# Do you have a thermostat?



## briggsy13 (Sep 26, 2011)

I've read other places (pellet stove reviews) that getting a thermostat has saved people even more money on pellets cause the stove can cut back, or off depending on the setting.  I'm just curious of your own findings.  Did installing a thermostat save you money in the long run?  Money is pretty tight right now for us getting this install done with all the pieces and parts to buy.  Just wondering if the thermostat was worth the expense or not.  
Thanks!

After my first response to this, I figured I would add the question: Do you have a thermostat option that you recommend?  I saw we could do wireless?  Is that affordable?


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## JBiBBs5 (Sep 26, 2011)

briggsy13 said:
			
		

> I've read other places (pellet stove reviews) that getting a thermostat has saved people even more money on pellets cause the stove can cut back, or off depending on the setting.  I'm just curious of your own findings.  Did installing a thermostat save you money in the long run?  Money is pretty tight right now for us getting this install done with all the pieces and parts to buy.  Just wondering if the thermostat was worth the expense or not.
> Thanks!



My stove is brand new so I won't say I'm an expert but I have done a lot of research and I would recommend the thermostat because you'll simply save yourself a lot of time and effort. If you're not using one you can set the stove on low but when it gets chilly you'll have to turn it up. Then it gets too warm so you have to turn it back down. 

The thermostat gives you the option of having it run at all times on high or low, adjusting itself accordingly. Or you can run it on auto/off which means it will shut down when it reaches the desired temp and restart itself when necessary. Most people recommend the high/low because there will be less wear on the ignitor. 

I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions on this but if you're going to use this as your primary source of heat Tstat is the way to go.


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## jtakeman (Sep 26, 2011)

I have had a (programmable)stat on every stove I have owned. Where I feel I save is cutting the heat back when I am away during the day and at night while asleep. You will get some 24/7 burners that feel that keeping a steady temp is just as efficient! Some feel it takes more fuel to raise the temps back to the desired level, Than it takes to just keep it at that temp!

All I know is my house temp is far more steady with the stat controlling the stove than when I was at the helm. I also feel if the stat wasn't a useful item to have? The stove manu's would have them as an option. A programmable stat with swing is another priceless item I can't live without.


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## Pelletluvr (Sep 26, 2011)

"Do you have a thermostat?"

Yes. I've always had one connected. I can't imagine having it any other way. My stove cycles on and off just as if I had central heating. I know some people who just leave their stove run constantly on low or med. low, but their house is 78F all winter. Or hotter. Seems like a waste of heat to me.

Just sayin


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## THE ROOSTER (Sep 26, 2011)

I use the one that came on my Harman accentra, it's OK...


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## krooser (Sep 26, 2011)

My wife does...it's usually set just above freezing...


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## GrahamInVa (Sep 26, 2011)

I have one. Can't comment on how well it will work since this is my first year burning.

The top one is for my pellet stove.


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## DexterDay (Sep 26, 2011)

I use a Sky Tech remote thermostat. I only use it in the shoulder seasons. Once it gets below 32 constantly, I run the stove on Low 24/7. Its my personal preference and like someone stated above, my home is at 76 all Winter. But I like it that way. I kept the thermostat at 68 with the LP furnace and was always cold (spending about $4,000 a yr) Now I spend less the a 1/4 of that cost and I am finally warm.

Thermostats are nice. I really only use it a little though. Nov and Mar or April. From Dec to March. She runs on Low constantly.


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## imacman (Sep 26, 2011)

I have a stat connected to my stove, and agree with Dexter....it is best suited for the late fall/early winter and late winter/early spring seasons and i run the stove in the On-Off mode.  During the heart of the winter, the stove is basically running 24/7 on Hi-Lo.

That said, it DOES work very well, and I'm sure it saves pellets over the course of the entire winter.

I have a regular programmable unit (see pic of Lux PSP511), but the SkyTech remote is a nice unit.....you're able to adjust/start/stop the stove from most anywhere in the house if you want, plus it gives you the ability to move the remote to test out the best overall location.


