Hunter (44550) thermostat makes noise when I press the light bar

[dingler44]

I bought and installed one about a week ago and it's doing a great job of controlling the furnace and temperature. But I discovered that when I press the light bar on the left side of the devices, a quiet and high pitched tone is emitted.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be result of a bad component? Bad soldering? When I first opened the thermostat up I wasn't terribly impressed w/ the workmanship of component mounting on the circuit board.

The other question is of course - is this just normal and expected operation of the device? I suppose I could call/email Hunter too! But I do love talking to the "Internet." :)

Jim

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I agree. It's best to ask questions like this on the internet, where you are least likely to find a solution to the problem. Never call the manufacturer, even though it's free and might result in the quickest results, especially if the unit is still under warranty.

[dingler44]

Impressive. This is why it's so much fun!

[Clark]

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:nff5j.21869$ [e-mail]:

Whatever you do, don't share knowledge.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I once called Intermatic to complain about two of their in-wall timers failing with a CF bulb. The person said "Sorry...yeah...we're finding out there's a problem with that model, and we don't have a solution yet. You can get a refund at Home Depot, or we'll send you a replacement, if you can use it with a regular bulb for now". I opted for a replacement, and they told me to throw away the failed unit. Over a year later, out of the blue, they sent a new model that works with CF bulbs.

I wonder if I would've gotten the same results if my FIRST stop had been an online discussion group. It's good to share information, but if you want results, the best idea seems to be the most direct path. Just my opinion.

[Clark]

[e-mail] wrote in news:dcbbc519-df81-4578-9bd9- [e-mail]:

Yup, the Hunter's appear to be cheaply made units. I have three of them and they all hum just like all the other Indiglo devices I have. They also do their jobs quite well so I'm not worried about the appearance.

Googling Indiglo and looking around a bit it turns out that the light is generated by electroluminescence. The system requires AC and more than 100 volts. The electroluminescence light source is essentially an AC capicitor so perhaps that is generating the noise.

[Ken]

It sometimes is nice to know before calling the manufacturer if others are also encountering the same problem.

[Clark]

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in news:p6g5j.21874$ [e-mail]:

How exactly would sharing the problem with other folks change the result of your call to the manufacturer?

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Admittedly, my attitude is based on having seen discussion which lasted a day or three or four, and finally, at the end, the OP said "Yeah, I guess maybe I should call the manufacturer. It's under warranty anyway." Duh.

Wouldn't calling the manufacturer first have been better than wading through

75 messages for 4 days?

My theory: Many people have some sort of strange fear of calling corporations.

[dingler44]

Interesting, thanks for the info!

[Joe]

Maybe the reason for that is the wretched automated menus starting with, "press 1 for English...press 2 for Swahili...press 3 for Esperanto....press 23## if you know your client's extension...or stay on the line and an operator will be with your shortly..sometime this year."

Joe

[Clark]

Joe wrote in news:3ded9872-3038-4f46-8fa7-63e519712128 @s8g2000prg.googlegroups.com:

I hate those poorly designed/implemented auto-attendents. But what makes it really bad is when you finally get through to a real person, you find that they are trained to be less than helpful for any question that isn't in the top level of their knowledge base.

[Jim Elbrecht]

I hate the phone. but I've gotta plug these folks. I called Whirpool's 800 number for an old washing machine whose manual didn't show up in their online files.

Got a real live *english speaking* person on the second ring. They asked what I needed & directed me to another operator. She apologized about the shape of their online files- and emailed me a pdf. I had the pdf less than 4 minutes from when I dialed the phone.

OTOH- Moen, Dell, Walmart, and a few others have frustrated me to distraction.

Jim

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I called GE once when I was a new homeowner trying to understand some strange washing maching symptoms and noises. Got some guy in TN or KY who told me to turn the control to the wash cycle and hold the phone near the machine. He listened and said "It's the transmission." He gave me the phone numbers & addresses of 3 parts places in my town, and told me a few of the tools I'd need to do the work. I was amazed.

Moen was equally good. They sent me a free shower faucet part that failed due to debris in the water supply. Not their fault at all, but they sent the part anyway.