean by rudimentary programming for heat:
 

3. TIMED 5:01 AM MTWTFSS
THEN Basement HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN MainHall HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN Office HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN MasterBed HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN UpPlayroom HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN KidsRoom HEAT SETPOINT 70
THEN Garage HEAT SETPOINT 60
4. TIMED 9:01 AM MTWTFSS
THEN Basement HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN MainHall HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN Office HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN MasterBed HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN UpPlayroom HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN KidsRoom HEAT SETPOINT 68
THEN Garage HEAT SETPOINT 58


I realize this might seem silly to only go up/down a couple degrees throughout the day, but the entire 6000 sqft house has radiant floor heating and with a brand new %95 efficient mod/con boiler, it's actually quite reasonable.  (once we learn the house a bit better, perhaps I'll tweak the temps a bit more)
 
In any case, the thermostat's do appear to receive the requested programming and the zones do seem to kick on/off to maintain the requested heat and do say "remote" on them.  However, it seems like that only works right up until the thermostat's internal program has a request and then it overrides the OP2's automated programming request until the next timed trigger from the OP2.  Does that make any sense?
 
I know there must be a more elegant way to program the heating automation, but is there also a way to do it so that the individual thermostat's don't override the OP2's programming?
 
 

 

[ano]

Welcome!!
 
Its been a while since my RC-80 days, but if I remember correctly the RC-80 has a programmable mode as well as the ability to be programmed.  Both can operate together, as you have discovered, but you should turn off the programmable part if you don't want it. Have you gone through the settings?  You may or may not want that part.
 
Over the years I have done lots of experiments of thermostat programming.  What I have learned is don't overdo it.  I don't know if you live in a cold place or hot place, there are different rules for each, but generally I wouldn't adjust the temp unless its several hours or more. Maybe turn down the heat in unused areas at night and when you are on vacation. If your gone predictable hours during the day, maybe adjust a few degrees. 
 
As for programming, you can change all the temps in your house at once if you have lots of thermostats if they are the same temps. You can also use macros called "buttons" in the HAI world. Start simple at first and try if first before you add more.

 

[acruxksa]

Thank You!
 
A little more reading and I was able to find the part in the manual that discusses disabling each of the internal program settings.  I just had to go into each individual thermostat and use the UP arrow one click at 11:45p or the DOWN arrow one click at 12:00a.  It certainly wasn't very intuitive, glad I was able to find the manual online.
 
My next course of business is to read up on the HAI 42A01-1 Wireless Receiver for GE Crystal..............On the plus side, this whole home automation/security/audio thing has kept me busy over the past few weeks.
 
I live in Alaska by the way, so we generally deal more with the cold than the hot.  I pretty much got the heat/cool cycles of the 7 zones in my house dialed in through much experimentation.  Hardwood floors take about an hour to raise 2 degrees.  Concrete in the basement and garage is more like 4-6 hrs to see a 2 degree temp rise.  concrete walkway outside just stays on 24/7 in the winter.  If you turn it off and it snows, you end up with a huge frozen puddle at the end of the walkway.  If it's on while it snows, the snow melts and evaporates.  It's only heated to 35-40 degrees though.

 

[SierraTech]

I have 8 RC-80s and had to refer to manual quite a few times to accommodate slow Zones etc.
 
Communications Mode:
 
01 Communications mode
The thermostat can communicate with remote systems in 4 different modes. These modes are:
0 300 baud, RS-232 mode (for use with personal computers)
1 100 baud, System mode (OmniLT, Omni, Omni II, OmniPro, and OmniPro II systems)
8 PESM mode, (use with Model 1503 automation systems)
24 Day/Night mode (for use with remote setback switch)
The default setting is 1.
 
I heat the garage as well and use outdoor temerature test every hour to see if outside temp is below 20 degress. If so I cut the garage temp to 50. I also test when I pull the car in from long drive, and engine heat warms the garage and will raise TSTAT if to 55 Degrees if at certain times Temp is above 54.
 
Another setting to be aware of is the "Anticipation" 
 
10 Heating anticipator
This item adjusts the tendency of the thermostat to turn the heating unit off before the desired heat setting is
reached. This is done to avoid overheating the air while the walls and furniture catch up. A setting of 0 will
disable this feature.
0 No anticipation
3-5 Normal anticipation
10 Maximum anticipation

The following settings are recommended:
Forced air systems: 4
Radiant systems: 6

A lower setting will decrease the tendency to turn off the heating system before the desired heat setting is
reached. If the heating system response time is slower, as are most radiant heating systems, a higher number
will help maintain an even space temperature.
The default setting is 4.
 
I set slow zone to 6 or 7.
 
Hope this helps!