81 posts tagged with thermostat.
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Given the electrician's description, can I use this thermostat?

Previously I asked for advice here on getting new thermostats for our baseboard heat. Eventually had to hire a electrician, who gave us a report but flaked when it came time for an actual quote. I think I could just install thermostats myself but I want to make sure I'm buying the right one. [more inside]
posted by HeroZero on Sep 8, 2024 - 8 answers

Programmable thermostats for baseboard heat not working

We recently bought a condo with baseboard heat, and are replacing the ancient (60s-era?) thermostats with programmable Honeywell RLV4305s. When we do so, the display starts flashing random symbols. What could be the issue? [more inside]
posted by HeroZero on Nov 19, 2023 - 10 answers

Why is our air conditioning suddenly worse after a repair?

We recently got back from a week's vacation, arriving home at midnight to a dead air conditioner. In July. In Texas. Many tears were shed. We had a recommended repair company come out the next morning, and he fixed it. All was well! Except... not. [more inside]
posted by Torosaurus on Jul 11, 2022 - 9 answers

Smart Thermostat with Sensors with Larger Compatibility

I bought a Nest 3rd Generation thermostat that didn't work (especially in heat mode) that well with my older Rheem Heat Pump (8 years old). Is there another thermostat that has ability to have a second sensor out there that seems to be more compatible with more heat pumps? We have a C wire. THis seems to say that an Ecobee is a better choice, but has anything changed in the last year?
posted by sandmanwv on May 16, 2022 - 1 answer

One thermostat controller to rule them all

I have a weird house. It currently has a thermostat for the pellet stove, a thermostat for the heat pump (combined a/c and heat) for the bedrooms and bathroom and a thermostat for the OTHER heat pump for the dining room and kitchen. Is there any way to unify all of my thermostats with one controller/one device?
posted by arnicae on Oct 19, 2021 - 6 answers

What thermostat do I need?

I'd like a thermostat that will maintain a steady temperature, whether that's using the furnace or AC. [more inside]
posted by cozenedindigo on May 15, 2021 - 4 answers

To Nest or not to Nest. That is the question.

We have a very old thermostat and are looking to replace it. The Nest is [more inside]
posted by notned on Jan 29, 2021 - 22 answers

Air flow vs. heat flow

Even with the windows and curtains closed, my house warms up during the day and cools off at night. How much of this is due to air exchange with the outside and how much is due to heat conduction? How could I go about estimating this? [more inside]
posted by aws17576 on Aug 21, 2020 - 13 answers

Nest Thermostat + Fast-Stat Compatibility

I've been using an original Nest thermostat for almost a decade with no problems. Lately, the fan will sometimes not run when I activate it via the Nest app (or the thermostat itself). [more inside]
posted by krunk on Jul 15, 2020 - 3 answers

Please make this “smart” thermostat dumb as a rock!

This thermostat is making life difficult. Please help. [more inside]
posted by cyndigo on Jan 4, 2020 - 5 answers

Building a better thermostat

I'm setting up an automated temperature control system for brewing beer. My computer is only going to be communicating with heating and cooling elements using on/off control (no ability to set the elements to operate at 50% power, say). I'm hoping there's a better way to control this system than just having a hysteresis range. [more inside]
posted by jackbishop on May 20, 2019 - 11 answers

What kind of thermostat do I want?

I am getting a new heat pump and ductwork shortly. What advice do you have about thermostats? What value does a wifi connection add? What are the cons? Are there better/worse brands? Are there functions on your thermostat that you have found surprisingly helpful that you wouldn't ever live without? [more inside]
posted by Stewriffic on Mar 11, 2019 - 28 answers

Home temperature, long visit - what's fair

My elderly father has been unwell. We visited him for a week at his home in a very warm climate. This autumn he's coming to visit us in our cold climate for almost 3 months. What's fair in terms of home temperature and heating bills? [more inside]
posted by hazyjane on Feb 25, 2019 - 28 answers

