I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:35:23 -0700, wrote:

I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe

No. They run off of 24 volts. If you want to make sure, measure
before touching the contacts, but they do. And so will the
replacement thermostat.

way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?

All the thermostat is is a couple electronically controlled switches,
plus an internal microprocessor. You should be able to take off the
old one and put on the new one without touching any of the uninsulated
portions of the wires and without letting any wire touch any other.
Heck, some people change 110 volt fixtures without turning off the
power.

If you do touch the wires, you probably won't be able to feel 24
volts, and it won't kill you.

If you let them touch each other, I don't think there is any pair that
will hurt anything. More likely it will start the heat or ac.

But now is the time to learn how to do these things wihtout touching
anything.

Make a detailed drawing of which wire is on which screw now, so you
can put it back before you leave, and so you'll be able to figure out
how to attach the new one.

Thanks

yeah , right ,

short the wrong two together and he'll let the factory smoke out of the
transformer ,
then the landlord will be involved ,

leave it alone ,or call the landlord and have them kill the power while you
replace the stat ,

you'll be sorry !!!!!

mm wrote:
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:35:23 -0700, wrote:

"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
m...
yeah , right ,

short the wrong two together and he'll let the factory smoke out of the
transformer ,
then the landlord will be involved ,


"let the factory smoke out of the transformer" ???

What does that mean? Is there a transformer that comes with smoke inside,
installed by the factory?

your kidding right ? what turnip truck did you just fall off of ?


"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message

"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
m...
your kidding right ? what turnip truck did you just fall off of ?


"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message



I just read the words as you wrote them. Can you explain them? Maybe I have
a reading comprehension problem.

"let the factory smoke out of the transformer"

wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

There's no more power/electricty/danger/problem in changing out a thermostat
than changing the batteries in some flashlights (24 volts, not 120).

Go for it.

Whether you'll like a programmable thermostat is another issue.

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message

I just read the words as you wrote them. Can you explain them? Maybe I
have a reading comprehension problem.

"let the factory smoke out of the transformer"


Forget your sense of humor this morning?

The "Let the smoke out" is often used for motor when it goes bad. They work
well until you let the smoke out

Joe,

About 30 yrs ago I heard a joke about semiconductors. The joke was that
they worked with smoke. If you hooked them up wrong or abused them the smoke
escaped and they stopped working. Hope that clears up your confusion.

Dave M.

What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.

wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

More likely 240, but then there would be an individual thermostat in
each room. My parents' house has this, as there were no other
utilities available when it was built. Heat is solely from large
woodburning stove and 240V resistive baseboards.

nate

On Sep 26, 10:48 am, Bennett Price
wrote:
What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.



wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The "Let the smoke out" is often used for motor when it goes bad. They work
well until you let the smoke out


But you can buy replacement smoke:

http://www3.telus.net/bc_triumph_registry/smoke.htm

--
Dennis

"N8N" wrote in message
oups.com...
More likely 240, but then there would be an individual thermostat in
each room. My parents' house has this, as there were no other
utilities available when it was built. Heat is solely from large
woodburning stove and 240V resistive baseboards.

No, only 120. You need only to break one leg of the circuit to stop the
heater from being "on".

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:48:45 GMT, Bennett Price
wrote:

What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.

I should have thought about that. Do they make programmable
thermostats for such systems?

wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks




Don't just assume there is universal interchangeability between
thermostats, particularly ones which as you indicate are controlling
both heating AND air conditioning.

If I was your landlord I certainly wouldn't appreciate your screwing
around with parts of the most expensive appliance I there without my
knowledge and permission.

Is there some particular reason (other than your being cheap.) that you
don't want to involve the landlord?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

keep on trollin !!!!!!! maybe you'll catch a bigger fish ,

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message

me thinks , he thinks that he gonna save some money ,

until he burns something up , cuz he apparently has no clue whats he's doing

then he'll be wondering about the economy of diy !


Jeff Wisnia wrote:
wrote:

"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
m...
keep on trollin !!!!!!! maybe you'll catch a bigger fish ,

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message


When your writing style is strange, you must expect questions.

On Sep 26, 5:35 am, wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landlord (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

People replying here are making a lot of assumptions about what and
how that thermostat controls your heating and AC.
Also your questions indicates very little, if any, knowledge of
electricity. Do you even have or know how to use a test voltmeter?
There have been enough horror stories about people trying to hook up
low voltage programmable thermostats directly to 230 volt lines; they
burn up and are not returnable! Also line voltage thermostats to low
voltage control circuits, they usually don't work! Had a son in law
who tried that! he also manged to burn out the motor on his aire
xchanger; some people and electrcity don't mix.
If something doesn't work or burns out, even if thermostat seems to
work OK during cooling but does not during heating season an expert
will have to be called in anyway. Please make sure you know what you
are doing, also safety!

wrote:

I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.

That's not for you to decide.

I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).

Talk to your landlord.

Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks



--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

from you ? its all strange!!!

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
om...4 keep on trollin
!!!!!!! maybe you'll catch a bigger fish ,20 "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:0"The Freon Cowboy"
wrote in messageopsWhen your writing style is
strange, you must expect questions.

No more being tactful. You write like a 1st grader. When someone questions
what the hell you're trying to say, you have one valid option: Answer
politely.


"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
m...
from you ? its all strange!!!

