On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610




2) Also, a much harder question: For years I've been looking for this,
a setback thermostat that had a Next button. So if you come home early,
leave early, go to bed or get up early, instead of having to use the up
or down button and count how mnay degrees you set the temp up or down,
you push one button once, to go to the next time period/temparature.

This seems so obvious I don't know why there aren't many versions of it.
I think I saw one of these 40 years ago, but not since then.


3) **I could move the thermostat to a different wall, but it would be
closer to the kitchen, by the doorway just on the other side of the
wall. There is some heat from the refrigerator, and I use the oven for
an hour every 2 or 3 days, and that warms the kitchen and I suppose
would turn the heat down, while I was in the kitchen and for a little
while afterwards. Of course when I'm in the kitchen, I don't care how
warm it is is in the kitchen. It would also turn the AC up when the
oven is on, and that would be a waste when for the rest of the house,
but otoh, it's only 3 hours a week, and if it were really a lot, I could
turn the AC off. The next owners may not like this, but they can buy
their own wireless thermostat if that will make them happy.

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:04:21 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:


On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610

This looks like just what I need.

On this page there are mutilple models
https://www.fast-stat.com/
It says the 3000 only adds 2 control wires, while the
5000 adds 3 plus a C wire, and the
1000 adds 1 wire, and the
Common maker adds a C, and
7000 and 9000 extend the wiring.

Instructions are provided for each of them to figure out which to buy.
They sell them through Lennox stores, two of which are listed in
Baltimore, plus the installer can get them too, i'm sure.

They list a bunch of other suppliers including Home Depot. But Home
Depot just lists the Common Maker, at $41.

7000 and 9000 look pretty complicated, more than I need I'm sure.
if I only had 2 wires to begin with I'd need the 5000, but I already
have 4 or 5 wires, so the 3000 model is probably enough.

Amazon has it for about 20 more than other places, but it has 4 reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/FAST-STAT-Mod...ustomerReviews
all of which were helpful. I think one guy thought he had to run all his
signals through this, instead of using 2 of the 4 wires he already had
that this device did not need.

On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 22:26:49 -0400, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:04:21 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:


On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610

This looks like just what I need.

On this page there are mutilple models
https://www.fast-stat.com/
It says the 3000 only adds 2 control wires, while the
5000 adds 3 plus a C wire, and the
1000 adds 1 wire, and the
Common maker adds a C, and
7000 and 9000 extend the wiring.

Instructions are provided for each of them to figure out which to buy.
They sell them through Lennox stores, two of which are listed in
Baltimore, plus the installer can get them too, i'm sure.

They list a bunch of other suppliers including Home Depot. But Home
Depot just lists the Common Maker, at $41.

7000 and 9000 look pretty complicated, more than I need I'm sure.
if I only had 2 wires to begin with I'd need the 5000, but I already
have 4 or 5 wires, so the 3000 model is probably enough.


If you have 5 wires you are good to go without anything but a Mux will
work too if you really only have 4. That is pretty rare T stat wire,
make sure there is not another one in the jacket (cut off).

On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:41:34 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 22:26:49 -0400, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:04:21 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:


On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610

This looks like just what I need.

On this page there are mutilple models
https://www.fast-stat.com/
It says the 3000 only adds 2 control wires, while the
5000 adds 3 plus a C wire, and the
1000 adds 1 wire, and the
Common maker adds a C, and
7000 and 9000 extend the wiring.

Instructions are provided for each of them to figure out which to buy.
They sell them through Lennox stores, two of which are listed in
Baltimore, plus the installer can get them too, i'm sure.

They list a bunch of other suppliers including Home Depot. But Home
Depot just lists the Common Maker, at $41.

7000 and 9000 look pretty complicated, more than I need I'm sure.
if I only had 2 wires to begin with I'd need the 5000, but I already
have 4 or 5 wires, so the 3000 model is probably enough.


If you have 5 wires you are good to go without anything but a Mux will
work too if you really only have 4. That is pretty rare T stat wire,
make sure there is not another one in the jacket (cut off).


Yes, if it's just one stage eqpt, seems you could do an oil furnace and heat pump
on just 5. The one thing you'd be lacking would be a common wire so you
could have the thermostat powered off the AC transformer. That's nice so
you don't have to depend on batteries and you can have a backlit display
that's lit up all the time. But if it's too hard to run a new wire, you
can certainly live without it.

