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OT: HVAC question - smart thermostat is too smart.

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Comments

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 34,085
    paging @lkapigian.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,163
    Easy fix is to ditch the G Terminal, use that wire for common ( you’ll have to move it in the unit )  jumper Y to G at the unit the only thing you will lose from the thermostat is the ability to run continuous fan which normally nobody does , you could also do an add a wire as @Elijah shows ( not a nest fan here , go Ecobee ) 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • xfire_ATX
    xfire_ATX Posts: 1,139
    I recently bought the Amazon Version for my mother.  Figured I needed this C wire so I bought it.

    1. Its BS you use the App to walk through this... where is the damn booklet
    2. Best I could tell you had to put this mysterious C wire install in the actual unit.

    I said sorry mom its above my pay grade at this point.


    XLBGE, LBGECharbroil Gas Grill, Weber Q2000, Old Weber Kettle, Rectec RT-B380, Yeti 65, Yeti Hopper 20, RTIC 20, RTIC 20 Soft Side - Too many drinkware vessels to mention.

    Not quite in Austin, TX City Limits
    Just Vote- What if you could choose "none of the above" on an election ballot? Millions of Americans do just that, in effect, by not voting.  The result in 2016: "Nobody" won more counties, more states, and more electoral votes than either candidate for president. 
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,943
    Not surprisingly, @lkapigian provided an expert rec above. 

    Was in a similar spot some years ago. Needed that C wire for the smart thermostat. Options were to run a new wire from the thermostat to the unit in the attic, or pirate a wire that was already in place (in my case, some fancy add-on that nobody could really explain the function of). So, connected the wire at the C terminal on the thermostat, then took the other end of said wire and made the appropriate connection at the unit side. 

    House has not exploded... yet. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 33,540
    not on topic but i would be more happy with just a manual switch for 55 and 65 degrees
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Yno
    Yno Posts: 529
    @lkapigian and I are discussing this via messaging.
    XL BGE in San Jose, CA. Also a Pit Barrel Cooker, a Cal Flame P4 gasser, and lots of toys including the first ever Flame Boss 300 in the wild. And a new Flame Boss 500.
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 12,252
    edited January 26
    Sorry can't help but kind of on topic. Few years ago local utility provided and installed an Ecobee Lite for free. Been working fine since. About a year after it was installed it probably saved us a potential furnace disaster big time... one day the furnace kept shutting down repeatedly so I called Ecobee support, turned out it was the air cleaner's filter that was completely clogged (guilty as charged :blush: ). The smart thermostat prevented the furnace from 'burning out', have to wonder what would have happened if it was a manual switch for 55 and 65 degrees that fish wanted. 
    canuckland
  • Begger
    Begger Posts: 569
    Just had entire new HVAC installed.    Thermostat of choice by the installer?
    ECOBEE 3 LITE.    And it is pretty good.   
    Still feeling my way thru all the software, but so far, so good.    Poor documentation by Ecobee.    Only installers have it easy with several wiring options.   Including my Heat Pump OR conventional furnace.

    For YNO?   Go to the Honewell website and download the install manual.   That should help get you on track....
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,839
    lkapigian said:
    the ability to run continuous fan which normally nobody does 
    We replaced our 25-plus year old furnace last year and the installer told us we should run the fan continuously even in the summer when we never have a use for heat (not sure if it makes a difference, but do not have central air). Just wondering the pros and cons running (I assume some energy is used) the continuous fan?
    Stillwater, MN
  • TechsasJim
    TechsasJim Posts: 2,180
    Grabbed a Nest many moons ago and remember it was a pita to install.    Many moons forward and I detest the darn thing…has a mind of its own and I hate having to micromanage something that should be so simple.    Wife is always asking me to just go back to standard digital thermostat but I can’t remember how I wired the darn thing all those years ago and afraid to go back.   
    LBGE, 28” BS, Weber Kettle, HCI 7.8 SE Texas
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,265
    The house we bought had one already installed.  I gave it a chance but found that I didn't like its learning, it seemed to overreact.  I just use it manually now with the app on my phone - set schedules and adjust as needed.
    Love you bro!
  • MaskedMarvel
    MaskedMarvel Posts: 3,208
     When I first put a Nest in, it probably saved me about 500 gallons of diesel a year before we switched to 97% natural gas…

    my system back then didn’t have a C wire either - Nest had an extremely easy workaround. That wire was a power wire, if I remember correctly. It only
    mildly affected the WiFi connectivity. 

    Now - I have it programmed with daily times and temps from the phone. It went rogue on auto program one year (being in a less travelled hallway affected how it interpreted us being home) and was all over the place with settings. 
    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!


  • MaskedMarvel
    MaskedMarvel Posts: 3,208


    lkapigian said:
    the ability to run continuous fan which normally nobody does 
    We replaced our 25-plus year old furnace last year and the installer told us we should run the fan continuously even in the summer when we never have a use for heat (not sure if it makes a difference, but do not have central air). Just wondering the pros and cons running (I assume some energy is used) the continuous fan?
    Pros - helps with cool and hot spots throughout the conditioned “envelope.” Helps with air quality. 

    Cons - more wear on the system. More frequent filter changes. Higher power bills. 

    If you had central air, the continuous fan could actually raise your bills in a different way. The evaporative effect of air conditioning requires the condensation to be drained and pumped away. Leaving the fan on can reintroduce that moisture to that conditioned envelope. Higher humidity means you FEEL warmer, and you lower the thermostat to compensate. 



    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!


  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,163
    lkapigian said:
    the ability to run continuous fan which normally nobody does 
    We replaced our 25-plus year old furnace last year and the installer told us we should run the fan continuously even in the summer when we never have a use for heat (not sure if it makes a difference, but do not have central air). Just wondering the pros and cons running (I assume some energy is used) the continuous fan?
    If you added a “ purifier “ you would want to run continuously during your “ high allergy “ time of year or if they are using the system to introduce fresh air VS enERV or HRV then you would, the new DC motors are only about 75 watts so not a huge power drain 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,839
    @MaskedMarvel and @lkapigian thanks so much. Really appreciate the help. 
    Stillwater, MN
  • billt01
    billt01 Posts: 1,731


    I believe the best thing I did when building this house was to “spray the capsule”

    my garage only fluctuates 5 degrees from my home, the attic space ~10

    also learned a-lot about these units dehumidifiers, it’s not all about the temperature number..you can get away with a lot with drier air

    Good luck this weekend!!

    Have:
     XLBGE / Stumps Baby XL / Couple of Stokers (Gen 1 and Gen 3) / Blackstone 36 / Maxey 3x5 water pan hog cooker
    Had:
    LBGE / Lang 60D / Cookshack SM150 / Stumps Stretch / Stumps Baby

    Fat Willies BBQ
    Ola, Ga