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The viewpoint applies to virtually everything made since year X
(X being a function of your age)
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I bought the new t-stat I mentioned needing earlier in the thread.
Honeywell. $20 (at HD). Installed in 10 minutes. Done.
Note: I have the common wire they all still need.
This is what you should be focusing on... getting a new t-stat wire run.
Maybe pick a better location to mount it.
I disagree with this. While yeah, an old school mercury thermostat would last forever,
They don't last forever, I had to replace one at my Grandmother's that was 60 years old. She had two and the other one still works. I suspect the one that died had a manufacturing defect.
AFAIK they don't make mercury thermostats anymore. The round Honeywell thermostats that look like the old mercury thermostats are all electronic.
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I fully expect to get at least 10-15 years out of my two nests.
The problem with something like the nest is obsolescence. It could very well be able to function for the next 50 years but you could lose the features like wifi compatibility that make it desirable to begin with. e.g. the software to control it is no longer supported for newer phones.
AFAIK they don't make mercury thermostats anymore. The round Honeywell thermostats that look like the old mercury thermostats are all electronic.
Just bought two of the round Honeywells, and dumped my other two programables. I gotta say they are very accurate, and no bells and whistles. There is always someone home, and the need to keep changing the temps never arises.
It's very cold here, way below average about 13 degrees. The only complaint I have on mine, and this is "my house's fault" not the Nest, is that due to the 19' ceiling great room in my house and open ceiling, the heat from the bottom floor naturally rises upstairs to the somewhat open hallway and makes the upstairs thermostat read a higher temp than it really is. So mine and other bedrooms will be cold unless I jack the temp way up. That's only when it's bitter, bitter cold which isn't the norm here so it's really not a big deal.
Generally you need to move the thermostat. Just did a quick check, I'm surprised they do not have remote sensor for this. If the wall it's on is bedroom wall you could just poke a hole though on the other side to move it to the inside of that bedroom. Of course you will need to patch the wall.
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That said, I think it's stupid that there's literally no way to just "turn the heat on for 10...20 mins", etc. I'm pretty sure you can't do that.
I have no experience with nests myself but that would stop me from buying one. We have 6 zones in the house now and there is plans for 1 more so the cost would be outrageous anyway. We went with the $30 Honeywell programmable thermostats, they have replaceable battery power if you have no C wire. There is 4 time settings for M-f and separate one for Sat-Sun. More expensive models allow for scheduling individual days if you have a odd schedule.
If you simply change the temperature on the thermostat it will override the schedule until it hits next time setting or you can hit the "hold" button and it will override the schedule until you change it back to "run".
Wifi is an interesting feature but honestly I could care less. I'd be much more interested in something that could be paired with the aquastat and pressure/temp gauge.
Just bought two of the round Honeywells, and dumped my other two programables. I gotta say they are very accurate, and no bells and whistles. There is always someone home, and the need to keep changing the temps never arises.
Honeywell has wide line for anyone's needs, for someone like yourself the day/night setting may be all you need/want.
Generally you need to move the thermostat. Just did a quick check, I'm surprised they do not have remote sensor for this. If the wall it's on is bedroom wall you could just poke a hole though on the other side to move it to the inside of that bedroom. Of course you will need to patch the wall.
There are some good thermostats with remote sensors, for example the Ecobee is a WiFi-enabled thermostat with remote.
If you already have Nest and are looking to add a remote sensor, try the "Flair Puck".
I just bought a Nest thermostat and love it so far. I know it has great reviews and customer ratings anywhere I look online. However there are multiple discussion threads I have seen online (especially from a few years ago) where people are suspicious that Nest thermostats are harmful to HVAC systems- prematurely burning out circuitry or fan motors due to how it functions by supposedly switching the equipment on and off often.
So my question is, to anyone out there who is a bit of an HVAC expert and can speak with true knowledge on how these work, is there any truth to this concern? Whether using a C wire or not (using the power stealing method, I believe is what they call it)?
My house is only 4 years old, so obviously my HVAC equipment is quite new and should have many years of life in it yet, so I am a bit paranoid about doing anything such as using the Nest if it's going to cause any trouble at all.
And secondly, if there is a minor threat to the equipment when not using a C wire, would any chance of trouble be resolved by using a C wire? I ask because as I look at the wiring there is one unused blue cable that appears it would be the C wire- so I could probably hook it up (assuming it's hooked up on the other end, in the attic at the furnace itself).
Anyway sorry for being so wordy, and thanks in advance for any information anyone can provide!
If you're so worried, don't take free internet advice. Pay a local HVAC expert who has knowledge in Nest. Remember, you get what you pay for!
Sorry to hear about the frustrating (and expensive) experience!
The more I think about it, the paranoid side of me doesn't want to risk any of this- it's a very cool gadget but not worth having if there is even the smallest chance it will do anything like this to our motors or circuitry. Combined with the fact that I don't appear to have a C wire that is connected on the other end, I am just not going to deal with it.
I started to think as well that this is an expensive piece of electronics that won't last nearly as long as a traditional thermostat. Just like a computer or a smartphone, it'll need replacement within a few short years, costing as much or more than I paid now. That is an expensive cycle for something that is truly just a thermostat. (I should have thought of all of this before buying the device in the first place!)
Mine is going to be returned to Costco this weekend and the trusty basic Honeywell thermostat will get put back in place.
I have not heard of this occurring with other manufacturers smart thermostats, but frankly, though these are cool gadgets especially if you go away frequently and want the house cool when you return, I am very wary of smart anything. Wednesday late afternoon a neighbor of ours had their smart meter that electric companies are forcing on you blow up shooting sparks and fire. Luckily the buildings are stucco so it didn’t catch the house on fire, but the meter and box were burned up and the side of the house has soot damage not to mention it would take a while to fix.
Yeah, repair was expensive, $500 per motor but fortunately we got one replaced under warranty. DH did the installation so we saved on labor.
I have not heard of this occurring with other manufacturers smart thermostats,
I'm not sure any of them can operate without a C wire like the Nest can. All of these issues I've read about with the Nest are related to this feature.
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Originally Posted by AJT123
I mean, you do have a point. I guess we will find out. I'm pretty confident, though, that mine will last a long time. At least long enough to feel they're worth the money, and certainly as long or longer than any other standard digital thermostat.
I've never, ever heard of anyone having any issues with a Nest, and I think honestly the problem is the wiring, etc. with these posters (in other words, it's not the Nest). Ours both work flawlessly and were a cinch to install. Love that we got that cute screwdriver out of it.
It's very cold here, way below average about 13 degrees. The only complaint I have on mine, and this is "my house's fault" not the Nest, is that due to the 19' ceiling great room in my house and open ceiling, the heat from the bottom floor naturally rises upstairs to the somewhat open hallway and makes the upstairs thermostat read a higher temp than it really is. So mine and other bedrooms will be cold unless I jack the temp way up. That's only when it's bitter, bitter cold which isn't the norm here so it's really not a big deal.
That said, I think it's stupid that there's literally no way to just "turn the heat on for 10...20 mins", etc. I'm pretty sure you can't do that.
But otherwise I absolutely LOVE the Nest and can't imagine my life (or house) without it!
One place that we lived in had a fireplace. When we used the fireplace the thermostat would register how warm that room was and wouldn't kick on. The upstairs would get very cold. To solve this, I placed a washcloth to cover the whole thermostat and it blocked the warm air from reaching the temp gauge.
Problem solved. A bit messy looking but it worked.
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thermostats with remote sensors