Honeywell RedLink Smart HVAC Control Without Outside Access

We have a Mitsubishi mini-split system with Honeywell RedLink RF dumb thermostats that don't even monitor humidity. I'd like four things: a central controller for all three zones, a smart thermostat that allows us to program "home" and "away" profiles to save costs, a thermostat that monitors humidity and has a dehumidify mode, and it can't be accessible from the internet. [more inside]
posted by domo on Jan 6, 2019 - 2 answers

Setting AC in 100 plus degree weather

If I set my AC to 84 when it's 105 degrees am I conserving the system or making it work harder because I'm allowing it to get too hot? [more inside]
posted by ljs30 on Aug 1, 2018 - 7 answers

Need a smart thermostat for a dumb house

My house has an old forced-hot-water heating system with radiators. It is dumb and slow. Which easy-to-program thermostat should we get? [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust on Apr 25, 2018 - 12 answers

Why does my furnace lose power randomly?

Occasionally the power to my furnace completely cuts out, and my thermostat goes blank. I have to turn the furnace power switch off and on a few times and it comes back, but it's very annoying. I've never caught it in the act of cutting out, but to the best of my knowledge it happens when it's heating up, and happens more frequently the colder it gets outside. What might be causing this? [more inside]
posted by sputgop on Feb 4, 2018 - 6 answers

Why is my smart thermostat so dumb?

We got a Nest thermostat this Fall. While we were already using a programmable thermostat to good effect, I was looking forward to having a thermostat that was internet connected and better learned our habits. We have been underwhelmed to the point I think that maybe I’ve done something to screw it up. [more inside]
posted by Betelgeuse on Feb 1, 2018 - 10 answers

Just worked out my gas oven can do a clever thing...

I've just discovered my gas oven can come on and stay on for a set duration then turn itself off! I am over the moon as I've been getting up early to (for example) turn the baked porridge on so it's ready when the whole family gets up. Are there other dishes that lend themselves well to this? The thing with the baked porridge is it's so bloody convenient and cosy to have such a nice, warming dish ready for you when rising to a cold house. Doesn't have to be breakfast could also be evening meal etc.
posted by dance on Dec 27, 2017 - 7 answers

The heat is on...

Most efficient way to handle thermostat for cabin with electric baseboard heat? [more inside]
posted by ian1977 on Jan 21, 2017 - 13 answers

Thermostat Question

Spousal difference regarding thermostat. I run cold, wife runs hot. Her argument is that you can always layer. Fair enough, but I find myself needing to pile on sweaters in the middle of summer. Our two kids (5 & 8) are also usually cold inside the house. The thermostat is usually set to 65 degrees. Does 65 degrees year round seem unusually cold in the context of human beings living in a climate controlled house? Household thermometer is currently 62.5 (located in a different room that thermostat).
posted by leotrotsky on Jan 15, 2017 - 98 answers

How can I safely install Nest thermostats to replace line-voltage units?

My apartment has in-wall heaters in each room, with a separate line-voltage thermostat each. I'd like to replace those with Nest thermostats, but my understanding is that it requires special work. [more inside]
posted by ChrisR on Dec 17, 2016 - 7 answers

Repair or Replace, Upright Freezer Edition

Should I repair or replace my 25+ year old GE upright freezer? [more inside]
posted by vignettist on Aug 9, 2016 - 9 answers

Replacing old thermostat -- two problems

I'm trying to replace an old analog, mercury tube Carrier thermostat with a programmable one. I'm having two problems. [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie on Jun 12, 2016 - 14 answers

Connecting a "C" wire at the furnace for smart thermostat

I'm trying to hook up my smart thermostat, but it needs a wire that isn't currently connected at the furnace. Am I doing the right thing? [more inside]
posted by almostmanda on Apr 12, 2016 - 5 answers

I broke my heater - what'd I do wrong?

I am in the process of replacing all of the 240V single-pole wall thermostats in my house with programmable thermostats. This has all gone well until I got to the very last thermostat, which I can't get to work. What'd I do wrong? [more inside]
posted by saeculorum on Feb 22, 2016 - 9 answers

How to safely heat only half my house at night?