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
om...4 keep on trollin
!!!!!!! maybe you'll catch a bigger fish ,20 "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:0"The Freon Cowboy"
wrote in messageopsWhen your writing style is
strange, you must expect questions.

you really dont have a clue , do you ?
you didnt understand my first post ,so you attack my grammar

**** you !!!!

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
No more being tactful. You write like a 1st grader. When someone questions

"The Freon Cowboy" wrote in message
m...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
No more being tactful. You write like a 1st grader. When someone questions


you really dont have a clue , do you ?
you didnt understand my first post ,so you attack my grammar

**** you !!!!


When you grammar is atrocious, you have to accept it and understand that
people will ask for clarification. Or, they may ignore you.

According to Edwin Pawlowski :

"N8N" wrote in message
oups.com...
More likely 240, but then there would be an individual thermostat in
each room. My parents' house has this, as there were no other
utilities available when it was built. Heat is solely from large
woodburning stove and 240V resistive baseboards.

No, only 120. You need only to break one leg of the circuit to stop the
heater from being "on".

Ah yeah, but, the other wire connecting to the T-stat is 120V the other
direction...

Hint: if you remove the thermostat on a 240V heater without killing
the breaker, there's 240V between the two wires that _used_ to connect
to the T-stat.[+]

You get your choice - touch a ground and either lead, you get a 120V
shock. Touch both leads and you get a 240V shock.

[+] Or indeed any switch in a 240V circuit.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

According to mm :
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:48:45 GMT, Bennett Price
wrote:

What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.

I should have thought about that. Do they make programmable
thermostats for such systems?

Many of those are battery-powered devices that fit _over_ the T-stat and
mechanically move the knob with a small motor. Particularly common for
round-type T-stats.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Chris Lewis wrote:
According to mm :

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:48:45 GMT, Bennett Price
wrote:


What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.



I should have thought about that. Do they make programmable
thermostats for such systems?


Many of those are battery-powered devices that fit _over_ the T-stat and
mechanically move the knob with a small motor. Particularly common for
round-type T-stats.


Back in the halycyon days of my yoot I jury rigged "nite setback" on my
apartment's heating system thermostat by using one of those little
plug-in 24 hour timers, an extension cord and a 6 watt incandescent
night light.

I hung the night light on the wall below the thermostat and adjusted the
distance between them so that when the bulb lit during sleeping hours it
tricked the thermostat into dropping the room temperature about 10
degrees. (Same as making the mistake of putting one of the big old
vacuum tube TVs against a wall under the thermostat.)

It wasn't an original idea BTW, there may even have been some
commercially available gadgets back then which did the same thing. And,
in the September 2005 issue of "MAKE" magazine a similar suggestion was
made, but eliminated the timer I used by a photocell controlled night
light, so a setback occurred when the room got dark. Described thusly:

"Make a Thermostat Fooler to update your old home thermostat rather than
buying a programmable one for over $100. Spend $3 for an incandescent
night light and hang it on a string under your thermostat. At night,
heat from the light makes the thermostat think the house is warmer than
it really is. When daylight comes the light goes off and the temperature
controller goes back to normal operation."

Thanks for the mammaries,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

When you grammar is atrocious,

oops.

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

When you grammar is atrocious,

oops.

ROFL! Right.

mm wrote:
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:48:45 GMT, Bennett Price
wrote:

What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there may
be 120V at the thermostat.

I should have thought about that. Do they make programmable
thermostats for such systems?

THEY don't but I do. It requires relays.

Rob


wrote:
I would like to replace my thermostat in my apartment with a digital
programmable thermostat.
I don't have access to turn off the electricity to my HVAC system and
I don't want to involve the landland (I can always change back the
thermostat when I leave).
Do most thermostats run off of a 120v power control? Is there any safe
way to replace the thermostat without being able to cut electricity to
the HVAC?
Thanks

trainfan1 wrote:

mm wrote:

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:48:45 GMT, Bennett Price
wrote:

What sort of heating do you have? If its electrical baseboard there
may be 120V at the thermostat.


I should have thought about that. Do they make programmable
thermostats for such systems?


THEY don't but I do. It requires relays.

Rob


Actually, THEY do. For example:

http://www.honeywell-thermostat.com/...grammable.html

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:55:47 -0500, (The
Freon Cowboy) wrote:

yeah , right ,

short the wrong two together and he'll let the factory smoke out of the
transformer ,

If he screws it down to the wrong screw, maybe he'll burn out the
transmformer, but I was referring to accidentally touching two wires
together for a second. Check my post.

BTW, when you snip everything the previous poster wrote, no one can
tell if your comment makes sense or not. Leave the part that you're
objecting to, and you'll have a much better chance of convincing
someone.

then the landlord will be involved ,

leave it alone ,or call the landlord and have them kill the power while you
replace the stat ,

you'll be sorry !!!!!

mm wrote:
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:35:23 -0700, wrote:

On Sep 26, 7:34 am, "David Martel" wrote:
Joe,

About 30 yrs ago I heard a joke about semiconductors. The joke was that
they worked with smoke. If you hooked them up wrong or abused them the smoke
escaped and they stopped working. Hope that clears up your confusion.

Dave M.

Smoke AND mirrors, the mirrors keep the smoke inside - let it out and
they don't work anymore plus you've bought yourself seven years bad
luck.