HVAC thermostats

[_RaT_]

I need to find a HVAC thermostat for our association clubhouse that will:

1. Limit the heating to no more then 70 deg.
2. or limit the time on to about 1 hour or so of being on.
3. still offer winter freeze protection (which is rare)


Problem is, folks that use the club house often turn the thermostat to 83 deg heat which is its max and then they never turn it off after they leave. Any suggestions on how to deal with heating a public facility like this? I was thinking a 60 minute timer they turn manually but how would that offer winter freeze protection? The same of course would apply to summer AC costs but obviously we would not need freeze protection.

 

[Birdhunter1]

You could just put a lockable thermostat cover over it.

Other than that a progammable thermostat, with a locking cover.

 

[gsganzer]

Rat,
With most programmable thermostats, you can program about 4 - 8 different time/temperature settings. Program all 4-8 settings, space the time out every few hours, with the same temperature. When someone overrides the current heat setting, it will maintain that temperature only until the next setting in the program. In the above case, the temperature would revert back to what you programmed.

Try to find a programmable thermostat that has as many events as possible. Also make sure that the override only maintains that temperature until the next program setting. There's a few models that might not default back to the program if someone did a temperature override.

 

[_RaT_]

You could just put a lockable thermostat cover over it.

Other than that a progammable thermostat, with a locking cover.

We have to allow them to turn it on. Very rarely is there someone there to do this. We leave it set to the lowest setting, 45 degrees.

 

[_RaT_]

Rat,
With most programmable thermostats, you can program about 4 - 8 different time/temperature settings. Program all 4-8 settings, space the time out every few hours, with the same temperature. When someone overrides the current heat setting, it will maintain that temperature only until the next setting in the program. In the above case, the temperature would revert back to what you programmed.

Try to find a programmable thermostat that has as many events as possible. Also make sure that the override only maintains that temperature until the next program setting. There's a few models that might not default back to the program if someone did a temperature override.

I think your right. Have the heat set to 45 degs but they do the manual override until the next 45 deg set point kicks in. That would be in a few hours depending on the number of programs. Thanks.

 

[LarryD]

Take the thermostat and move it to an out-of-sight place.

Then install one on the wall that doesn't do anything...

Ok, I know this doesn't help but I couldn't resist.

 

[Thomas]

Morning RaT.
I have you check the back of the thermostat which you have now,for some thermostats like older style Honeywell you can make adjustments on the high side.,but I do agree w/others about locking it.

 

[Highbeam]

I'll have to share with you folks a little trick. If I want the furnace to heat the room and some bozo puts one of those clear plastic locked covers over the thrermostat then I have found a solution.

Maybe your visitors won't get so annoyed with the lock box but I see it as a challenge.




the trick


Put a bag of ice on top of the plastic lock box. The cold air from the ice cascades over the thermostat which keeps the furnace running until meltdown. Very effective. Buhahahahaaa

 

[Sigarms]

Look at the Honeywell Vision Pro 8000 series t-stats.

Seven day (independent days) programable, with four time settings per day. This will work for your needs, I assure you (although you do need to physically program it before hand, unless you want to go with a telephone access system).

You can also set minimum and maximum temperature settings for heating and air conditioning which the t-stat will control along with your program for each individual day.

Little more money, and you could go with a telephone access system (then again, not being sarcastic, $60 may be more than the budget, and yes, a system as I've mentioned would run considerably higher in cost).

You don't mention how often someone who could have "control" is at the club. How do people enter what I would consider to be a "locked building"? Is there anyone there on a weekly basis?

Then you also have to consider how many people will be at the club. Load requirements are higher on the cooling side depending on the amount of people and what activities they will be participating in. By the same token on the heating side, the more people involved, the less the temp setting for heat.

What type of system? A/C with Gas/LP? or heat pump? Not that it matters, just curious

Highbeam, honestly, go through all of that? I'd just leave the dang building. There is a much easier way (hint, involves a screwdriver).

Ok I don't read. Vary rarely is someone there, set to 45 degrees. Worse case scenerio with the t-stat I've mentioned...say someone is using the building on Thursday at 6pm. You set the t-stat any day, keep it at 45 minimum on the heating (and say 85 for a/c), then on Thursady at 6pm, you set it for say 72 degrees (per the t-stat setting). You know the people will be there until 11 pm for that night. You set the t-stat to go back to 45 degrees at 11:15pm, and every thursday, for those three hours, the building will be 72 degrees for those three hours until someone can change the t-stat (remember, this t-stat has a lockout on it, so a lock box is not nessesary). Only other way that I know of is again by telephone access, which would probably be more than you want to pay.

Just be glad you don't have a two story gunclub with an oversize twinned gas furnace system with a/c set up in the basement below grade with an undersize a/c system, where most of the people spend most of the time during the hot day on the second floor (above grade, less decent insulation) playing bingo and complain that it's too hot! The grass is always greener.

 

[_RaT_]

Look at the Honeywell Vision Pro 8000 series t-stats.

Seven day (independent days) programable, with four time settings per day. This will work for your needs, I assure you (although you do need to physically program it before hand, unless you want to go with a telephone access system).

You can also set minimum and maximum temperature settings for heating and air conditioning which the t-stat will control along with your program for each individual day.

Little more money, and you could go with a telephone access system (then again, not being sarcastic, $60 may be more than the budget, and yes, a system as I've mentioned would run considerably higher in cost).

You don't mention how often someone who could have "control" is at the club. How do people enter what I would consider to be a "locked building"? Is there anyone there on a weekly basis?

Then you also have to consider how many people will be at the club. Load requirements are higher on the cooling side depending on the amount of people and what activities they will be participating in. By the same token on the heating side, the more people involved, the less the temp setting for heat.

What type of system? A/C with Gas/LP? or heat pump? Not that it matters, just curious

Highbeam, honestly, go through all of that? I'd just leave the dang building. There is a much easier way (hint, involves a screwdriver).

Ok I don't read. Vary rarely is someone there, set to 45 degrees. Worse case scenerio with the t-stat I've mentioned...say someone is using the building on Thursday at 6pm. You set the t-stat any day, keep it at 45 minimum on the heating (and say 85 for a/c), then on Thursady at 6pm, you set it for say 72 degrees (per the t-stat setting). You know the people will be there until 11 pm for that night. You set the t-stat to go back to 45 degrees at 11:15pm, and every thursday, for those three hours, the building will be 72 degrees for those three hours until someone can change the t-stat (remember, this t-stat has a lockout on it, so a lock box is not nessesary). Only other way that I know of is again by telephone access, which would probably be more than you want to pay.

Just be glad you don't have a two story gunclub with an oversize twinned gas furnace system with a/c set up in the basement below grade with an undersize a/c system, where most of the people spend most of the time during the hot day on the second floor (above grade, less decent insulation) playing bingo and complain that it's too hot! The grass is always greener.

Thanks for all the comments. I think I will consider a 4 hour spring wound timer as a way of allowing the thermostat to operate. The question is, exactly which wires for the split system gas heat and electric AC would end up getting connected to the timer. Would I need a two pole timer like the single gang ones Intermatic makes. I think four hours would be plenty and of course allow anyone who uses the building to rewind the timer as needed. I am pretty sure the timer would come in after the thermostat made contact either for heat or AC. I still want a thermostat with temperature limits.