"CBHvac" wrote in message
...

"Filipo" wrote in message
om...
I have a 15-year old RUUD high efficiency heat pump which is still
running great. However, it still has the old fashioned thermostat
which keeps the temperature constant all the time. I would like to
replace it with a newfangled programmable digital thermostat so I can
reduce my heating bill by keeping the setting low during working hours
and warming the house only when we're home.


Well...IF you want your cost of operation of a heat pump to go UP...NOT
DOWN, have at it.

Sorry to tell you, but a programmable stat, unless you are only dropping
the
temp less than 4F, is a waste, as when the unit is turned back on to heat,
and the setpoint was set more than 4F lower than where you want it to be
when you get back, the electric backup comes on automatically, and kills
any
savings you had in most cases.



The question is: is this project simple enough for to be done by a
homeowner?

Honestly, yes.
My opinion, not that it matters, is that I have seen too many that had to
ask try, and ended up calling someone like me...normally after a spark,
and
smoke.



I opened the existing original RUUD thermostat and it has
these 2 bulbs filled with mercury, a couple of real tiny multi-colored
wires, a coil spring, and the usual auto-hot-cool-fan switches.

Rheem/Ruud never made a stat....just as information.
They simply put their name on Honeywells stuff.

Thos tiny multi colored wires are for a reason, and HAVE to go back to the
right terminal, or else you can do some real damage....really.


Just like everyone.


Questions:

1. What programmable digital thermostat will work with my RUUD unit?

Any that have proper sub-bases for a heat pump with secondary heat. NOT
all
heat pump thermostats are correct.
You need to know the terminals that your current unit uses, if its 15
years
old, its bound to have one or two that are used today, but the marking
designation will be different, and you need to know that the stats at
Lowes,
Home Depot and the like, unless it has Honeywell on it, sucks.



2. Where do I find the transformer that supposedly converts house
current into the proper voltage going into the thermostat? Is it
inside this sheet metal ducting that has the blower and the filter in
it?

Why do you need to find the transformer to do this? Unless you cross up
the
R and C you wont have a problem.
and its in your air handler.
Normally on older Rheem/Ruud units, mounted on the blower


Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

f


I totally agree and learned the hard way. Keep it set at a constant temp for
best economy. That said I find that digital thermostats are more accurate
than mechanical ones if a number means anything to you. They are easier to
reset if they get moved. They are less likely to get moved. They are easy to
change. Terminals are marked with letters that may or may not correspond to
the color of the wire. Just match the wire on the new one to the terminal it
came off of.