Thermostats - settings

[jayhawkRoy]

A couple of thoughts.
1. Some of these thermostats can be adjusted so that your +/-1 degree or so can be changed. Check out your owner's manual for info.
2. When we had a natural gas furnace, we were comfortable offsetting the thermostat about ten degrees when the house was not occupied or at night when we were all asleep.

I would expect that size of offset is OK for fuel oil also. For our electric heat pump, the maximum offset recommended is 5 degrees. It has a harder time keeping up with large changes of temperature.

Hope that helps you out in better determining your offsets and "fine-tuning" your thermostat installation.

 

[Freds]

I used to use a programmable thermostat at my old house and they work nice. A while after they came out there was a study done and you weren't supposed to drop the temp more than 8F I believe. I know it was less than the 10 and 15 degree setbacks that the first programmables came set up for (there was a switch to choose from). Supposedly you used up more gas getting your house to recover and get back up to temp. I'm sure other factors were involved like insulation, furnace efficiency, how long the setback was lasting.... just something to keep in mind. A large temp swing may not be the most efficient.

If digital stats had a heat anticipator setting on them, I would tell you to check that for the cycling, but I have to agree that it is just a more sensitive thermostat. Especially if you are replacing one that used a mercury bulb.

 

[ronjhall]

My furnace does not short cycle. It is a 2 stage burner with variable speed blower. Thermostat is designed for this type furnace.
If cj7 does not have A multi stage furnace thermostat may not operate properly. Hopefully one of the TBN HVAC experts will reply to this thread.

 

[rdln]

Just out of sheer luck my selected swing is 8 degrees, My unit can also calculate run time over a certain time period, If I was on my game, I would figure out the most efficient swing for my house/furnace/etc.
But.....

 

[PineRidge]

The "old school" mercury bulb thermostats used a heat anticipater to adjust the cycle rate of the burner. The heat anticipater was actually set to the current or amps that the gas valve used when powered.

New electronic thermostats have a series of switches, potentiometers, or jumpers so that they can be used on electric, gas, or solid fuel furnaces. Check the manual that came with your particular thermostat for "cycle rate adjustment"

TC-40D SS web pictures click here

 

[thcri]

If it is a Honeywell thermostat then take it back off the wall and look at the back. There is a couple of screws you can adjust the anticipator settings on it. Change it to hot water heat. I have found especially with most hi efficiency furnaces that the forced air setting does not work well with these stats. Most of the time by changing it to hot water you will correct the problem. This is if it is a Honeywell and not all Honeywell's have this setting. Send me the model number and I can check for sure but you can take off the wall and see the two screws. Your installation manual should state this also.

murph

 

[frank_f15]

What you are seeing, is a shorter run time with closer temp control. old style stats had what they called a heat anticapitor, new stats have the same thing but you have to check the book to see how to change it, i have mine set for about a 2 deg. diff beteen on and off, furnace runs more frequent but for not as long and the house has a more constant temp. HOPE i explained this clear enough, i ani't too good explaing things .

 

[thcri]

Frank,

That is exactly what you are changing by turning the two screws in the back on the Honeywell stat.

murph

 

[cup149]

I too added a Honeywell thermostat to my oil furnace. Just like yours, it only would run for a short time at the recomended setting. I changed a screw or jumper on the rear to set it to electric furnace(or was it hot water like thcri?) . That solved the problem and the furnace seems to run for the correct amount of time. What model stat do you have?

 

[HickoryNut]

Why worry about cycle times, mine's always either turned all the way up or all the way down, don't all wives just treat thermostats like on/off switches?

Seriously, all the thermostats I've dinked with had a cycle adjustment, I like to set my cycle alot longer in the summer due to the strain on the A/C compressor during startups. I'd guess a longer cycle would be more economical no matter season or fuel?