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## philbrick (Sep 26, 2011)

When is somebody going to come up with bluetooth  stat


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## ablejoy (Sep 26, 2011)

I have a wireless stat works well


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## DexterDay (Sep 26, 2011)

AZ Pellet Guy said:
			
		

> I have a wireless stat works well



I had the Smart Stat (same as yours, but the receiver for the stove plugs into the wall, only the remote has batteries)  it didnt make it through 2 seasons. The receiver itself pooped out. The guy said he never seen anything like it. I never had it plugged into a surge protector, like I do on the stove. So it may have been a Surge/ Brown out. It had a handy little mount for the wall that I loved. I mounted the Sky Tech with a piece of Vel-Cro on the battery cover. Put the other piece on the wall and then framed it with some 1/2" Corner Round. Looks pretty good


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## ablejoy (Sep 26, 2011)

Love mine been working since 2008 and I have it plugged into a surge protector also have a surge protector on my electric panel.


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 26, 2011)

I have a Skytech wireless on one stove and a $25 programmable wired one from Home Depot on the other stove.  I use the wireless model because there was no reasonable way to run a wire from my stove to an opposite wall.  As far as a wired one goes, if you spend more than $25, you are wasting your money!  All you need is a closed/open contact to turn the stove on and off.  Also, read up on the thermostat you like and make sure it has something called 'swing'.  That allows you to adjust the 'sensitivity' of the stat.  For instance, a swing of 2 degrees will shut off the stove when the temp is 2* above the setpoint.  It will turn it back on when the temp  is 2* below the set point.  This CAN be had in a $25 stat.  In my experience over the last couple of winters, a 1 degree swing is plenty because my Quads only shut off and turn on.  There is no low/high choice.  With 1 degree of swing, the temp will overshoot a degree since it is still pumping out heat after it shuts off.  Then when the temp drops 1 degree below setpoint, the stove starts BUT it takes 10 or 15 minutes before it's pumping out significant heat.  During that time, the temp has dropped another 2 degrees or so depending on the outside conditions.  That means a swing of 1 degree, in reality is a swing of 5 degrees or so.  If you or the boss can live with that, then go for it.  Remember your stove is a space heater!  
I wish my stoves had high/low ability.  In fact, I will be looking at how to change them using a small Cubloc PLC.


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## krooser (Sep 26, 2011)

I DO have one but can't remember where i put it...never got installed although I intended to do just that....


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## imacman (Sep 26, 2011)

krooser said:
			
		

> I DO have one but can't remember where i put it...never got installed although I intended to do just that....



If you don't remember where you put it, how are you sure that it didn't get installed????  You probably should start checking all the walls.


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 26, 2011)

krooser said:
			
		

> I DO have one but can't remember where i put it...never got installed although I intended to do just that....



Maybe that's why your microwave comes on in the middle of the night???   :red:


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## smalltown (Sep 27, 2011)

I've got a thermostat on my Castile. I do think that we are saving a lot of pellets by having the heat drop down to ~65Â°F at 10:30  PM and return to normal temperature at 4:30 AM.
If we were to maintain the same setting all night it would roast us out.


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## save$ (Sep 27, 2011)

no thermostat hooked to my stove.  Not an option.   However my wife lets me know if her thermostat is calling for more heat.  My only problem is that my office gets too warm for me.  I run a few ceiling fans to even things out.   Since I never have had a thermostat on a stove, I don't know what I am missing.


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 27, 2011)

I do the same thing as smalltown mainly for sleeping comfort.  For me the jury is still out as to savings from the standpoint of setbacks.  Someone made some sense last winter when they observed that when you kick the temperature setpoint back up, you are not just heating the air in the house.  Everything in the house (walls, furniture, books, etc) have also cooled down and are a heat sink that must be heated back up.  So the more sheeet you have, the more heat load.  I haven't done it both ways, so I can't really say if it saves or not.  The Government says it does so....................... I'm sure they spent a few million figuring that one out.   :zip:


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 27, 2011)

philbrick said:
			
		

> When is somebody going to come up with bluetooth  stat



I think they have, actually.  I saw an ad on TV for an app for your smart phone to control the thermostat.

http://www.amazon.com/Trane-Remote-Energy-Management-Thermostat/dp/B002BA5VVU


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## heat seeker (Sep 27, 2011)

I think that the only savings with a setback thermostat is there is less heat loss to the outside with a lower inside temperature. The heating of objects in the house can be thought of as a flywheel effect. When the thermostat goes down, the objects give off heat for a while. When the thermostat goes up, the objects soak up heat for a while, for a net gain/loss of zero.

Otherwise, the only difference is the delta-T between indoors and outdoors when the thermostat is turned down. I have proven to myself that a setback does save money with oil heat. 

That said, I leave my pellet stove set at one temp; any lower and the upstairs gets too cold.

I like very much having the t'stat, one less thing to keep track of.


