Thermostats can be simple dial- or switch-controlled thermostats, or they can be programmable digital thermostats. Programmable thermostats can be set to raise or lower the house temperature during specific times of the day to keep utility bills in check.
Vintage Dial Mfg SelectaStat II Evaporative Cooler Thermostat 115V NEW $40.00. 50s Vintage Honeywell Chronotherm Art Deco Gold Auto Thermostat Clock TM850AIC1 $44.95. Vintage Honeywell Winter Watchman with Manual and box $17.62.
Wall thermostats typically use AA or AAA alkaline batteries or 3V button-style lithium batteries. The battery of the thermostat keeps your programming saved and prevents your heating and cooling control system from turning off when the power goes out. Change your wall thermostat batteries once a year, or when the low battery indicator appears on the digital display.
February 16, 1978, Page 4 The New York Times Archives BECAUSE most home heating thermostats work for years with little attention, most homeowners tend to turn them up and down when more or less heat is required but otherwise ignore them until they fail to overate at all. How- ever, if a ‘thermostat is old and ineffi. Dent, or if the homeowner does not “use” it the way he should, there a good chance that a considerable amount of fuel is being needlessly wasted. The thermostat functions as the “brain” of the heating system by automatically calling for heat when needed, and then shutting the system down when the desired temperature has been reached. Most homes have one thermostat to control the temperature throughout the house;’ some have heating.system that is divided into zones with a separate thermostat for each zone. However, whether a thermostat controls an entire house or just a couple of rooms, it only senses the temperature of the room in which it is located—or, more accurately, of the immediate area in’ which it is situated. Unless this space is typical of the air temperatures in the rest of!
The temperature indicated on the face of the thermostat is not necessarily the same temperature that will be maintained throughout the other That is why the location of the thermostat is an important factor. It should always be mounted on an inside wall at least 16 inches away from any corner where this inside wall meets an outside one, and about four to five feet above the floor, The. thermostat should never be located near an outside door or window, or where it can be subjected to cold drafts. A cold blast of air will make the thermostat “think” the whole room or house is cold, and it will call for heat when it is not really needed. In a bedrocm, for example, make sure the thermostat is not where drafts from an open window will hit it at night. The newer and better quality thermostats are not only more accurate—they will maintain temperature at more even revel and with less fluctations — they also act faster and have sealed mercury or magnetic switches so that accumulations of dust or lint are no longer a problem.
As a general rule, any thermostat more than 10 cr 15 years old should be suspect and its replacement would be well worth the expense. Another reason to replace an older, conventional model is to install a thermostat that provides for automatic setback each night. Although experts have long recommended turning thermostats down at night—and during the day when no one is at home—the current high prices of fuel and the continual threat of shortages add urgency to the suggestion. Tests indicate that turning the thermostat down 8 to 10 degrees each night can result in sizable fuel savings.
The exact saving varies according to the number of degrees the thermostat is lowered and the outdoor tempera- Lure. As an example, in an area with approximately 5,000 degree days (this would include cities such as New York or Boston), there would be a 3 percent saving for each degree that the thermoareas, the percentage of saving would stat was turned down at night assuming an eight‐hour setback). In warmer be even higher, although the actual dollars saved would not be as much because fuel bills are higher in colder areas.
Although it is entirely possible to achieve these savings by merely turning the thermostat down each night, and then turning it back up again in the morning, all too often the home‐: owner forgets. Another disadvantage is that one waits as long as 30 minutes after resetting the thermostat for the house to warm up again. It is for these reasons that more homeowners are having automatic, clock‐controlled thermostats or similar devices installed. There are, basically, two types. The first is an automatic, clock-controlled thermostat which has a clock. mechanism that turns the thermostat down each night at the same hour (you set the desired hour), then turns it back up again in the morning at the second hour you select. On most models you select the amount of setback by setting one of the controls at the night time setting, and the other at the daytime setting.
Once the clock mechanism has been programmed, the cycle will be repeated every 24 hours automatically. Most clock‐controlled thermostats allow for only one setback period each day (24 hours), but some of the newest allow for two or more setback periods. This is especially useful for working couples or in homes where everyone is out during the day—a second lowering of temperature occurs while the house is unoccupied, yet the timing can be such that the house will be warm again before everyone returns home. Advertisement The second type of thermostat for control of setback is the semi-automaiic type, which has a built‐in interval timer that is spring‐wound. This model requires that you manually turn a dial on the face of the unit each night before retiring. You turn the dial to the number of hours of setback desired; this automatically sets the thermostat down to the lower temperature, and then automatically turns it back up again before you awaken. One advantage of this type of unit is that it is more flexible: The number of hours of setback is easily varied each night.
And, of course, it can be turned down during the day again desired. But you still have to remember to turn it down each night. Changing from a manual to an automatic thermostat can be a fairly simple job that the do-it-yourselfer can safely tackle—assuming he or she is familar with basic wiring techniques and that the model selected requires no additional wiring.
If that is the case, the task involves merely disconnecting the old unit and then reconnecting the new one to the same wires. However, before this is done, make certain that the voltages are the same.
Most thermostats use 24 volts; the new one should be the. same. However, if the old one is a “line voltage” model (the wires carry 110 volts), the new one will have to be the same. Since on most models the electric clock needs extra wires, changing from a manual to a clock‐control model may involve fishing extra wires through the walls,.and this is a job best left for the professional. However, the Chronotherm from Honeywell (T8082A) eliminates this problem—its clock is battery‐powered by a built‐in battery that recharges automatically, so the standard two‐wire, 24‐volt wires that are probably already in place are sufficient. The clock is a highly accurate quartz model, and the unit can be programmed for more than one setback each 24 hours. The interval‐type or dial‐set thermostat that you turn down each night by winding requires no extra wires, so it, too, is.easily installed by the do-it-yourselfer.