Secure (tamper proof) thermostat?

Greetings,

I had this same problem and here is how I solved it.

a) purchase 2 $10 digital thermostats b) install one of the new thermostates INSIDE THE WALL where the existing thermostat is wired to the heater c) patch the wall d) install the other thermostat, a dummy, with dummy wires running to it in front

Hope this helps, William

Greetings,

The locks don't work as well as you might think because they invite tampering. They do work to keep honest people honest but most tenants don't fall into that category.

William

PS: How do you tamper with one?

a) pry it from the drywall if it isn't screwed into a stud, put it back when you are done b) open it by trying a number of different keys until one jiggles it open c) drill a smale hole in the side and use a paper-clip to adjust the "slide-bar" d) shine a bright light on it in summer to make the AC come on e) Peltier Junctions are my favorite but you don't have to worry about most tenants using them

I suspect the batteries are required for the thermostats you mention to operate but that the settings are stored in eeprom.

a) use lithium batteries and it may last 10+ years b) get the type that runs off wall current c) use a ac-dc transformer in place of batteries

If the offender is a tenant who is in the process of eviction wishing to run up your utilities out of spite you won't be able to "teach them". Again, vent holes are a good way to gain access to the unit with a wire of some sort.

Hope this helps, William

PS: If it is in fact your kids you do have bigger problems.

Tell your kids to leave the 'stat alone. Make sure they obey you. If you can't manage those two simple steps... you have much bigger problems than a thermostat.

They do sell locks to place over the meter. Used to use them when we had tenants.

Don't most digital thermostats have batteries in them to maintain memory? Seal it in the wall, once battery dies, you are SOL.

I agree with the other posters- teach the kid or other offender, or buy one of those clear lock-boxes with the vents, to install around the thermostat. Any wall-mount lock-box could be adapted, just drill enough holes for venting, but the clear ones are slightly less ugly. Might have to go to a real supply house, not the big-box, to find one. Or maybe if there is a cover over the buttons, just devise some sort of lockout or seal for that. If you are handy, you could even build a recessed cabinet into the stud space, mount the 'stat in that, and put a locking glass door on the front, like an old-time office fire alarm. Again, be sure to vent it, so the thing gets a true reading of air temp.

aem sends...

what sort of tenants? If it is a roommate/shared housing situation, then cooperation is in order to find a mutually agreeable temprature.

If its not a shared housing situation, what gives you the right to dictate the temprature of your tenants living quarters?

The law here says what the minimum heating temperature is.

Well, we never had any tampering.

Reminds me of a story I heard where the tenants kept an ice pack on the locked thermostat in the winter time to get the house to heat up more. I suppose you could do the reverse with a small space heater blowing on the thermostat in the summer to get the A/C to go colder.

Ken

Legend has it that one guy kept the peace in his family by having two thermostats. One was disconnected, in the living room for his wife to fool with. The real thermostat was hidden away in a closet.

" snipped-for-privacy@wdeans.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

A TS -inside- a wall gets no air circulation around it,and will not work effectively or properly.

"Ken" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Just wrap some Xmas tree lights around it,the older large-bulb sort. Or place one of those halogen lamps near it!

Of course in time the condensation will ruin the lock and thermostat.

Unless the wall is an external wall the only effect might be less frequent cycling. Heat passes quickly and easily through 1/2" drywall.

Mine, Lux 1500 has what you are looking for. Regular residential thermostat, but you can put a code on it.

As long as -you- are paying the energy bill, set it where you want. If the landlord is paying it he has the right to dictate what is a reasonable setting as long as it meets legal standards.

Harry K

" snipped-for-privacy@wdeans.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Right....

Yeah,that's why thermostats have vent slots to allow room air to pass into the casing.

"quickly and easily";wrong,completely wrong.