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Digital thermostats


Leighton Jantz

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Has anyone come across these digital thermostats? Do they prompt you step by step to override and fire up the furnace? I was at a friend of the wife's on the weekend they had what looked like an IPad on the wall in place of the thermostat, looked around on the internet seems like a Lennox icomfort. Are they easy to operate?

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Seems like some of the newer high-tech thermostats are less intuitive than older models. I usually get them to work if i push enough buttons.

If there is nothing apparent to push, just touch the screen. That sometimes brings up the options.

Also, I love the ones where you make you choice and then nothing happens because you forgot to push the "done" button.

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I had this happen yesterday. It was a hot PM in a vacant condo. There are wall-mounted electric fan heaters in every room. I noticed one digital thermostat was blank, but then a little while later it was lit up and giving the room temp 24 C. I ran the heat up to 26.5 C, and went somewhere, came back, checked the heater, yep it was warming up. Went to turn off the heat. Display was now blank, heat stuck on. [:(]

About 15 mins later, the room temp was 26.5 C and the display was back, so I turned the stinkin thing down and went for a tour of the garage. [:)]

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I had this happen yesterday. It was a hot PM in a vacant condo. There are wall-mounted electric fan heaters in every room. I noticed one digital thermostat was blank, but then a little while later it was lit up and giving the room temp 24 C (75 F). I ran the heat up to 26.5 C (80 F), and went somewhere, came back, checked the heater, yep it was warming up. Went to turn off the heat. Display was now blank, heat stuck on. [:(]

About 15 mins later, the room temp was 26.5 C (80 F)and the display was back, so I quickly turned the stinkin thing down and went for a tour of the garage. Wrote it up, replace it. [:)]

Added F conversions fer y'all.
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Every now and then I run into one that I just can't figure out. In those cases, I pull them off the wall and hot-wire the furnace at the circuit board.

White wire to red wire?

Marc

With a simple furnace (or furnace with AC), R terminal to W terminal for heat and R to G for just the blower.

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I'm getting too impatient with age?.. If I can't get the dang thing to work, that is pretty much what I say in my report!

Right on!

Marc

Emergency heat would not come on, heat pump with an older gas furnace backup. I said so, have the owner demonstrate.

Out-of-town buyer paid me to go back and watch the little old lady operate her thermostat. [:)]

"I hold this until it goes off, then I turn this up, then see, I turn it back on, then we wait and see ....."

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And I can tell that how?

I've thought this one over for a while, and realized, there's no telltale sign.

Almost all of the round dial ones heat anticipators, while almost all of the digital ones do not, at least for gas furnaces.

Over time, I've learned to recognize which ones are likely to have heat anticipators, and which ones don't. For jumping during a home inspection, I'd probably just cut power @ the furnace, pull either the red or white, power the furnace back up, and then place the jumpers onto R&W. That would be the safe bet, since not pulling a wire and jumping a 'stat with an anticipator would ruin it.

For anyone not carrying 3 & 5 amp fuses, I'd stay away from jumping a furnace.......

Jim, a gas co. buddy of mine (Darin/ Kaui) has you booked for an inspection in Newberg. The guy is scary smart, so if you have any utility type questions, he'd be a good guy to quiz while you're on site @ The Greens.

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And I can tell that how?

I've thought this one over for a while, and realized, there's no telltale sign.

Almost all of the round dial ones heat anticipators, while almost all of the digital ones do not, at least for gas furnaces.

Over time, I've learned to recognize which ones are likely to have heat anticipators, and which ones don't. For jumping during a home inspection, I'd probably just cut power @ the furnace, pull either the red or white, power the furnace back up, and then place the jumpers onto R&W. That would be the safe bet, since not pulling a wire and jumping a 'stat with an anticipator would ruin it.

I've done that when I can't (or don't want to) pull the stat - when I'm in a crawlspace or attic and don't want to make an extra trip - but I just disconnect the white wire, not both.

For anyone not carrying 3 & 5 amp fuses, I'd stay away from jumping a furnace.......

Jim, a gas co. buddy of mine (Darin/ Kaui) has you booked for an inspection in Newberg. The guy is scary smart, so if you have any utility type questions, he'd be a good guy to quiz while you're on site @ The Greens.

Thanks for the head's up. I'll be sure to save up a few.

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