I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_ Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 12:26:20 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_ Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

"off delay timer"

For example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181177168560

Don't count on all manufacturers using the terminology in exactly the
same way. Best to check the wiring and timing diagrams before
purchasing.

--
Ned Simmons

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators,
but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front
of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either
having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as
the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard
heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like
to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple
of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably,
takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I
know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in
furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works
off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms
wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_
Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room
furnace.

Tim Wescott

Rather than a timer, a line voltage close-on-rise thermostat attached
to the heater would give you on and off delays that match the heater's
temperature.
jsw
..

Tim Wescott wrote:
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_ Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.


You can get thermal switches in any voltage rating. The ones on the
furnace in my place all switch 110. The only thing the low voltage does
is control the gas burner. blower and over limit are both 110 switched.

--
Steve W.

On 3/21/2014 10:26 AM, Tim Wescott wrote:
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_ Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

Look for "CLIXON" thermal switch. They come in all kinds of temperature
and electrical ratings. I have a bunch salvaged from electronic gear
over the years. I am sure you can figure a way to clamp one to the
heater and wire up the rest of the circuit.

Paul

On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:48:06 -0400, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as
the heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes
a couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I
know they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in
furnaces, but the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to
the furnace controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one
that works off of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms
wrong and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_
Google terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

Tim Wescott

Rather than a timer, a line voltage close-on-rise thermostat attached to
the heater would give you on and off delays that match the heater's
temperature.
jsw .

That would work, if I could get one that would work with just a 10-degree
rise or so.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

Liberate the capillary bulb style mechanical thermostat from an old fridge.
Should have about 5-10F hysteresis and might go high enough for you.
www.thermtrol.com sells them for about $25 for the 0-90C version that we use
in production at work. I know others sell them, that's just one place I
know.

-----
Regards,
Carl Ijames
"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...

On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:48:06 -0400, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as
the heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes
a couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I
know they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in
furnaces, but the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to
the furnace controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one
that works off of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms
wrong and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_
Google terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

Tim Wescott

Rather than a timer, a line voltage close-on-rise thermostat attached to
the heater would give you on and off delays that match the heater's
temperature.
jsw .

That would work, if I could get one that would work with just a 10-degree
rise or so.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:48:06 -0400, Jim Wilkins wrote:

Rather than a timer, a line voltage close-on-rise thermostat
attached to
the heater would give you on and off delays that match the heater's
temperature.
jsw .

That would work, if I could get one that would work with just a
10-degree
rise or so.
Tim Wescott

I suspect that a thermostat set as high as 50C / 120F would extract
almost all of the available heat. You could let it warm to 120F, shut
it off and turn on the fan, and see how warm the breeze feels for how
long. A KillAWatt would tell you how much energy it holds at 120F.
jsw

In article , Paul Drahn
wrote:

On 3/21/2014 10:26 AM, Tim Wescott wrote:
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

I've got the thing running off of a thermostat for a baseboard heater*,
so I can turn the fan on and off with the heater. But what I'd like to
do is have the fan on a delay, so that it keeps running for a couple of
minutes after the power to the heater turns off, and, preferably, takes a
couple of minutes to switch on.

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

I could Google for it, but I suspect that I'd get the search terms wrong
and waste a bunch of time -- so if all you give me is the _right_ Google
terms, that should get me going.

* Yes, I know -- I'm essentially cobbling together a one-room furnace.

Look for "CLIXON" thermal switch. They come in all kinds of temperature
and electrical ratings. I have a bunch salvaged from electronic gear
over the years. I am sure you can figure a way to clamp one to the
heater and wire up the rest of the circuit.

Probably need a relay between the Clixon and the heater. If in a
living space, a solid-state relay will not make distracting clunks.

Joe Gwinn

Joe Gwinn fired this volley in
:

Probably need a relay between the Clixon and the heater. If in a
living space, a solid-state relay will not make distracting clunks.

Jeesh! Joe, he's not controlling the heater with it. He's controlling a
little (maybe 100W, probably less) fan.

Exactly why would he need a relay for a 0-1A load?
A Clixon that small isn't going to make "clunks". Little 'snaps', yeah;
clunks, no. So? It's an audible indicator that the switch is working.

Lloyd

On 2014-03-28, Joe Gwinn wrote:
In article , Paul Drahn
wrote:

On 3/21/2014 10:26 AM, Tim Wescott wrote:
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

[ ... ]

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

[ ... ]

Look for "CLIXON" thermal switch. They come in all kinds of temperature
and electrical ratings. I have a bunch salvaged from electronic gear
over the years. I am sure you can figure a way to clamp one to the
heater and wire up the rest of the circuit.

Probably need a relay between the Clixon and the heater. If in a
living space, a solid-state relay will not make distracting clunks.

If he were switching the load of the "oil-filled radiator", yes.
It has its own thermostat, however. (And mine had two switches in a
single housing, which died. I replaced it with a heavier switch wired
to switch both sides on or off at once.

But *he* is switching a fan -- and perhaps something as small as
a Rotron Muffin fan -- 7 or 14 Watts, so not much to switch.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: | (KV4PH) Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

In article , DoN.
Nichols wrote:

On 2014-03-28, Joe Gwinn wrote:
In article , Paul Drahn
wrote:

On 3/21/2014 10:26 AM, Tim Wescott wrote:
I may have asked this before.

My office is heated by one of those oil-filled electric radiators, but
the only spot I have for it is tucked into a corner.

It works a lot better at keeping things warm if I set a fan in front of
it to circulate air. But that leaves me with a choice of either having
the fan on all the time, or switching the fan on at the same time as the
heater.

[ ... ]

Is there a small, easy to apply gizmo that can be used for this? I know
they make thermal switches for exactly this sort of task in furnaces, but
the ones I know of work off of the low-voltage supply to the furnace
controller. Since I don't have that, I'd really like one that works off
of the 120V going to the heater.

[ ... ]

Look for "CLIXON" thermal switch. They come in all kinds of temperature
and electrical ratings. I have a bunch salvaged from electronic gear
over the years. I am sure you can figure a way to clamp one to the
heater and wire up the rest of the circuit.

Probably need a relay between the Clixon and the heater. If in a
living space, a solid-state relay will not make distracting clunks.

If he were switching the load of the "oil-filled radiator", yes.
It has its own thermostat, however. (And mine had two switches in a
single housing, which died. I replaced it with a heavier switch wired
to switch both sides on or off at once.

I did think he was switching the radiator heater.

The clunk would be from a mechanical relay, not the clixon.


But *he* is switching a fan -- and perhaps something as small as
a Rotron Muffin fan -- 7 or 14 Watts, so not much to switch.

But the fan is probably a fairly inductive load, able to draw a nice
spark when opening the circuit. Clixons are not that big, so a RC
snubber is required, at the very least.

Joe Gwinn