I've had a new thermostat installed but they had to add a transformer for some reason (it's plugged into a wall outlet, and ugly). Is there any way to just use a battery powered thermostat?
This is circulated hot-water heating in the US if that helps.
2007-03-09 10:12:03 · 8 answers · asked by Home 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Thanks for the replies. I'm still confused -- of course I'll get a "better" professional to do this, but...
This isn't a digital t-stat (yet). It's one of the ones where you twist the face to set desired temperature. I'm in a condo unit away from the boiler (I think that's what you'd call it -- it's heating via baseboards which circulate hot water).
Having to plug into the wall seems like an awful lot of electricity just to tell the dang heater if it needs to turn on or not.
2007-03-09 16:59:23 · update #1
If it needs batteries then it is a digital thermostat. If it has a mercury switch then there are no batteries. However, either way you need a step down transformer. The transformer reduces the house voltage from 120 to 24 volts. The thermostat switches 24 volts to the control circuits of the furnace. Its the 24 volts that runs the furnace and the thermostat simply switches it on and off.
OK so you are just switching on the rads in your unit and you have a mercury switch thermostat. The thermostat is simply a switch that controls the valve on the rads. Think of it as a light switch. When you turn it on it close a circuit and the light comes on. The thermostat is simply a switch the it temperature sensitive. When your condo cools down it automatically turns on. But you need some source of power to operate the valves. With a light switch, the power comes from the breaker panel at 120 volts. With the thermostat the power comes from the step down transformer which reduces the voltage from 120 to 24. @$ volts is the standard operating voltage for heating application. Don't worry about power consumption.the transformer uses almost zero power and only when the rads are operating
2007-03-09 10:45:52 · answer #1 · answered by frozen 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Battery Operated Thermostat
2016-11-10 07:33:05 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alright all t-stats need 24 volts to operate otherwise the furnace, boiler, or air conditioning wont work period. Some digital thermostats use batteries to totally operate I.E. Brae Burn, or just use batteries for programmable thermostats to keep the time and program that was put in to it I.E. Honeywell or White Rodgers. Now mercury t-stats or being phased out and may not be used in the future. Now why they had to plug the thermostat into the wall I don't know they may of not known how things hooked up right or someone didn't know what they were doing.
2007-03-09 14:17:30 · answer #3 · answered by fallencupid79 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only reason that you would need a transformer for a thermostat is that it is digital. It probably gives you the time and temp and things like that. If your installer put the transformer where you can see it and plugged it into a wall receptical, then they had no business installing it at all. A battery operated " t-stat" is available, but you probably don't need one. Installed correctly, even a digital "t-stat", should be a "stand- alone" device and should need no ugly wires or outboard paraphenalia for it to work. I'm sure that your installer had the best intentions, but I think that you ought to call a professional.
2007-03-09 10:53:49 · answer #4 · answered by camswitch 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
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2016-12-18 09:30:50 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the 24vac should be supplied form the furnace/boiler area. it is supplied by the red thermostat wire. the power is fed back to the unit on the white wire when the 'stat closes to operate the furnace.
2007-03-09 19:48:49 · answer #6 · answered by oreos40 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NO! The batteries are for the memory in a power outage.
2007-03-09 11:42:39 · answer #7 · answered by NubbY 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No the mercury switch only provides contacts for on or off. only electronic/digital ones need a power source.
2007-03-09 10:32:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