Thermostat Anticipator

[Chia Pet]

I have a gas furnace driving a hot water radiator system. I replaced my old thermostat with a new computer controlled unit which died, so I put the old Armstrong unit back. It was very reliable, which I like. However, last winter it was incomfortable because the variation between cycles was too great. The anticipator was in a middle setting. i just moved it to near the shortest cycle setting.

The thermostat seems to have a 2 degree window. At 62 it cools to about

59-60 and then kicks. To get closer to 62 I moved it up to average at 63. So far, the cycling seems more comfortable. However, I'm worried about how it will do as the temperature gets colder. Will the shorter cycling stress the equipment unreasonably? If not, I'd prefer it for the comfort. Why would anyone use longer cycles? Isn't it a false economy (lowering the average to save fuel)?

I wish I could just pay a competent pro to adjust the furnace, but after calling 4, none showed up as promised last year (and that was just an ordinary winter call, not in an especially busy season)(and I had cash)! WTF!?!?!

[Greg Arena]

I had a similar problem when I first moved into my house, although it was an electronic thermostat the previous owner had installed and I have a forced-air heating & cooling system. Although the window was programmable down to 1 degree, I remember company I had one night in December feeling alternately cold and warm because the thermostat was just waiting too long to turn on the heat and then letting it stay on too long. Then in the summer the house would feel like it was getting too warm - especially upstairs.

I switched to a different electronic thermostat (a Honeywell unit; can send the model # if you want). It seems to maintain the temperature within 1/2 degree for both heating & cooling, and the house is a lot more comfortable year-round. Although it runs the system more often, it doesn't seem to have had an adverse effect on it after 2 years. My system is 9 years old, and it seems to tolerate the shorter run times. I think the window is +/- 0.5 or 0.75 degrees because once I set it at a certain temperature (e.g. 67 degrees), it stabilizes there (i.e. never moves up to 68 or down to 66).

I know this model thermostat does have a setting for hot water systems which increases the run time to compensate (the manual says you can use it on a forced-air system to increase run time), but I think it'll still try to maintain the temperature within a tighter window than 2 degrees.

I'm not sure if this is better or worse for fuel economy; a pro would probably have to answer that one.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

You are setting a antisipator by temperature and not by telling us what the numbers are on the settings your setting it on. The scale will be 1.4 down to .1 . Look and see what number your setting it on and we might be able to answer you. You need to be in the range of .3 to .6 . Antisipators are ranged on this scale only and not by temperature.

TURTLE