Furnace Thermostat [Types, Troubleshoot and Fixes]

Furnace thermostat is the head and the heart of your domestic heating system. It determines the amount and timings of heat to be given to the furnace. When the temperature of the system drops down from the required predetermined level, the furnace gets activated. The thermostat sends the signals to the furnace and the gas valves of the furnace open which ultimately starts the healing process of the furnace.

In this article, you will get a quick and summarized review about the different types of furnace thermostat along with a few popular device choices in each category.

TYPES OF FURNACE THERMOSTAT:

In this era of modernization, many types of furnace thermostat have been introduced. Some common types are mentioned below:

• Smart Furnace Thermostat
• Wireless/ Wi-Fi Thermostat
• Programmable and Non-Programmable Furnace Thermostat

SMART FURNACE THERMOSTAT:

These are the thermostats which come with lots of smart feature. Some of which are mentioned below:

• Self Learning:

These are self-learning. Means they can smartly understand and observe the atmosphere in the surrounding and manage the heating system accordingly. Some advanced models have even the ability to understand the absence or presence of the people and manage accordingly. Similarly it learns the heating and cooling trends and schedules of the users and stores the data for further use and programming.

• Automatic Working:

These thermostats work automatically. Once you enter the data and schedule of daily, weekly or even monthly heating systems, it automatically controls the temperatures and other functions.

• Geo-fencing:

By Geo-fencing technology, these thermostats observe the entrance of the owner on the premises of the home. When he comes around, it switches the heating system on and switches it off accordingly. This is also a tool to use energy smartly.

• Energy Conservation:

These thermostats work smartly and manage the heating system by different factors like Geo-fencing causing an overall reduction in the usage of energy.  This causes a prominent reduction in the bill.

• Con of Smart thermostat:

The negative feature of smart thermostats is that all the exciting features come with a heavy price. So the expensive smart furnace thermostats are not affordable for people with low budgets.

POPULAR MODELS OF SMART FURNACE THERMOSTAT:

There are many companies making smart furnace thermostats but Ecobee and Nest are two popular brands. Here we will discuss the models of Nest Company.

NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT (1^st Generation):

Nest is a popular company found in 2010 by two employees of Apple Company. Tony Fedell and Matt Rogers. Tony was searching for a smart Wi-Fi driven furnace thermostat for his new vacation home but he was not getting satisfied by the ordinary products in the market. So in 2011 their first product was released. The thermostat had the feature of self learning; it was automatic and internet driven. The product was revolutionary and got a real positive response from the market.

Review:

Mark Brown said that he used the Nest Learning thermostat in his new home. The product has smartly learned and controlled his heating schedule and he has observed a reduction in the bill.

Other MODELS OF NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT:

The company introduced many models which are mentioned below:

• Nest Smart Learning thermostat ( 2^nd generation)
• Nest Smart Learning thermostat ( 3^rd generation)
• Nest Smart Learning thermostat ( E generation)

All the above models have same basic smart features like the 1^st generation thermostat with addition of some other smart features or increase in the suitability for the soft wares and devices.

NEST SMART LEARNING THERMOSTAT (2^ND Generation):

This model was with all the features of the 1^st model with slight rectification and betterment.

NEST SMART LEARNING THERMOSTAT (3^rd Generation):

Nest 3^rd generation is compatible with all most 95% of the types of American HVAC systems and covers almost 3 to 4 stages of temperature regulation. Ring colors are available in different options like silver, black and copper.

It has the feature of “FarSight”. This feature enables the screen of the device to get lighted when someone comes in the premises of the thermostat. In this way the user can easily the read the thermostat. Isn’t it smart? It surely is!

NEST SMART LEARNING THERMOSTAT (E GENERATION) :

On the other hand Nest E is compatible with 85 % of HVAC systems with only two stages of temperature regulation.

Nest E and 3 rd Generation are “ENERGY STAR” certified. This is an American government controlled certification which tests and certifies different products for energy savings.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

1. Nest Thermostat is not working:

If the Nest thermostat is not working, the common possible reason could be a clogged air filter. This will heat up the system leading it to shut down automatically.

In this case, a Nest service provider needs to be contacted to check and service the thermostat filter. He may check other issues and the wiring as well.

The other reason could be a dead battery.

2. How to charge the battery of Nest Thermostat:

If the thermostat is dead and needs to be charged, remove it from the base and charge it using a charger or a USB cable. Please keep in mind to NEVER try to switch on the thermostat during you are charging it.

3. How to Reset a Nest Thermostat:

The following steps need to be followed:

• Press and hold the thermostat ring until the screen turns off. It will be done in 10 seconds approximately. Now leave the button.
• Now Press and release the power button once again to turn the thermostat and let it complete the process after displaying the Nest Logo.

WIRELESS THERMOSTAT:

The next type of a furnace thermostat is a wireless or a Wi-Fi Thermostat. It is the second best type available after the smart thermostat. Those who can not afford the expensive Smart Thermostat, They can choose the wireless furnace thermostat.

Introduction:

The thermostat which can be connected to a Wi-Fi and its operations can be controlled through a smart phone application specially designed for this purpose is called a remote thermostat.

Working:

This type of thermostat uses remote sensors which are sensitive to the temperature and share the information to the thermostat. In this way, the remote control thermostat can regulate the temperature level in a room or a physical system.

Popular Brands:

All smart thermostats are wireless and Wi-Fi enabled but all wireless thermostats not necessarily have the smart features. Two popular brands with Wireless Furnace Thermostat are mentioned below:

Emerson Sensi

Here we will discuss Emerson Sensi Thermostat.

