hvac

[blown99bergerssclo]

does x10 hav e a way to control thermostat?

[dcwolf]

x10 makes a module the you mount below your thermostat that puts out heat to fool it in believing it is hotter than it is. It has a long wire that plugs into a standard outlet and controls the temp in stages (ie 5, 10, 15 degrees). It is a Model TH2807 Set Back Controller I believe it is $20 from x10.com.

[steven r]

x10 makes a module the you mount below your thermostat that puts out heat to fool it in believing it is hotter than it is. It has a long wire that plugs into a standard outlet and controls the temp in stages (ie 5, 10, 15 degrees)....

This is the poor man's approach to thermostat control. (Yes I used one once.) There are accurately X10 signal controllable thermostats but they run well over $100. Personally I find a timed unit from the hardware store to be a much better value.

[Dan Lawrence]

x10 makes a module the you mount below your thermostat that puts out heat to fool it in believing it is hotter than it is. It has a long wire that plugs into a standard outlet and controls the temp in stages (ie 5, 10, 15 degrees)....

This is the poor man's approach to thermostat control. (Yes I used one once.) There are accurately X10 signal controllable thermostats but they run well over $100. Personally I find a timed unit from the hardware store to be a much better value.

Don't forget the House of Sam (aka Wal-Mart) carries programmable thermostats at lower prices than a hardware store.

[steven r]

Don't forget the House of Sam (aka Wal-Mart) carries programmable thermostats at lower prices than a hardware store.

Ahh... An even better value than a $150 X10 interface. 

[blown99bergerssclo]

thanks allot for your input guys. so far i haven't even received my hardware yet though.

[JeffVolp]

There is another method that would work:  Use a X10 Universal Module to connect two ordinary thermostats together.  That is an option if the furnace is controlled by a 2-wire 24V thermostat.

When the Universal Module is off, only the "low temperature" thermostat controls the furnace.  When the Universal Module is on, the "high temperature" thermostat is switched in parallel, and will keep the furnace on until the higher setting is reached.  While this is still somewhat of a kludge, it is certainly cheaper than the X10 thermostats.

Jeff

[Oldtimer]

There is another method that would work:  Use a X10 Universal Module to connect two ordinary thermostats together.  That is an option if the furnace is controlled by a 2-wire 24V thermostat.

When the Universal Module is off, only the "low temperature" thermostat controls the furnace.  When the Universal Module is on, the "high temperature" thermostat is switched in parallel, and will keep the furnace on until the higher setting is reached.  While this is still somewhat of a kludge, it is certainly cheaper than the X10 thermostats.

This is a very neat idea and gets a helpful from me.  However I have to add a caution for anyone thinking of trying this with their programmable thermostat.  I have three LUX model TX9000s in service and the instruction manual that came with them has this warning in it:

"Do not short (jumper) across electric terminals at control on furnace or air conditioner to test system.  This will damage thermostat and void your warranty."

What they are referring to is the fact that some technicians test the furnace by cycling it by shorting the thermostat leads at the furnace.

I don't know the technical reason for this warning since the only connection I'm aware of between the thermostat and the furnace is a contact on a magnetically bi-stable relay.  The thermostat runs off batteries and doesn't take any power from the 24V furnace control wiring.  Perhaps another poster can shed some light on this situation.

In any event read your instruction manual before trying JeffVolp's excellent idea.

[steven r]

..."Do not short (jumper) across electric terminals at control on furnace or air conditioner to test system.  This will damage thermostat and void your warranty."...

I've been considering using a module to just control the fan for a while now and I had thought of doing near the furnace. Now I may go back to the idea of connecting at the thermostat. It will be a bit more trouble to make it look neat at the thermostat but it will likely be easier to find the right wires to connect.