Netatmo Relay Faceplate For UK Wall Box

When I upgraded to my Netatmo heating thermostat a couple of years ago, I was stuck with a problem that might affect others: My original hard wired thermostat used a standard UK wall box (pattress) for its mounting.

The Netatmo relay is perfectly happy to sit, hidden away (in a cupboard in my case), next to the boiler. So I could have simply disconnected the original wiring, and blanked off the original wall box hole with a plain faceplate. Or perhaps even have removed it altogether, filling the hole in the wall ready for redecorating at a later date.

But I quite like the design of the Netatmo relay box; it's clean, it's simple, and rather pleasing on the eye in its combination of white and semi-translucent plastic, with a single white LED function light (that LED is a useful indicator of when the thermostat is calling for heat without needing to check the thermostat unit, and it also flashes when the the wireless signal is interrupted). Also, with all the wiring already in place, it was a quick swap. The only problem was that, despite Netatmo providing all sorts of bits and bobs intended to help with this, I couldn't figure out a way to mount it neatly to the existing pattress.

At the time (pre-3D printer) I ended up buying a blanking plate, drilled it to attach the Netatmo connector, and made a very rough temporary cover for the unsightly gap that resulted between the Relay unit and the faceplate. I was never happy with the result, and had plans to change it.

That was two years ago, and it kept getting put to one side while more urgent things were dealt with. However, it caught my eye again over the weekend, and I finally got around to improving things.

The plate is designed to fit a standard UK pattress, and to allow the removable relay module (or even the thermostat wireless control unit - Netatmo's clever design allows an "either/or" approach) to be pushed fully home, making it look as if it's mounted directly on the faceplate.

Unusually (for me) the design came out perfectly first time! It did require some slight modification of the wall box, but I knew this before I started. As mine was a dry-lining box, it was a doddle. But I'm pretty confident that I could have achieved the same results for a fixed metal box using a junior hacksaw and a file.

I've had an idea for a slightly revised design to move the mounting even closer to the wall surface, so that the relay unit appears completely flush. But I've run out of white filament, and the current pandemic is making it difficult to obtain in the UK at the moment unless one is prepared to pay through the nose - and I'm mostdefinitely not willing to do so..

So, for the moment at least, I will live with this version for a while, and review things further down the line when we know what's happening with this damned lurgey and lockdown.

IF YOU PRINT THIS, FLIP THE STL SO THAT IT'S FACE DOWN, AND USE SUPPORTS BENEATH THE RECESSED BOX AREA.

Happy printing!

Category: DIY