Haven’t done a extensive search for this yet, and maybe someone can help me so I don’t have to. I’m looking for a thermostat that will allow me to set tempatures in the 40 to 45 degree range. 55 to 60 is the lowest I can find. While working on my house, I don’t want to keep the heat up. Just want to prevent the pipes from freezing.
Don
Replies
If you can just use a little space heater to keep your pipes from freezing, there's a simple way to do this. Many of the hardware stores around here carry a 3 plug adapter, you plug it into an outlet, plug your heater into it. It has a built in thermostat that turns on at 40 deg or so and off about 45. I think they're about 15 bucks.
Sounds like your heating the whole house w/ a furnace. Not sure how to do that. Use a programable and only let the furnace run for short periods of time a few times a day. Could work w/ some experimentation and a space heater on a freeze plug as a backup.
Good luck and Merry Christmas
Bill
If the house is insulated and weather sealed, it shouldn't cool off too fast. Could you run it up to 75 or 80 just before you leave, turn off the furnace and let it coast through the night?
The idea of an electric heater wouldn't work unless I wanted them all over the house. As for shutting the furnace off, I'm gone for extended periods too often. I'd just like to find a thermostat that allows for lower temperatures, but now after searching, I'm not sure anyone makes one.
Don
BTW---sorry for the spelling errors.
Edited 12/24/2002 4:45:18 PM ET by Don C.
They are made, but it's not something that's going to be at your local hardware store... there are two possibilities that I know of. My local HVAC supply carries a temporary work site thermostat that is nothing more than a thermocouple or thermal switch with two leads, on/off at a certain temp... whether they go as low as 45 degrees I don't know.
The other possiblity is an outdoor thermostat that is capable of being wired in a normally open or normally closed position. I know there is a such a control because I have used them before... but I'm not sure who makes them. You could try Grainger. I got one for relatively cheap from my heating supplier.
Don,
http://WWW.TEMP-stat.com. try part # ts41 I think this would be for 41 degree start. The phone # is 317-788-6800 (Indianapolis, In.
Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic! That's what I want and I'll call Thursday. Happy Holidays to you also.
Don
Hey guys, Merry Christmas. Finally I've been a lurker too long. Here's a problem with an easy solution. Take a mercury bulb thermostat, mount at an angle, presto, make it come on at any temp you need, just increase the out of level.
Rick.
Keev,
Never knew that would work. Which way do you go????
Don
Hold stat on the wall, cover off, watch the mercury bubble, pretty easy,
Good luck. Rick
Don,
I'm a bit baffled by this post. Here in northern Illinois I can walk into Menard's or any HVAC joint and buy your basic round Honeywell mercury bulb thermostat that bottoms out at 45°…..or at least I could last winter and I somehow doubt that's changed. I haven't looked for these things at HD or Lowe's cause I seldom visit the places. My neighbor's got a Honeywell that ranges 40° - 64° in his shop.
Tipping the mount a bit as suggested would definitely work too if a higher range job is all you can find.
First place I looked was Lowes. They didn't have anything below 55 degrees and none of the old round ones at all. I've tried most of the local hardware stores with no luck either. The closest Manard's that I know of is about 500 miles away in Marquette, MI. May be many closer, but not that I know of. Generally don't go to HD. All of them that I've been to are a mess and I just don't enjoy going into them. Really I think if you look at what is available a little closer, you'll see that going down to 40 or 45 degrees is not all that common. It does explain why the link given has one that they call a "warehouse" thermostat.
Don
Don,
I did look close as it's hanging here on the wall. Had to replace this one last winter and ..............we've replaced a few or people as well as those we mounted in new additions supplied by the HVAC contractor. Yea, I've seen those that bottom at 55.
That's what we mounted for the RF in an addtion last year after we had finished the walls.
Say the word and I'll check into this tomorrow cause I'll probably be going to Menard's anyway. I'm not sure how it would fare in the mail, but I'm game if you are.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
The White-Rogers automatic setback units in my house go down to 45.
Well it seems that the only reason I can't find one is they just aren't in the inventories around here that I've found. GoldHiller, thanks for the offer, but I'll handle this in some way.