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 27, 2011)

heat seeker said:
			
		

> I think that the only savings with a setback thermostat is there is less heat loss to the outside with a lower inside temperature. The heating of objects in the house can be thought of as a flywheel effect. When the thermostat goes down, the objects give off heat for a while. When the thermostat goes up, the objects soak up heat for a while, for a net gain/loss of zero.
> 
> Otherwise, the only difference is the delta-T between indoors and outdoors when the thermostat is turned down. I have proven to myself that a setback does save money with oil heat.
> 
> ...



That makes a lot of sense with the delta-T.


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## mepellet (Sep 27, 2011)

heat seeker said:
			
		

> I think that the only savings with a setback thermostat is there is less heat loss to the outside with a lower inside temperature. The heating of objects in the house can be thought of as a flywheel effect. When the thermostat goes down, the objects give off heat for a while. When the thermostat goes up, the objects soak up heat for a while, for a net gain/loss of zero.
> 
> Otherwise, the only difference is the delta-T between indoors and outdoors when the thermostat is turned down. I have proven to myself that a setback does save money with oil heat.
> 
> ...



Your rate of heating is directly dependent on your temperature difference between inside and outside (DeltaT)   Heating requirement=U*A*dT where U is 1/R value and A is area of wall or ceiling.



			
				tjnamtiw said:
			
		

> I do the same thing as smalltown mainly for sleeping comfort.  For me the jury is still out as to savings from the standpoint of setbacks.  Someone made some sense last winter when they observed that when you kick the temperature setpoint back up, you are not just heating the air in the house.  Everything in the house (walls, furniture, books, etc) have also cooled down and are a heat sink that must be heated back up.  So the more sheeet you have, the more heat load.  I haven't done it both ways, so I can't really say if it saves or not.  The Government says it does so....................... I'm sure they spent a few million figuring that one out.   :zip:



It is still taking energy to maintain the temperature of the objects in your house.


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## pastera (Sep 27, 2011)

Pellet stove is in a 26'x26' family room - On all but the coldest days the stove will cook you out even on the lowest setting so I run it on a thermostat.

Just wish I could find a low priced one with a 2-4Â° differential (stove cycles too often)


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## smalltown (Sep 27, 2011)

Aaron I have the same issue with my Quad Castile. Mine stove cycles off and quite a few times it starts up again before the cast iron parts have cooled. 
Last season I purchased a Honeywell and it does not have the adjustable swing that I feel I need. I promised myself a new thermostat this season.

I have been looking at the LUX brand sold in Lowe's they are supposed to have a much better swing agjustment.


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## JBiBBs5 (Sep 27, 2011)

smalltown said:
			
		

> Aaron I have the same issue with my Quad Castile. Mine stove cycles off and quite a few times it starts up again before the cast iron parts have cooled.
> Last season I purchased a Honeywell and it does not have the adjustable swing that I feel I need. I promised myself a new thermostat this season.
> 
> I have been looking at the LUX brand sold in Lowe's they are supposed to have a much better swing agjustment.



I have a LUX and I highly recommend it. Get the one with the blue LED lighting, I have two of them.


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## smalltown (Sep 27, 2011)

JBiBBs5 what model do you have and how much can you vary the swing?


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## JBiBBs5 (Sep 27, 2011)

smalltown said:
			
		

> JBiBBs5 what model do you have and how much can you vary the swing?



I have the TX1500E and you can vary the swing number value anywhere between 1-9. Definitely worth the $30 I spent.


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## IHATEPROPANE (Sep 27, 2011)

Are they easy to install?  Mine has 2 screws to attach the wires.  Buy how do i know which wire to which screw?
Thanks in advance


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 27, 2011)

Aaron Pasteris said:
			
		

> Pellet stove is in a 26'x26' family room - On all but the coldest days the stove will cook you out even on the lowest setting so I run it on a thermostat.
> 
> Just wish I could find a low priced one with a 2-4Â° differential (stove cycles too often)



My el cheapo Ritetemp for $25 - 29 has the differential.  I don't see it on-line on Home Depot, though.  I haven't looked lately at the store to see if they still carry them.  
My wife would kill me if I put a 4* diff on there.  Realistically, it would be about a 10-12 degree swing if you have 'on/off' setting on the stove.


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## DexterDay (Sep 27, 2011)

My Skh Tech remote thermostat has a swing of 1-3 degrees. Again, only used in the shoulder season. I dont like the sway in temp at 2 to 3 degrees and a 1 degree swing, my stove barely shuts off, before cycling back on. Also saves a lot of wear and tear on the ignitor...

