31 replies to this topic

[Stan@FourWheel]

Deleting this thread.

I have had great luck with mine.

But if people don't like them in their FWC's, I don't want to recommend them.






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[CJ8Rockcrawler]

Nice unit... I may have to go check it out.

Kyle

[craig333]

I like seeing what the temp is. I can't seem to keep a thermometer around for some reason. One more thing for the upgrade list.

[ScottBailey]

I really like this mod, except for the extra batteries... I'm certain I'll forget to keep fresh batteries in the camper and end up with a miserable cold night.

If it weren't for that, I'd install this before our next trip. (As it is, I still really like the mod, so I might try to get the info for an efficient DC-DC converter. An EEs out there?)

[buzzman]

Stan,

Thanks for the info. Did our discussion during my factory visit get you started on this mod? Ha, Ha! I still haven't changed mine yet, but will go look at the model you used. I think it's probably a good choice.

[Stan@FourWheel]

I wouldn't worry too much about the thermostat batteries going dead.

I have had the same 2 AA batteries in my digital thermostat at my house for over 3 years.

AA batteries are available at most any gas station.



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[CJ8Rockcrawler]

Also in a pinch you probably have something else in the camper that runs on AA. Headlamp, small flashlight, radio, digital camera, etc.

Kyle

[pvstoy]

And if you dont have any batteries, jump the two wires and let the furance run for a while. When hot enough for you remove the jumper. Don't fall asleep and forget to remove the jumper....it will be VERY hot in your camper:eek:

[Yukon]

Thanks Stan for taking time to post this info. I am heading out this morning on 10 day trip (Seattle to our cabin in Sierras) and will stop in route and pick up one of these..... I hope to stop by 4WC on return trip. Chris

[Tailfins]

I picked up one of these at Wal-Mart this afternoon. It cost $19.96 before tax. Just installed it and it seems to work fine. Some points:

1. It's a quick install, took me about ten minutes plus time fetching tools. I wanted to keep the spade thingies that are on the ends of the blue wires, so I had to chomp away at the original Suburban thermostat holes with a rail nipper in order to get them out. Did some damage to the plastic base of the Suburban, but not enough to ruin it. I also had to narrow the spades to fit the smaller screws in the new unit. Used needle nose pliers for that.

2. Mine gives a digital readout of the ambient temperature that is accurate to no more than one degree, possibly dead on. That's a nice thing to have in the camper. However, out of the box, even after I held the reset button for more than two seconds as instructed, mine showed a temperature that was four degrees too high, and it took about two hours to gradually go down to the actual temperature in the room. Once that initial adjustment was accomplished it held the correct temperature and reacted to ambient changes both up and down with reasonable speed.

3. In operation, when it turns the furnace either on or off there is a fairly loud high pitched click. I'm sure I'll get used to that and probably won't notice it after a while.

4. As for keeping extra batteries for an emergency, I think maybe an even better idea is to keep the original thermostat in a drawer in case this electronic one craps out. Then you can quickly replace it with the original and you're back in business until you can visit another Wal-Mart.

5. At any rate, it's a good idea to keep spare batteries of all sizes in the truck or the camper.

Thanks for the heads up, Stan