My single radiator heats the main living areas from one side and the bedrooms from the other. At night it gets down into the 30s/40s. Is there a way I could safely heat just the bedrooms at night? Diagram inside. [more inside]
posted by joshwa on Feb 7, 2016 - 19 answers

How can I make my Nest thermostat activate emergency heat?

Last summer, I replaced my thermostat with a Nest thermostat. It worked great until now that winter is here—when the temperature drops below freezing, my heat pump can't produce warm air. Tomorrow night it's forecast to be 8°F. Can you help me figure out what I've wired incorrectly? [more inside]
posted by waldo on Jan 6, 2015 - 9 answers

How do heat settings work on dryers?

How can a dryer with 2 thermostats have three heat ranges, especially since only one is on the blower element? [more inside]
posted by jonclegg on Dec 19, 2014 - 5 answers

Why does my car not give me heat at idle?

My 2003 VW GTI VR6 warms up fine and gives heat while driving, but at idle it immediately blows cold air. [more inside]
posted by fritley on Nov 24, 2014 - 11 answers

It has the word "heat" in its name, so.

What am I not understanding about my HVAC system? [more inside]
posted by emelenjr on Nov 10, 2014 - 10 answers

How does my office thermostat work?

Is there any guide for best practices on setting a 2-dial thermostat like the one pictured here and here? And what do the two dials represent? [more inside]
posted by spbmp on Nov 6, 2014 - 10 answers

Will this temperature controller work in North America?

I need to purchase a few temperature controllers; I'm interested in this one but I'm not sure if it will work in North America without blowing up or melting something or other adverse and undesirable things. [more inside]
posted by Nyx on Aug 13, 2014 - 4 answers

Can I Get My Furnace Fan to Function Independently of Heating/Cooling?

We have this furnace. In the summer it would be nice if we could run only the fan (We don't have central air), but according to the manual, Fan Only Mode requires the R and G thermostat contacts be wired. As you can see, only the RC/RH and W contacts are wired. Would simply swapping the orange wire from RC/RH to RH/G create the circuit needed for sweet, sweet fan action, or will it be necessary to run a new wire from G to the control board in the furnace, therefore requiring professional help? [more inside]
posted by Alvy Ampersand on Aug 8, 2014 - 4 answers

Is my problem electrical or mental?

When my central air turns on or off, I hear a loud popping sound coming from the thermostat area. I have replaced the thermostat and still hear it. I'm sure that I have always heard it and that other ac's have made that noise but, for the past few months, it seems to have gotten louder and it wakes me up throughout the night. It is driving me crazy. Is your thermostat that loud? Could this be an electrical issue? [more inside]
posted by myselfasme on Jun 18, 2014 - 6 answers

Space heaters vs turning up the heat?

I live in a drafty old farmhouse. My roommates and I are currently waging a thermostat war--one says it's cheaper to to have the heat for the whole house at 70 than it is for him to heat his room with a space heater. I maintain that its probably way more expensive to heat the entire drafty house. Who's right? We have electric heat. [more inside]
posted by Grandysaur on Nov 4, 2013 - 26 answers

Can a programmable thermostat be hooked up to a old furnace and ac unit

My mother-in-law has a old furnace in her basement and a air conditioner unit outside, can these be hooked up to one of those new programmable thermostats?
posted by just asking on Oct 13, 2013 - 8 answers

I want to control lights and/or thermostat with my phone, from anywhere.

It seems like all the home automation device/app combos allow me to only control my lights or devices while inside my house where, you know, I can actually just walk over to them and turn them on and off already. [more inside]
posted by sandra_s on Sep 12, 2013 - 11 answers

Turn It Up, Turn It Down

Extensive research into the state of the HVAC art has revealed more questions than it has answered. How do I set the thermostat in my new row house to maximize both comfort and efficiency? [more inside]
posted by fedward on Jul 14, 2013 - 10 answers

What's broken: shower, tank, pump, thermostat, boiler, or all??

