thermostat problem

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Payin-the-Toll It gets quite a workout in the winter--everytime the wife walks by it she turns it up, and everytime I walk by it I turn it down!

DH has never wanted a smartphone so the app for controlling the new thermostat will be on my phone (although, presumably, it will have a wall panel, too). He'll never know when I tinker with the settings.

[Nodak]

Another vote for the Nest thermostat

[ERD50]

Another little story that puts me in the KISS camp when it makes sense:

Someone was saying that they have a heated garage, but they only heat it very occasionally, like when they are doing work out there. Well, one day, the temp in the garage had dropped to about 28F, and he wanted the heat on. But his fancy new digital thermostat wouldn't function. After a lot of troubleshooting, the manufacturer points out that the operating range of the thermostat is 32F to XXXF. Hmmm.

So this means that if you had a power outage, and the temp dropped below 32F , when the power comes back on, the heat would stay off! It takes time for water pipes to freeze, esp just near freezing, so if the heat came back on in time, it could have saved the pipes, but by not coming back on, a lot of damage could occur.

That makes me wonder about the 'smart circuits' in a furnace now - are those spec'd well below freezing?

-ERD50

[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Another little story that puts me in the KISS camp when it makes sense: Someone was saying that they have a heated garage, but they only heat it very occasionally, like when they are doing work out there. Well, one day, the temp in the garage had dropped to about 28F, and he wanted the heat on. But his fancy new digital thermostat wouldn't function. After a lot of troubleshooting, the manufacturer points out that the operating range of the thermostat is 32F to XXXF. Hmmm. So this means that if you had a power outage, and the temp dropped below 32F , when the power comes back on, the heat would stay off! It takes time for water pipes to freeze, esp just near freezing, so if the heat came back on in time, it could have saved the pipes, but by not coming back on, a lot of damage could occur. That makes me wonder about the 'smart circuits' in a furnace now - are those spec'd well below freezing? -ERD50

Actually if you know which wires to jump, just jump the correct wires at the thermostat (as hvac techs do). Or it is an excuse to call in the HVAC guy who will do this until the temp gets into the thermostat operating range.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meierlde Actually if you know which wires to jump, just jump the correct wires at the thermostat (as hvac techs do). Or it is an excuse to call in the HVAC guy who will do this until the temp gets into the thermostat operating range.

You and I know that. But how many average homeowners would? And how do you do that remotely?

The point is a KISS thermostat is not subject to these issues.

-ERD50

[jazz4cash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau What is a thermostat? (Sorry, bad and annoying Hawaiian joke.) But seriously, regarding the electric company messing with your central air: Hawaiian Electric has a plan in which they will install (at their expense) a device which allows them to turn off your electric hot water heater when ever they want to - but assured only a "few times" a year and only for an hour IIRC. For this privilege, they give a $3 rebate on EACH and EVERY month's bill. I jumped on that big time. I look for much more of this kind of "shifting" in the future. It can give very significant savings to the electric company. Even a "captive" system such as exists on Oahu - no real "grid", just base power plus peak-use power generation - will benefit from shifting. If one of the gas turbines does not have to be turned on, that is huge. YMMV

We can get either a T-stat controlled by the utility or an override hooked to the compressor or water heater. You can select 50,75 or 100% cutback on the AC and the credit is up to $25/mo. You can also cancel out of the cycling event once or twice per year (e.g. If you were having a party). We have the AC override switch and use Lux programmable t-stats. Our water heater is gas and does not qualify.


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[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 You and I know that. But how many average homeowners would? And how do you do that remotely? The point is a KISS thermostat is not subject to these issues. -ERD50

Unfortunatly not even hvac techs get this right all the time. One time a new inside unit was installed, but both the wires were set so the outside unit ran all the time, and the heat strips would not come on if it got cold enough inside. (the lack of a jumper for the second). I do suspect you can find a video on youtube telling how to jumper a failed thermostat.