EMERSON SENSI THERMOSTAT (ST75):

The Emerson Sensi Touch-Smart Thermostat has all most all the features of a smart thermostat in lesser price as compared to the Nest and Ecobee. The important features present are mentioned below:

• Energy Conservation
• Geo-Fencing
• Voice Control

Drawback of Emerson Sensi Thermostat:
This thermostat has smart learning feature absent in it. This is the only main feature not available in it as compared to the expensive ones. So it needs to be programmed according to your schedule while the smart ones get automatic programming by the smart learning feature.

Review:

Samantha Lewis from Florida says that she wanted a budget friendly option with smart features for her new home. The engineer suggested me the Emerson Sensi and it was a good suggestion.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

A few common issues are discussed below:

1. How to restart the Emerson Sensi Thermostat?

Follow the under mentioned steps for restarting:

• Softly pull the sides of the device and remove the face plate.
• Remove the batteries.
• After the display gets dead, reinsert the batteries.
• The thermostat will restart after 60 seconds.

2. How to connect my Emerson Sensi thermostat to Wi-Fi?

Please follow the steps mentioned below:

• Press the MENU button.
• Press until the NETWORK is displayed.
• Press the MODE button to enter the NETWORK menu.
• Press MODE button again to start WPS.
• Pres the WPS button on the router.
• Your thermostat is now joined with the router.

3. How can I set the temperature on the Emerson Sensi Thermostat?

If you need to set the temperature please follow the steps below:

• Tap on the name of thermostat and tap on “scheduling”.
• Under schedule type, tap on the “No schedule”.
• Using the UP and DOWN keys, set the temperature after getting back to the main MENU.

HONEY WELL RTH6580WF:

Honey well has introduced many smart and Wi-Fi enabled thermostats. Here we are highlighting one of them.

This model uses a common return wire (wire C) and a 24 V Alternating current source for its functioning.

The prominent feature is an internal system which recognizes the voice command and functions accordingly to manage the temperature.

Secondly the device can be controlled wirelessly from any where due to the remote connectivity through an android or other type of application.

In case the battery dies, it remembers the previous programming and starts working accordingly when it is switched on again.

Other models are Honeywell Lyric and Honeywell RTH9580WF.

DIGITAL PROGRAMMABLE FURNACE THERMOSTAT:

In this type of thermostats you can conveniently program the schedule of heat and cool system. But these devices will not observe or learn the schedules by their own. They have options of pre scheduled programs, which can be used.

Popular products in Programmable Furnace Thermostat are as under:

• Lux Products.
• Honeywell RTH6450D1009 5-1-1-Day Programmable Thermostat.

LUX TX9100U UNIVERSAL 7-DAY PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT:

As the name indicates, it is programmable for a whole one week. The prominent features are mentioned below:

• It is easy to use with one touch functioning.
• Comes with a bight and broad display.
• It is even suitable with a multi stage furnace.
• It has vacation mode, through which you can switch off the heating system for a maximum of one month.
• It has smart and quick temperature regulating system and can easily modify a pre determined temperature of the home in a specified given time.

REVIEW:

Samantha Lewis from USA says that she had to choose a budget friendly thermostat for her home. She wanted to have a pre programmable thermostat in a lower budget. From the online research she selected the Lux TX9100U, and it came out to be a good option. The best features are its user friendliness and vacation mode.

HONEYWELL RTH6450D1009 5-1-1-DAY PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT:

The important features are mentioned below:

• This works on low voltage.
• It is an energy conserving thermostat resulting in a lower bill.
• It is user friendly.
• The soft touch button display and large screen display makes it an attractive option.
• It is compatible with diverse temperature ranges and works in both heating and cooling system.
• It is programmable so you can pre set the temperature according to your schedule.
• It is easy to install and comes with a manual of installing instructions.

REVIEW:

Mark Anthony says that he was suggested to use this Honeywell 7 day programmable thermostat. It came out to be a satisfactory option in this price level.

NON PROGRAMMABLE FURNACE THERMOSTAT:

This is the simplest and most economical option of furnace thermostat. This is a basic form in the digital format. This is extremely easy to use. These are not energy conserving and non programmable. This works on one determined temperature. There are many brands with lot of different models in this category. Two of them are mentioned below:

• Honeywell RTH 111B1016/E1 digital Non-programmable thermostat.
• Honeywell TH3110D1008 Pro- Non Programmable Digital thermostat.

HONEYWELL RTH 111B1016/E1 DIGITAL NON PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT:

Prominent features of the product are mentioned below:

• This is a simple product, easy to use and easy to install.
• One temperature value is followed by the device.
• It comes with sliding buttons.
• It has a thin body.
• It is compatible with all single stage heating systems.
• One drawback is that it is not suitable with electric baseboard furnaces.

REVIEW:

Lewis T. says that one of his clients had to make a low budget home and the furnace thermostat to be select accordingly. I referred Honeywell RTH 111B1016. The product came out to be a pretty cheap and it was totally worth it.

HONEYWELL TH3110D1008 PRO- NON PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL THERMOSSTAT:

The prominent features of the product are as under:

• You just need to set one specific temperature and the thermostat orders the furnace to keep the home on that temperature.
• This does not work on schedules.
• It is very cheap in price.
• The sliding switches and large bright display makes it a user friendly product.
• It has option to work on two pencil batteries in case of power failure.

REVIEW:

Anthony Lt. has his opinion that this is a good option in nonprogrammable furnace thermostats. It is cheap yet effective.

CONCLUSION:

Markets are flooded with all types of furnace thermostats. You have to select the suitable option according to your budget and requirements. Smart furnace thermostats with energy conservation function are the most expensive while non-programmable digital furnace thermostats are the cheapest ones available.