thermostat anticipator

I got a new thermostat - a cheap Honeywell (a builder installed it). I find the house gets too cold before the furnaces switches "on". And, the furnace switches "off" before the house reaches the set temperature. I think I need to adjust the anticipator. Could anyone help me?

Thanks

Reply to
///Owen\\\
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What model #?. Is it digital? Some of the newer digital T-stats do not have heat anticipator settings.

Reply to
Mikepier

the anticipator creates a small amount of heat in the thermostat when the furnace is on..

but it cannont help for your first problem,,, that sounds like the temperature setpoint needs to be adjusted...

the anticpaitor can adjeust the amount of difference in degrees between heat on and heat off...

but per your description, the difference is ok, its just that both are too cold...

so first try to adjust the temperature calibration, after the turn on is working correctly then we can talk about the anticipator to adjust the turn off.

Mark

Reply to
Mark

Is it the ultra-basic little round one?

Their thermometers are often way off. For a given setpoint, the temp at which the mercury switch actually makes is highly dependent on how you mount the stat on the wall- turn it a few degrees and all bets are off.

I'd suggest monitoring the actual temp with an accurate thermometer- couple bucks for various types at most plumbing/hvac suppliers. Maybe Radio Shack? Then see if the stat's behavior is consistent, and vary its set point to match what you want, as accurately measured.

Is your stat locked or something, that you might not be able to change setting? Extra sweater is much less wasteful than burning oil, besides. :') J

Reply to
barry

The advantage to the round ones, you can 'calibrate' it by rotating the whole darn thing slightly to move the _actual_ setpoint up or down relative to the _indicated_ setpoint.

Well, you can do that with any merc-switch thermostat, but the rectangular ones look a little silly cocked sideways...

Dave

Reply to
spamTHISbrp

in older simpler days, heat anticipator setting asking you to set it at the gas valve amperage. see honeywell's thermostat wizard at:

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Reply to
buffalobill

No you don't, it sounds like it works fine just the index is wrong, i.e, 68 degrees on the setting is actually 65 degrees or so.

However, if you really want a better thermostat get the $39 Honeywell digital (Lowes has them on sale but shows the wrong picture, it is really a rectangle). I've had mine for over 6 years and it would keep the temp at the thermostat within one degree on an electric furnace and now on a gas furnace.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Builders dont install em..they just want cheap..so the installers put em in... If its a T87 Round One..its the best thermostat Honeywells built..period...if its out of calibration, teh little tool they have makes it a simple thing to adjust..

Your problems NOT in the anticipation setting. Bet that suckers a mercury switch round unit, and its not level....yes..there are level indicators on it...take the outher ring off, take the stat off..three screws recessed in it..and at the top of the sub base there are two t*ts that are for placing a level across...right below the fan and mode switches.

Reply to
CBHVAC

Hi CB. A few years back I ran into something wierd on three T87's. Somethng happened to the mercury in the bulb-- instead of being a shiny silver, it was a grey that looked more llike molten lead, and flowed like lead. Normally, as soon as the bulb moves just past level the mercury rolls freely to the lower side. In these cases, the mercury wouldn't move either way until the bulb was at damn near a 45 deg angle. For the amount of temperature control that gave, they were more of a toggle switch than a thermostat. The first one I saw was on a wall heater. I had installed the stat the fall before, so it was replaced under warranty. The other 2 were on central a/c-- age unknown, probably

5- 10 y/o. Both of those calls were in a/c season as I recall. Funny, never seen anything like that on any other mercury bulb stat, and never seen another one since the last of those three, about 7 years ago more or less. Larry
Reply to
lp13-30

If you want increased efficiency with gas and oil furnace heating you are better off without close tolerance heat anticipator settings, as keeping the temp variation close causes more cycles with increased energy losses while the heat exchanger(s) are heating up.

Longer, but fewer, run-times will increase efficiency. If your family dresses a little warmer they won't notice the temp variation. I keep the temp low and the run cycles are very long with a lot fewer cycles. (Experiment a little.)

- udarrell

Reply to
udarrell

This is Turtle.

I do remember this problem but mine was on a White Rogers Rectangle standard gas / Electic combo type WRXXXX444 thermostat. this was on a new one out of the Box on about 3 of them about 15 years ago. they would wait for ever to switch then when they did switch they would bounce back and forth and short cycle the compressor with out a time delay on the compressor. the reason they were doing this as persay the Factory Rep. they had put too much mercury in the bulb which would make it really fly over when it did switch. The Warehouse had about 2 Gross of them they sent back to be replaced. This is the only time in my life i ever seen this.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

This is Turtle.

If you would like. Give a picture or a model number of this thermostat and i will get with you on setting the antisipator. you may e-mail me or post here but you need to know first what type system you have and what thermostat you have. You could have the wrong thermostat for the system you have. Post or E-mail this and get started. Now some here may want to bull you here so watch what you get into with. My E-mail Addy here is good.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

I had a few of those too. Temps were way off. Yanked em and replaced em. All was well again. Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

Why dont you simply tell him that he needs to look on his gas valve, read the anticipator setting posted on it, and then, remove the round cover of the stat, look on the anticipator, and slide the pointer to the same location?

Even you can do it.

Reply to
CBHVAC

Ran into maybe three total like that...one wasnt in a Honeywell..it was some cheapy china thing that looked like a Robertshaw, but was WAAAAY cheaper. I like the T87s, but at least with a digital higher quality stat, you can eliminate alot of issues down the road.

On another odd note, had a good customer of mine call this morning..has a Payne unit that so far has about been rebuilt, but he wont replace it..yet.. Said what was going on, was his nice "high quality" Totaline stat was reading AUX no matter how he turned the heat on.. SWORE the outside unit was running. Long story short, outside wasnt running. Compressor lead had broken loose and was rubbing on the suction line on the heat pump..insulation wore off, tripped the breaker, and the resulting hole, of course, tripped the LP switch.....damndest thing I had seen so far this year. Once it was repaired, vac;d, charged, and running, no more AUX...Im still trying to figure out how it was knowing the comp was out, yet, no L wire, and thus, no feedback to the stat.

Reply to
CBHVAC

Thanks, TURTLE - I've replaced the new thermostat with the original one (Honeywell t86a 3006) because I can set the temp when it's dark. I have a Lennox G27M(X)-1 furnace.

There are two wires coming out of the wall to the thermostat which I'd like to replace with a digital programmable one.... nothing fancy.... my wife wants to wake to a warm house. Any suggestions

thanks

John

Reply to
///Owen\\\

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