75 replies to this topic

[Old Crow]

All- 

 

Over the weekend I sent an email to White-Rodgers Tech Support regarding our discussion in this thread on the 1E78 thermostat.  Basically I said, hey, were having this discussion and wonder if you could comment and/or make recommendations.

 

I received this response this morning:

 

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"Thank you for contacting White Rodgers.

 

In regards to the question on the Discussion Threads. There are a couple of issues when using in a RV application where the thermostat needs to recover from an extreme set back mode.

 

1-      Digital thermostats have, by design, a buffering in the algorithms to recover the displayed set point temperature slowly. The rationale is that if the thermostat were to react in real time to a sudden temperature change the equipment would turn on an off rapidly to this quick temperature change.

a.     An example would be if the thermostat is satisfied and holding temperature and someone were to open an outside door for a few seconds and allow a blast of cold air to enter the RV a sudden drop in temperature would initiate a call for space conditioning. The reality is that if the door is only open for a few seconds and then closed it would have little impact on the overall temperature on the RV and the temperature will stabilize with no need for a call for space conditioning. This is why digital thermostats use buffering.

 

2-      Secondly, ensure that the opening in the back of the thermostat where the wires come through has a piece of insulation stuffed in the hole to reduce temperature transfer from the cold walls via air movement into the thermostat.

 

There is no way to override the buffering built into the thermostat.

 

Best Regards,

 

Rae Vincent Balleza | Technical Service Engineer  | White Rodgers Division"

 

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I also called ICM tech support (yesterday) regarding the Frost Sentry FS1500VL garage thermostat we've discussed in this thread.  I called because the manual doesn't have ambient-temperature operating specs like we see in the manuals for the 1E78 and for the Honeywell thermostat mentioned above (both of which are 32 degrees on the minimum side).  The ICM tech support guy said the FS1500VL is intended to be operated above freezing.  He went on to say it will operate (as in turn the furnace on) below that but the display 'starts to go funny' below freezing, adding 'I've only seen it go down to the low-20's and then the display generally gets to the point you can't read it.'

 

-OC

[Stalking Light]

Thanks for the follow up, that's basically what I suspected regarding the buffering.

[d2richland]

OC, thanks for the follow-up information; it's very helpful. 

[RyanOBrian1]

Okay I installed the new thermostat and from the initial test it works much better! After 10 minutes the new thermostat was showing what appeared to be way more accurate then the stock one.

 

Before I turned on the heater (orig thermostat on left new on right)

 

 

Then I left the heater on for 10 min and it showed:

 

 

 

I am going to be camping in some 10 - 20 degree weather this weekend and will report back. For those that are interested here is a link to the themostat and you can put it in "garage mode" so it goes down to 35*

 

http://www.amazon.co...duct/B00H6ARNXO

Edited by RyanOBrian1, 07 January 2016 - 12:16 AM.

[Stalking Light]

Nice and a pretty inexpensive fix.

[DaveL]

I just replaced the WR thermostat with this Honeywell. It is MUCH better. I had the same issue of it not registering the correct temp (didn't know about the reset, but that sounds like a hassle). Now it's within a couple of degrees of my indoor/outdoor gauge. The other thing I like about it is being able to set it at down to 35. The WR only went to 45. We're fine with 35 in our snug bed ;-) Now we'll try leaving the thermostat on if the temps are going into the 20s.
Thanks for the suggestion & link!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app

Edited by DaveL, 18 January 2016 - 03:59 AM.

[Stalking Light]

I just replaced the WR thermostat with this Honeywell. It is MUCH better. I had the same issue of it not registering the correct temp (didn't know about the reset, but that sounds like a hassle). Now it's within a couple of degrees of my indoor/outdoor gauge. The other thing I like about it is being able to set it at down to 35. The WR only went to 45. We're fine with 35 in our snug bed ;-) Now we'll try leaving the thermostat on if the temps are going into the 20s.
Thanks for the suggestion & link!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Wander The West mobile app

 

Super, I just ordered one for my Eagle. 

[XJINTX]

Don't want to Hijack the thread but have a correlating issue. What happens or what are the symptoms of out of propane and the heater is set. I'm pretty new to my Hawk and only been out a couple of longish times. Luckily the first time I ran out of propane I was heating water so just went out and switched.

My question is at night with the heater on... what happens if I run out of propane? Is the heater smart enough to just turn off or not turn on if no propane? Or does it just keep running trying to heat to specified temp?

[Stalking Light]

Don't want to Hijack the thread but have a correlating issue. What happens or what are the symptoms of out of propane and the heater is set. I'm pretty new to my Hawk and only been out a couple of longish times. Luckily the first time I ran out of propane I was heating water so just went out and switched.

My question is at night with the heater on... what happens if I run out of propane? Is the heater smart enough to just turn off or not turn on if no propane? Or does it just keep running trying to heat to specified temp?

 

Good question, I've never had that happen.

[dakozicki]

When you run out of propane with the WR Thermostat, the heater fan will run for a short time and then shut off.  The same with the water heater.  I am curious to know if the Honeywell thermostat behave the same way.  It may not even be controlled by the thermostat.  It may be a sensor in the heater itself that shuts it off when no propane is detected.

Edited by dakozicki, 18 January 2016 - 06:11 PM.