setback thermostats

[LG1247]

I have a honeywell clock type setback thermostat w/ timer wheel and pegs. The system is forced hot air (gas) 10 year old Bryant 80% furnace. I tried to install a newer digital setback type stat and ran into a situation I did'nt like. With the old style stat the heat would stay off after reaching the desired temp for a reasonable amount of time( variable) depending on how cold it was outside. The new digital stat continually short cycled to keep temp constant, so the furnace was starting up within a couple minutes of shutting down. The old stat with the heat anticipator and burner control adjustment does not cycle nearly as much and would stay off for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. The new digital type would seem to wear out the furnace and parts prematurely by continuing to cycle in such a short time.

Is there an adjustment with the digital stats to control the duration the heat is off before starting the heat up again or is the stat designed to constantly hold the temp at the set level? Thanks in advance, this is a great group. LG

[m Ransley]

Sure there is an adjustment if it is a quality stat, read the manual. You dont say what you bought. But my Lux was set for to close a spread also. It should be easily programable, read the manual.

[HeatMan]

What brand of thermostat is it?

Some brands do not have an anticipator. Other brands use the cycle per hour instead of anticipation...

[George C. Fahrlender]

Most digital thermostats have a switch that sets the temp drop before the system cycles on. Some are 1/2 degree, 1 degree or 2 degrees or similiar. Set to a higher temp differential.

[SQLit]

Not being able to verify anything, Maybe you do not have the right thermostat. Stats have to be matched to the equipment. I.E. heat pump applications usually require an special sub base to be installed.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to replace my mechanical thermostat ( heating and cooling ) with a new-fangled electronic set-back unit.

I like the idea of automatically turning back the temp every night.

Home Depot has a "Rite-Temp" LOWES has a "Hunter-Energy Star" Both in the same price range.

Has anyone had any experience with either unit ?

[ClaudCar]

wireless remote controlled ones too! programmable for 4 times a day/weekend.

[HeatMan]

Yeah, Most people think they are both junk.....

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

Leave these Hunter and Rite-Temp thermostats alone. Look up at these stores or other places for real thermostats that will hold up to time. Try to get these names atleast wrote on them. Homeywell, White Rogers, Robert Shaw, or maybe even a Maple-chase .

One thing for sure Hunter makes the worst proforming thermostats known to man. Now I have seen some Rite-Temp last for a while.

TURTLE

[LG1247]

It was a Honeywell CT3200 digital and my old stat was a Honeywell T8182A.

LG

[Reed]

snip

Installed a Hunter from Lowes last month. Seems to do the job. Easy enough to install. Not thrilled it needs 2 AA batts. Hunter claims they last a year. (So change them same time as smoke alarms ??) Using the default 60/68 deg program right now. Seems to hold the house temp more constant at either temp than the old Honeywell round mechanical unit did.

--reed

[LG1247]

I checked the manual and baseplate and could not find this setting for the honeywell CT3200 stat.

LG

[xrongor]

some units let you adjust the operating range. you can set it for a tighter control (heater goes on and off more often for shorter periods of time) or visa versa.

randy

[m Ransley]

As Turtle said get quality, I have 2 Lux stats and am not totaly happy with a few problems

[twfsa]

Set backs are ok in thewinter but hard to estimate the temps in the summer.In the winter you can figure its going to be 30 degs for a high who knows in the summer what the weather will do.

Tom

[Alan]

What difference does the outside temperature make?

[willshak]

The batteries are to hold the settings in the case of a power failure, else you would have to set them every time the power came back on.

[Steve B.]

Actually the Hunter uses battery power for the clock and relays. They do this to avoid the need for a C or common wire back to the transformer as mechanical thermostats don't need one and many homes don't have an extra wire to use.

Steve B.

[Minnie Bannister]

I just bought a Honeywell CT3600 "smart" thermostat, which I thought would be an improvement on our current White-Rodgers 1F81-261.

BUT when I looked at the wiring diagram and compared it with the current connections, I concluded that our present system has two-stage heating, for which the CT3600 is not suitable.

Looking at the installation instructions for the furnace, I see that it is possible to configure it for use with a single-stage thermostat, but am I correct in thinking that this would be a bad move?

Honeywell does not seem to offer any of its "fancier" thermostats for DIYers, and AFAICS White-Rodgers does not sell to DIYers at all.

Is there anything that would be an improvement on our current 1F81-261? I see that it is a comparatively recent model. It was in the house already when we moved in a year ago, but I thought perhaps we could improve on it.

MB

On 11/03/04 10:15 pm TURTLE put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace:

[HeatMan]

Don't know anything about a CT3200. Honeywell site says it's a retail thermostat. Talk to the sales monkey where you bought it.