I recently tossed smoke and CO alarms with irreplaceable batteries. I replaced them with detectors with replaceable AA batteries.
New thermostat for my heat pump is like a little computer and I can connect it by wifi with my cell phone and change it from anywhere. Powered by house current but who knows how long it may last.
I suggest you give it a try. How much will you lose?
It's either that or buy a modern thermostat.
I'll admit I don't get the benefit of my programmable thermostat now that I'm retired. But it doesn't bother me. I wonder what T's problem is. (I've been wondering that for years, of course.)
There is one little caveat inthe description - MERCURY FREE - all the ones I've been aquainted with were the "mechanical" mercury type and had no back-light. The battery on the new ones appears to be a "lifetime" non serviceable battery
My father was a dentist and when I was about 7, he brought me home a little bottle of mercury. Maybe 10 cc's. I still have it. I used to play with the mercury and get it on my hands, in my fingerprints. If anyone feels that some of my posts didnt' make sense, that's why.
Yeah, what's wrong with ebay. I've bought 20 or 30 things from them and they all arrive and they all work. Even the ones from China.
There was a problem about 20 years ago. I'd just bought a laptop and when I was abroad, I decided it needed a new battery. So I was buying a battery from Hong Kong and shipping it to Europe, even though I lived in the US. That must have bothered me so they cancelled the order, suspended my account, and didn't bother to write me to tell me that. When 3 weeks weeks went by and it didn't come I had to call them, and I borrowed an account from another guy, and the battery came one day before I was going back to the US. But they never charged me for something they didn't send. And if you're not moving around, none of my story would be a problem.
$25.69
My wife was able to find a
vintage robertshaw room thermostat model 260d-1, brand new n box
on fleebay.
When I can't find something, she searches and when she can't find them, I search. It is amazing how well that works. Different brain architectures male and female. (It helps to have an ultra feminine, highly intelligent, traditional wife.)
So we will see. A lot cheaper than that $95 and a service call scam. And I bet the $95 one has a hidden battery too.
We played with mercury, as young kids. I forget where we got it - thermometers, thermostats, car trunk light switches, .. possibly other sources ? We knew it was poisonous but it was neat to roll around in the palm of your hand .. 9 year olds are immortal .. John T.
Someone posted a Graingers link that seemed to have a couple of robert shaw old-school models .. new. John T.
Did not see it. Would you copy and paste it?
yep.
I still have a vial of the stuff and I add a bit every time I dispose of a mercury switch
Thank you!
be sold in the U.S. Where did you buy them?
I don't think so. I just bought one of these:
Bought from Amazon.
But you might be right about CO detectors. The same one that came with a separate battery now comes with the battery built in. Says good for
10 years. I can no more take the battery out for the 6 months I don't run the furnace, to try to make it 20 years. (Did that work?)
That was an AC detector with a backup battery. I unplugged it but then it would beep so I took the battery out for 6 months. Did that work to double the length the detector lasted? (I still have an AC smoke detector that is 44 years old and it works well.)
My error thinking it was a Federal law. However, where I live (Montgomery County, MD) county law bans the sale of smoke alarms with replaceable batteries. So does the State of California and perhaps some other jurisdictions as well. Quite a few states require the 10 year non-replaceable battery or hard wired power in older homes. Mix and match alternatives in some states (either 10 yr. battery or hard wired for all residential properties regardless of age). See:
The stickler is even the hardwired ones the sensor cell has a limited lifespan and are SUPPOSED to be replaced every 10 years
The majority of research found on this subject emanates from the US. The US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have issued NFPA Standard 72, National Fire Alarm and Signalling Code, which states that all smoke alarms (including alarms that use 10 year batteries, and those that are hard wired) should be replaced when they are ten years old, or sooner if they don't respond properly when tested.
US fire safety websites, along with those in the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, tend to recommend the replacement of domestic smoke alarms, whether battery or mains-wired, when they:
Fail to respond to tests Are ten years old (varying between date of installation and manufacture)
Our condo requires that our building engineer install the hard wired smoke alarms that are in every unit. That office keeps a record of the installation date and automatically changes each one at it's 10 year anniversary. We pay for the alarm, but the condo gets a good price and we pay only about $15, including removal/recycling of the old ones and installation of the new one.
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