programable thermostats


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Old 09-23-04, 07:49 AM
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programable thermostats

Do they make programable thermostats that are not low voltage? I would like to replace our regular old dial thermostat that controls our wall mounted heater with a programable one. The heater is 220v.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 07:55 AM
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Yes they do. Search them for them in google.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 08:31 AM
LowellSpecht
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Let me ask a stupid question so that I might learn something. I've not had much experience with thermostats but I have installed a programmable thermostat in the past (upgraded from a manual thermostat).

Isn't a "low voltage" thermostat referring to the 28 volt line required to power the thermostat and not necessarily the 220volt power required by the heater itself?
 
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Old 09-23-04, 08:38 AM
rlrct
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Originally Posted by erica
Do they make programable thermostats that are not low voltage? I would like to replace our regular old dial thermostat that controls our wall mounted heater with a programable one. The heater is 220v.
Are you sure that your "regular old dial" thermostat is a line voltage unit? If you pull it off the wall and it has what looks like bell wire running to it, then your heater is set up to use a low voltage thermostat. If that is the case, you can use any low voltage programmable unit. If the wires running to the thermostat are normal NM, then it is a line level thermostat.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 08:44 AM
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There are different types of thermostats.

The simplest are line voltage, either 120 or 240, and eliminate all power to the heaters. These are usually for electric baseboard heaters. Sometimes baseboard heaters can accept a low voltage thermostat, but not usually.

There are also low voltage thermostats. These thermostats are typically used for furnaces. The furnace itself runs on line voltage, but low voltage is used to power and control the furnace, as the thermostat is usually remotelty located, and because the furnace sometimes has to run after the thermostats tells it to shut down.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 08:48 AM
LowellSpecht
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Thanks. The one I upgraded was for a gas furnace hence my confusion.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 04:41 PM
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I know for a fact it is line voltage. I replaced it once before. I guess I will look a little closer while at Lowes. All I ever see are the low voltage ones. Nothing is wrong with the one we have now. I just want a programable one.
 
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Old 09-23-04, 05:01 PM
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I have not seen line voltage programmable thermostats at the big box stores. When I was looking I found them at one site on the Internet. They are not cheap.
 
 

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