"Ignoramus28269" wrote in message
...
Recently, one day before we had to go on vacation, our house
thermostat quietly stopped telling the furnace to turn on and quietly
displayed a LOW BATTERY warning. We noticed it because it started
getting cold. A change of battery took care of it.

I am mad as hell. What if such a thing happened while we were on
vacation? The house would freeze! (we are in northern IL) And then
pipes would burst!

So.

My question is, are there replacement thermostats that are more
reliable than that POS. Perhaps a thermostat with a solar battery
built in (like my watch), or some such thing.

I want my house to be more proofed for things like temporary power
outages, etc, in case we are not around.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

i


Install an old electromechanical (bimetallic strip) thermostat in hidden
location, such as inside an interior closet, and wire it in PARALLEL with
existing thermostat. Set it to 55 degrees.