Don
Don,
Hope you're successful in your search. I had another ace up my sleeve if needed. You see, Honeywell (semi-recently purchased by Allied) is about six miles from here in town and I have friends there (both white and blue collared) who'd be more than happy to get me most anything they make. Friends in the right places are most helpful at times.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Well now, if you can pull that one off, I'd be willing to give it a shot! 8-)
Don
Don,
I'll see what I can turn up tomorrow during my travels and let you know.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
Don,
Here's the deal. I found the thermostats hanging on the peg in Farm & Fleet this morning. As that was my first stop of the day, I didn't bother looking at Menards (although I know they'll be there and probably for a couple bucks less) and I won't have to call in the backup troops for this one. They have the basic round mercury bulb Honeywell in two styles…….. Single function (heating only) for $29.99 and the dual function (heating and AC combo) for $39.99. Temperature range on both of these units is 45° - 88°.
Your call…. needless to say,…….. but if you can't come up with what you want/need on your end ….drop me an e-mail thru the board here .
You've no doubt figured out that while you can tip a thermostat mounting to get operation outside of the normal scale ……….the temperature setting then never reads correctly.
I can't figure out why these would be so seemingly unavailable where you are. Strange world sometimes, I guess.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
I thought I'd wait to see what happened with the inside track to honeywell, but I'll find one. I was in a couple of hardware stores today, and same thing. Actually only saw a couple that weren't programable digitals. Nothing on the programables to indicate operating range, and didn't take the time to find out.
Don
HD carries a programable that goes down to 45 degrees, I cant remember the brand but I do own one and it's in my cabin set at 45.
Just bought and installed a RiteTemp digital from HD--about $21. Had to put batteries in it to find out, but it goes down to 45 degrees. Replaced a VERY old magnetic thermostat that had been bodged by who knows how many in the past. Ended up needing their tech assistance and found him to be BY FAR the nicest I've ever talked to. (Also found a round style at ACE that went down to 40 degrees.)
HTH
Thon
A-TEMNC is a part from Hoffman Enclosures that has a setpoint range from 30 to 140degrees fahrenheit. It is made for space heaters in electrical enclosures that keep an electrical control panel from getting too cold. It would be a natural for this application.
This is simple as dirt and you could adjust it when you got to the worksite to make the place liveable when you got there rather than having a constant setpoint like the unit listed above.
They sell for about 30 bucks normally. the contacts inside are 15 amp at 120 volt so you could even use it for space heating or pipe wrap control...
A-TEMNC is a normally closed contact version. for heaters
A-TEMNO is a normally open version made for airconditioning.
http://www.hoffmanonline.com/
Is a link to their website. just look under :
Products,
Catalogs
Thermal management
9.44 Temperature control switch.
(There are thousands of distributors in the US.)
Don,
Honeywell CT500 digital non-programmable thermostat goes down to least 40F and requires no batteries. Batteries don't last long in colder environments so this is a good feature. It works with all typical heating systems as well.
I use them in my barn that I maintain in the low 40s.
Seth
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
Don't know if yours is the same, but the RiteTemp people advised me that if the power goes out, when it comes back on, the temp automatically goes to 70. Batteries stop this from happening. It's also able to be easily changed internally, if you don't have a seperate 24v power wire, to (mostly?) use non-battery power. Was told batteries should last about 4 years, in that mode.
Thon
Thon,
I'm pretty sure the CT500 maintains settings even when power is off. I have two of them on the same forced-air furnace in two different floors of my barn (not a two zone configuration). I keep both of them set independently. When #1 calls for service #2 is cut from power and goes blank until the furnace stops running for #1. When #2 comes back up it's still set for the correct temperature and can call for service independently. I've never had to reset it. This system allows me to maintain a base temperature in both areas, but by setting them differently I can prioritize my heat needs.
Not related, but when I change from HEAT to OFF and back, the earlier setting is erased and it needs to be reset. But this isn't related to a power issue. It seems more part of the programming within the unit.
Good luck.
Seth
"Nothing is a
mistake. There is no win
and there is no fail . . . there is only
make."
John Cage
Don,
I didn't take the time to read the other 25 posts, so maybe this has been covered, but White -Rogers model 1E30-329 has a range of 40 - 80 degF, costs about $20 and requires no batteries. No frills, bells or whistles, Heat only.
Tim