18 replies to this topic

[craig333]

I decided to go back to a manual thermostat after some issues with my old thermostat. Dead batteries at 3am just aren't worth the little bit of extra heat regulation.

 

I visited with Marty at ATC and he gave  me a new Dometic thermostat.

 

Thanks Marty. Installed it and it worked well but then I ran across a Honeywell CT50K. The CT50K, for twice the price, allows operation down to 35 degrees versus the 50 degrees of the dometic. A bit low for comfort but perfect for keeping things from freezing when I'm away from the camper. On off switch is also nice and smooth.

 

 

Of course I have a few extra screw holes to cover up now

 

 

Also readjusted the ignitor gap and it seems to working better at low voltage. Need to go play in the new snow and confirm.

[pvstoy]

I put one of those Honeywell in the garage for the garage heater gas ceiling mount ( now since removed and looking for a nice electric one).  I liked it for the low setting of 35 degrees to protect the plumbing in the garage.  What I found was it was difficult to figure what temperature you were setting on the slider. 

 

I'm considering putting it in the camper.

[rando]

If you are using the digital thermostat, it is highly recommended to spend the extra buck or two for lithium AAA's.   They last about twice as long as alkalines, and more importantly they are less temperature sensitive, so they are less likely to poop out in the middle of the night.  

[JaSAn]

^^^

And change them out every fall.  They aren't that expensive and there are other non-critical uses for partially used batteries.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I decided to go back to a manual thermostat after some issues with my old thermostat. Dead batteries at 3am just aren't worth the little bit of extra heat regulation.

I visited with Marty at ATC and he gave  me a new Dometic thermostat.
 
Thanks Marty. Installed it and it worked well but then I ran across a Honeywell CT50K. The CT50K, for twice the price, allows operation down to 35 degrees versus the 50 degrees of the dometic. A bit low for comfort but perfect for keeping things from freezing when I'm away from the camper. On off switch is also nice and smooth.
 
Also readjusted the ignitor gap and it seems to working better at low voltage. Need to go play in the new snow and confirm.

Craig’s experience is exactly like mine, and that’s why I have an ATC Bobcat. Marty, Jeff and the crew are the best!

[lactic]

Is there a consensus on a replacement thermostat for the FWCs? Several threads but no one option was jumping out.

I do like the ability to go down to 35° but would love the option to have a programmable thermostat provided the batteries don’t die during our Utah winters!

[pvstoy]

You could take the batteries out of the thermostat and keep them in your house. Put them in when you use the camper.

[Mthomas]

You could take the batteries out of the thermostat and keep them in your house. Put them in when you use the camper.

This, and try lithium supreme from ever ready. Supposed to be good to very low temps.  I am thinking of this and adding in a manual switch to turn on the system if thermo fails.

[rando]

One other comment on the digital thermostat - make sure you turn the thermostat to 'off' (with the slide switch on the side of the thermostat) when you get back from a trip.  Even with the 12V power to the furnace turned off the thermostat will still try to run the furnace, and it uses a relay that draws much more power when energized.  If you leave it on "heat" and then pull the master power, and it is cold out, it will flatten the battery in a matter of weeks. 

[Cayuse]

Had my Honeywell digital thermostat fail on me while camped at 7300' during a recent trip to New Mexico.  Thought it was batteries but tried three alternate sets that I had with me and none of them got the thermostat working though their source devices worked just fine, so going back to the mechanical version, the CT50K should arrive this afternoon.

Edited by Cayuse, 23 October 2019 - 03:29 PM.