4 tons a yr and 76* in the house isnt bad for 2,200 sq and about 3-4 months of 24-7 burning.


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## JBiBBs5 (Sep 27, 2011)

IHATEPROPANE said:
			
		

> Are they easy to install?  Mine has 2 screws to attach the wires.  Buy how do i know which wire to which screw?
> Thanks in advance



Very easy to install. Just one black and one white connection.

I installed my Tstat myself while the installer put the stove in.


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## tjnamtiw (Sep 27, 2011)

The only two connections you need are the W and the Rh (or R).  That's the contact that closes to start the stove.


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## IHATEPROPANE (Sep 27, 2011)

Awesome, Thanks!


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## RiddleMasterMorgon (Sep 28, 2011)

I dont have a thermostat. We wanted to wait for a season and see how the stove does. Looks to me like I dont need one, I have 5 settings (feed rates and blower combi) to use on the stove and a 'constant on' does the trick (fairly open floor plan probably makes a difference here). We turn it down to a low setting when leaving the house and ramp it up when back home. costs two clicks on the panel per day, plus some clicks if the temperature gets too hot or too cool. Not sure why a thermostat circling between high and low would make much difference.

A remote one seems to cost quite a chunk of money (just did some searching for a second thermostat in the beasement for my oil forced air that will keep the basement from freezing), I saw stuff around 150 USD. I ended up with a Honeywell and 50ft of wire for about 30 USD. The difference is about half a ton of pellets / 25 bags.

I guesstimate I will use about 175 bags this season - so the thermostat would have to safe me 10-15 percent in consumption to break even (material only) - kind a doubt that a thermostat could save me that much pellet in one season....maybe in 2-3 ?

My 2 cents


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## Pellet-King (Sep 28, 2011)

No Tstat, No igniter, I'm a real Pellet PIG!


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## JBiBBs5 (Sep 28, 2011)

Riddle Master Morgon said:
			
		

> I dont have a thermostat. We wanted to wait for a season and see how the stove does. Looks to me like I dont need one, I have 5 settings (feed rates and blower combi) to use on the stove and a 'constant on' does the trick (fairly open floor plan probably makes a difference here). We turn it down to a low setting when leaving the house and ramp it up when back home. costs two clicks on the panel per day, plus some clicks if the temperature gets too hot or too cool. Not sure why a thermostat circling between high and low would make much difference.
> 
> A remote one seems to cost quite a chunk of money (just did some searching for a second thermostat in the beasement for my oil forced air that will keep the basement from freezing), I saw stuff around 150 USD. I ended up with a Honeywell and 50ft of wire for about 30 USD. The difference is about half a ton of pellets / 25 bags.
> 
> ...



I consider it more of a convenience thing than savings. Really just comes down to personal preference.


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## IHATEPROPANE (Sep 28, 2011)

If the stove is off but in HI/LO mode would the t-stat turn it on and then cycle between hi/lo?  I feel that would be ideal


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## heat seeker (Sep 28, 2011)

On most stoves, I don't think so. The St. Croix has a setting that goes HI/LO, but if it's on LO for an hour, it shuts the stove off. It will relight the stove when heat is called for.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Sep 28, 2011)

Sorry JBiBBs5,  I misread who was figuring the thermostat wouldn't help much in the savings department. 

Riddle Master .... 

You might want to run that savings calculation again.  The thermostat should be a buy once use for many seasons thing.

Just saying.


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## IHATEPROPANE (Sep 29, 2011)

Smokey,

Do you use a tstat?  I would think mine would work like yours.  I am toying with the idea.


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## IHATEPROPANE (Sep 29, 2011)

heat seeker said:
			
		

> On most stoves, I don't think so. The St. Croix has a setting that goes HI/LO, but if it's on LO for an hour, it shuts the stove off. It will relight the stove when heat is called for.



This would be nice also.


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## jtakeman (Sep 29, 2011)

IHATEPROPANE said:
			
		

> If the stove is off but in HI/LO mode would the t-stat turn it on and then cycle between hi/lo?  I feel that would be ideal



AFAIK, No for the Enviro's. The stat only turns the stove on in Auto. The stove has to be on when you switch to hi/lo. I made the mistake of putting my Omega in hi/lo with the stove off last winter. When the stat called for heat the stove didn't turn on. I put it in auto and it started up. Once started I put it in hi/lo. I tried it a couple of times and no go. You can also hit the start button and the stove will go into start up.


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