Drayton LP522 MK4 Programmer Quick Review. The Drayton lifestyle 123070 LP522 (MK4), great little workhorse, used extensively in council dwellings due to its very cheap price, good reliability record, high level of system compatibility, and the functionality to separately control heating and hot water. It’s what’s known as a 2 channel programmer that runs on a 5/2 day operation period (five weekdays + 2 days weekend), capable of giving the user the freedom to choose when heating and hot water will come on and go off to their requirements.

The user can program up to three on and off cycles per day. Although do note that Saturday and Sunday timings will be identical. This model also has the standard backplate, so replacing a different model or brand with the LP522, or the other way round, is somewhat easier.

Quick Specification

Other features of the Drayton LP522 MK4 Programmer include: Backlit display (yellow / orange colour), power cut protection in the form of an internal battery that will keep the settings / time intact, automatic season time adjustment (Winter / Summer), Holiday mode for when away and Boost / Advance (1 – 3 hours of heat or hot water when you need it at the touch of a button for unexpected times of need).

Worth Mentioning / Being Aware Of

If you have an older model LP522, the mark 4 is a very good upgrade / replacement. However, like all electrical devices, programmers included, there are a few issues reported by customers that are worth pointing out.

Some users have found the LP522 quite difficult to use. A majority of these reports come from people who are upgrading to a LP522 from a much easier to use, older programmer. So in defence of this programmer, there is a small learning curve with most digital programmers, especially if the previous programmer a person was fluent in using was analogue.

The other issue / problem that seems to pop up every now and again with this product is how quickly it may need replacing due to a fault developing. This isn’t really a common occurrence, as the large majority of users do get a good number of years out of this programmer. But as is the case with so many makes and models of programmers (none have a 100% fault-free record), it is something that has been reported on occasion with this unit.