Re-locating a Thermostat

[tflfb]

in a ranch home where is the beat place to locate a thermostat, mine is in the hall between the bedrooms.

Thanks

Tom

[Joseph Meehan]

That sounds good to me. You don't want it near the kitchen, a window, on an outside wall or heat/AC vent.

[Loose Cannon]

I think it is already in the best location. What are you trying to achieve by relocating the thermostat?

[CBHvac]

Near the return....unless the home has a return in every room.

[TimS]

After living in the home for whole year, what space is near a return, and represents the conditions the best, and is mostly occupied? I have hall mounted stat in a 2 story, and when all bedroom (w/returns) doors are closed, it represents the down stairs temperature, even under a hall return. In spite of all the science aspects to this stuff (manual this & that), this is an art few today bother to perfect. A great installation would require extensive data logging and analysis post install, or at least a visit on a design day hot and cold.

[CBHvac]

If you dont have a central return, I tend to put them in an area, that when the system is working, will best represent the living area of the home. In my home, I have supplys and returns in each room. I put the thermostat in the hallway, for the lower unit and installed two extra returns in the main living area, so that there would be no stagnant air in the hallway, as the main living area would tend to pull from the back of the home.

Of course it does, and since a properly designed system, on a two story home, with only one unit would not work properly with the returns closed off, why would you? As you say, this is an art that so few try to understand...its slap in what looks good, and go from there.

Agreed. And in a way, its good for those that actually DO the work. Every day, we see at least one unit that is installed wrong...not wrong to ME, but wrong period. The problem is, that so many problems do not show up right away, and when you try to explain why that compressor died again after only a year, or that heat exchangers cracked due to the original installers, most tend to think that YOU are the wrong one.

Actually, a 2 hour visit and a complete look over of the home, taking the proper measurements and then doing the calculations as they are designed works better than trying to hack something in that might work..:)