Thermostat Problems

Common thermostat problems are easy to identify once you know how and having them rectified is a simple procedure. Thermostats are common devices in homes, cars and even at the office. Being able to trouble shoot and determine if the problem is related to the thermostat can save time and money and get the problem rectified quickly.

What is a thermostat?

A thermostat is essentially a mechanism that regulates temperature. This can be the temperature of the car engine or of a room, a hot water geyser or even of electrical equipment such as a computer. A thermostat uses triggers to turn the heating or cooling system on or off. Take for example a geyser. The element will continue to heat the water up unless it is controlled by a thermostat. When you set the water temperature of the geyser you are telling the thermostat at what temperature to turn the element off. Having thermostat problems can have huge repercussions such as burning out your geyser element.

How does a thermostat work?

There are a number of types of thermostats found. Older ones that use mercury switches, newer ones that are based on digital technologies and thermostats that use wax with high melting points. A mercury switch is very common in older thermostats. Since mercury is a liquid conductor of electricity tilting it can create or break a circuit. A switch tilts because of the expansion of a copper coil reacting to hot and warm air temperatures.

Wax thermostats are commonly found in cars. The wax melts and as it does so it expands in its liquid form which forces a valve to open, kicking in the cooling system. Digital thermostats work on an entirely different principle; they convert the information from the receptor which is then converted into a digital format.

Common thermostat problems

• Thermostats that are mounted in areas that receive direct sunlight or that are exposed to cold will not be able to keep the home warm because they are responding to the air directly around them. A thermostat that is incorrectly positioned will appear to work but will give irregular results.
• Older thermostats function fairly well but one of the biggest problems we are faced with today is the need to save energy. By replacing the mercury type thermostat with a digital thermostat you will be able to set the air conditioner or heating system to come on just before you wake up or arrive home.
• The inside of a thermostat is not difficult to figure out if you understand the basic principles of a mercury switch as well as the anticipator levers. If it seems as though the thermostat is not doing its job, open up the front cover and clear out the dust with a paint brush and gently moving the movable parts.

Ultimately, with older models you will continually experience thermostat problems. Replacing these with a digital thermostat can solve the issue and make future trouble shooting simpler.

Programmable Thermostat

The characteristics of a programmable thermostat allow the thermostat to not only act on the device, in the case of a car, the cooling system, but it also allows its actions on it to be timed.

What is a programmable thermostat?

They can be programmed according to time of the day as well as other variables such as outside temperature. For example, a hot water cylinder in a cold environment will lose a lot of heat. If the environment warms up, the heat loss will be less. The thermostat can therefore be programmed to reduce the temperature of the geyser when the surrounding air is cooler to save on energy.

It can also be programmed according to times when the needs are greater. An example of this would be a home in the middle of winter. Set the thermostat to turn on the heating just before waking up and then again just before arriving home so that the heating is used only when it is required. This goes a long way towards reducing electricity and gas bills as well.

How is a programmable thermostat an improvement on a regular thermostat?

Regular thermostats have their place, while programmable thermostats can actually reduce expenses such as reducing loss of heat as one of the many ways in bringing down electricity accounts. In much the same way a hot water geyser, which uses approximately 40% of your total electricity account can be set by a programmable thermostat. What this means is that during the day while the house is empty and even at night it can be turned off or turned down, heating up just before it will be needed in the mornings and evenings.

Intricacies of programming a thermostat

While the examples above have been fairly simple they in no way explain the depth into which a programmable thermostat can be set.

• Varying temperatures can be set for different periods in the day including morning, afternoon and evening.
• While many thermostats only allow one setting for every day of the week there are others that have variable settings for Monday to Friday and then alternative settings for Saturday Sunday. This is called a “5-2” thermostat. A “5-1-1” programmable thermostat specifies a differentiation between Saturday and Sunday.
• The setting can be overridden manually until the next phase kicks in. Some thermostats also have a hold function where this manual override must be cancelled manually as well.
• These kinds of thermostats can be set independently to a heating system and a cooling system. However in some cases a simple recirculation of the air is required and instead a fan setting can simply circulate the warm up that has risen to the top.

What features can you expect from a programmable thermostat?

Purchasing a programmable thermostat to replace an outdated model will instantly begin to save you money on your electricity. Add to that convenience and comfort so you can continue with busy schedule.

Digital Thermostat

Digital thermostat technology has numerous features and advantages for modern living. You will find that many homes are still fitted with the older style thermostats which are based on the mercury switches and copper coils. While the principles behind these thermostats are simple yet ingenious they are making way for modern technologies to take over.

Digital thermostats no longer just control room temperature; they add convenience to the equation as well. Many are designed specifically for businesses that have the highest electricity consumption. By using a programmable digital thermostat they are able to automatically adjust heating and cooling during off peak times. The main benefit is energy saving while providing maximum comfort at the same time.

What is a digital thermostat?

As opposed to the old thermostats that contain mercury switches and bimetals the digital thermostats use a thermistor instead. The thermistor senses the temperature of the room, just as a regular thermometer does, judging from the air that enters the ducts. The setpoint temperature is what the dial is set to and the thermistor then goes to compare the setpoint temperature to the current temperature of the surrounding air.

The advantages of going digital

• Digital thermostats have a wider range of functions.
• They can be set to run various cycles during the week or over week-ends.
• Touch screen thermostats are sleek and modern looking.
• The thermostat does not simply kick in to increase or decrease the temperature; it can in fact adjust the temperature that has been programmed into it for as many as 6 time periods, each having a unique setting.
• As the filter needs to be replaced or cleaned, the thermostat triggers a warning making heating and cooling trouble shooting simpler.
• Modern advances now mean that some of these thermostats can be programmed over the internet or using a telephone.
• A digital thermostat can mean programming your heating or cooling system to turn off when it is not needed and on when it is. This can lead to massive savings in electricity accounts.

Install a digital thermostat and save money

There are a number of ways that you can use a thermostat to save you hundreds of Rands on your electricity bill. Considering that your heating costs including hot water cylinder, account for almost as much as half of your electricity this is a powerful statement indeed.

Firstly, make sure that the thermostat has been installed properly. If in doubt call a specialist in to do the job. Otherwise make sure to follow the directions in the manual. Where you install the thermostat is of utmost important. Ensure that it is in an area that is most similar to the rest of the house and isn’t susceptible to many changes such as a sunny spot or in a cold cupboard. And most importantly, make sure that you have set the digital thermostat properly taking care to use as many energy saving tips as possible.