The bigger question for Micky is the economics of a heat pump vs oil furnace
in MD. Also with AC it's nice to have two stage, but when I was looking
ten years ago, those cost a couple thousand more. You did get higher efficiency
too, but there would have been nowhere enough payback on electric to make
the higher eff one worth the extra cost. And two stage is nice, but I don't
think worth a couple thousand extra. Two stages in a gas furnace was only
a few hundred bucks more, I got that.

On Fri, 24 Apr 2020 07:45:59 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:41:34 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 22:26:49 -0400, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:04:21 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:


On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610

This looks like just what I need.

On this page there are mutilple models
https://www.fast-stat.com/
It says the 3000 only adds 2 control wires, while the
5000 adds 3 plus a C wire, and the
1000 adds 1 wire, and the
Common maker adds a C, and
7000 and 9000 extend the wiring.

Instructions are provided for each of them to figure out which to buy.
They sell them through Lennox stores, two of which are listed in
Baltimore, plus the installer can get them too, i'm sure.

They list a bunch of other suppliers including Home Depot. But Home
Depot just lists the Common Maker, at $41.

7000 and 9000 look pretty complicated, more than I need I'm sure.
if I only had 2 wires to begin with I'd need the 5000, but I already
have 4 or 5 wires, so the 3000 model is probably enough.


If you have 5 wires you are good to go without anything but a Mux will
work too if you really only have 4. That is pretty rare T stat wire,
make sure there is not another one in the jacket (cut off).


Yes, if it's just one stage eqpt, seems you could do an oil furnace and heat pump
on just 5. The one thing you'd be lacking would be a common wire so you
could have the thermostat powered off the AC transformer. That's nice so
you don't have to depend on batteries and you can have a backlit display
that's lit up all the time. But if it's too hard to run a new wire, you
can certainly live without it.

The bigger question for Micky is the economics of a heat pump vs oil furnace
in MD. Also with AC it's nice to have two stage, but when I was looking
ten years ago, those cost a couple thousand more. You did get higher efficiency
too, but there would have been nowhere enough payback on electric to make
the higher eff one worth the extra cost. And two stage is nice, but I don't
think worth a couple thousand extra. Two stages in a gas furnace was only
a few hundred bucks more, I got that.


I chucked the "smart" thermostat when I retired. If I am home all day
I am not interested in doing any set backs during the day. We never
really used to do it anyway. The thing was running on "hold" most of
the time when my wife wasn't fooling with it.
I put a T87 in there.

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Womans%20thermostat.jpg

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 23:41:07 -0400,
wrote:

On Thu, 23 Apr 2020 22:26:49 -0400, micky
wrote:

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:04:21 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:


On Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:29:34 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
Another problem with getting a heat pump is that the wirign to the
thermostat is inadequate. no easy way to run a new wire to the same
location**.

1) I know they make wireless thermostats and wifi thermostats, but I
wonder if they made ones that are wired but can get by on only 4 wires,
maybe by modulating the signal or something, and demodulating it at the
furnace end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Elec...-/303383890610

This looks like just what I need.

On this page there are mutilple models
https://www.fast-stat.com/
It says the 3000 only adds 2 control wires, while the
5000 adds 3 plus a C wire, and the
1000 adds 1 wire, and the
Common maker adds a C, and
7000 and 9000 extend the wiring.

Instructions are provided for each of them to figure out which to buy.
They sell them through Lennox stores, two of which are listed in
Baltimore, plus the installer can get them too, i'm sure.

They list a bunch of other suppliers including Home Depot. But Home
Depot just lists the Common Maker, at $41.

7000 and 9000 look pretty complicated, more than I need I'm sure.
if I only had 2 wires to begin with I'd need the 5000, but I already
have 4 or 5 wires, so the 3000 model is probably enough.


If you have 5 wires you are good to go without anything but a Mux will
work too if you really only have 4. That is pretty rare T stat wire,
make sure there is not another one in the jacket (cut off).

Good advice.

One of them looked at it when the topic came up but didn't say anything.
He seemed to look at the wire two feet from the end, instead of at the
end!!

Anyhow, it has a blue wire wrapped around the insulation and 4 other
wires, so I gather I'm okay already.

(I was looking forward to buying one of those fancy muliplexers. Darn )