I live in rented accommodation in the UK. The hot water is scaldingly hot. The radiators burn to touch. The shower temperature is hugely unreliable -- scalding or freezing. The landlord is worried that a plumber will rip him off, based on bad experiences in the past, and unwilling to pay to investigate. Can you help me understand what's going on? I'd like to put my landlord's mind at rest regarding plumbers, and set his expectations regarding likely diagnoses and solutions -- and hence cost. I also suspect this situation is wasting energy and hence driving up the cost of heating bills. I'd like to persuade the landlord that fixing it might be a good idea. [more inside]
posted by ajp on Apr 12, 2013 - 23 answers

Stubborn check engine light ideas

A few months ago, my car's check engine light came on. They fixed it, it came back on again, they fixed it again, and now it's back on. I'm looking for possible explanations so I'm more prepared when I take it back yet again. [more inside]
posted by misskaz on Mar 29, 2013 - 29 answers

What's up with our electricity?

We woke up this extremely cold morning (9F/-13C) and various electric things in our condo seem to be flaky, like there's not enough power. I also noticed that the thermostat for our heat pump says "Auxiliary Heat On", which I haven't seen before. Has anyone seen something like this before? Since it's all electric, it seems like it might be related. [more inside]
posted by smackfu on Jan 23, 2013 - 15 answers

What's really smart for a smart house?

I'd love to learn more about innovative uses of technology in the home, beyond media/entertainment. I'm sure there's a lot of development going on out there, but how do I keep on top of it, and how can I find out what's really worth it? [more inside]
posted by Sublimity on Jan 13, 2013 - 15 answers

Indoor/Home Temperatures in Arctic or Very Cold Climates

At what temperature do people set their thermostats if they live in Arctic climates, such as Barrow, Alaska? My mother wants to know. [more inside]
posted by aabbbiee on Dec 12, 2012 - 13 answers

Nest-essary?

Programable thermostats - regular or internet style? [more inside]
posted by cestmoi15 on Oct 27, 2012 - 12 answers

Ancient boiler/modern thermostat: help me end the freeze/roast cycle

I need some thermostat programming tips. I moved over the summer and now I have a thermostat after many, many years of living with landlord-controlled heating systems and other curious and quirky forms of heating. Problem: the boiler takes FOREVER to heat up the radiators and then overshoots the target temperature dramatically. Details within. [more inside]
posted by mskyle on Oct 12, 2012 - 9 answers

My landlord locked the thermostat and it's not in the lease

Just started renting at a new apartment. The lease includes a flat fee for utilities, but does not state that the landlord will have control over the thermostat/have the thermostat locked. I was never told that the thermostat would be physically locked and the lease makes absolutely no mention of it. In fact, the only thing in the lease about utilities is his single hand-written line stating "$100 flat fee for utilities a month." [more inside]
posted by rbf1138 on Jul 3, 2012 - 27 answers

Help Installing Nest Thermostat on Millivolt System Using 24v Transformer

I just purchased a new Nest thermostat. My old thermostat gets power from an ancient millivolt system (thermopile on top of pilot light generates 0.7VDC). This is incompatible with the Nest, since the Nest requires standard 24VAC. Nest support told me they've heard some customers have had success using 24v step-down transformer. After lots of research, I think the wiring is supposed to go something like this: W from furnace (common, -0.7VDC ?) --> W on T-Stat 24 VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> C on T-Stat R from furnace (+0.7VDC ?) --> RH on T-Stat 24VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> RH on T-Stat As you can see, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details. Questions are below the fold! [more inside]
posted by jesseendahl on Jan 22, 2012 - 16 answers

Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

If you are going to be out of the house for a few days, does it make any sense to turn the heat down? My engineering-OCD has been bugging me on this one. [more inside]
posted by shipbreaker on Dec 2, 2011 - 18 answers

Therm-o-STAT!

What are the major benefits of a programmable thermostat, how big a deal is the new Nest thermostat, and how much might I expect to save with either one over a non-programmable digital thermostat? [more inside]
posted by brentajones on Oct 26, 2011 - 21 answers

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