[net.consumers] Thermostat for Oil Filled heaters

wasser@rainbo.DEC (John A. Wasser) (01/08/86)

> QUESTION FOR THE NET:  Does a typical house thermostat switch 110 VAC or
> can it be made to do so?
>		-Ed Greenberg

	No. Typical home thermostats are designed for 24 Volts AC.  You
	could get a 24 volt transformer and 24 VAC relay from Radio Shack
	and have the thermostat control the relay which would control
	the heater.  The relay should have 115 volt (at least) 15 amp
	(at least) contacts.

	Most home thermostats have a little heater wire that heats up
	when the thermostat is on.  This causes the thermostat to shut
	off a little before the room gets to the right temperature so
	that the heat will coast up to the right temperature and not
	overshoot too much.  This wire usualy has a sliding contact
	so it can be adjusted for the current draw of various control
	relays.  The control is usualy marked in Amps so the easiest
	way to get a good initial setting is to measure the current
	draw of the relay and start there.

	You might try an electrical supply store for a thermostat
	used in electric baseboard heating. You might have trouble
	finding a set-back model, though.

		-John A. Wasser

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begeman@milano.UUCP (01/10/86)

Ok, I can't keep quiet after reading 25 almost alike
articles which keep missing the trivial solution:  There
are thermostats that switch 110 VAC.  They are called "line
voltage" thermostats, and run $10-$15 at your local
electrical supply or hardware store.  They are meant to
turn major appliances on/off based on room temp - you can
wire them for the heating or cooling side of the cycle (i.e.
switch closed when [warmer|cooler] than preset temp).

These things are cheap, easier than a thermostat to install
(if you can install a wall switch, you've got the skills),
and they work (I've been using one daily for 4 years).

As was said in another posting, *please* be careful when 
handling electrical stuff.  If you're not sure what you're
doing get a friend to help who does (if you're in Austin
call me - I love this stuff!).  Cheers.

-------
	Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

Michael L. Begeman              Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corp
Software Technology Program     Austin (where the sun always shines) Texas

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