Programmable thermostat, fan control
Hey y’all:
My old house is heated primarily by a wood stove, with a propane forced-air furnace located upstairs — no A/C. Return air is ducted from directly above the stove, and the thermostat is located a few feet away. This works fine for distributing heat when a fire is burning and the thermostat is set to “fan”. But since we can’t get oak in the Rockies, the fire won’t burn all night.
To keep from blowing cold air in the wee hours, I turn the t’stat to “heat” before going to bed. However; since the thermostat is located in the stove room, furnace heat doesn’t come on until the fire is well out, by which time it’s pretty dang cold upstairs.
I’m wondering if a programmable thermostat will allow me to run the fan only until a specified hour, then automatically switch to heat. Thanks.
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Replies
I am not an HVAC pro, but don't think that is a common feature.
You might go to the Honeywell thermostat site and look at the VisionPro models and down load the manuals. You can program lots of things in them.
But I would look at a couple of other options. One is to wire a cooling thermostat up in parallel to the fan switch and set at say 80 and place it near the stove. That way whenever the stove it hot then the fan will run automatically and turn off when it get cool. You will need to experiment with the placement of the thermostat and the setpoint.
And with a programable thermostat you could set it for 80 from 11 pm to 2 am and then 70 degrees after 2 am. The idea is that while the fire is tarting to die, but still hot that the thermostat is set high so the furance will start early enough. Then after the stove is cold it will go back to normal settings. Again you will need to expereiment with that.
The cooling t'stat behind the stove works well to activate the fan.
IMO, setting the programmable to 80 will waste fuel. I would move the programmable t'stat out of the room and away from the influence of the stove. Try setting it back for savings to 65 and bring it on early for reheat to 70 or so.
There are systems that are programable and will run the fan only for set intervals throughout the day. I'm not sure if that is in the thermostat or the air handler. However, I think you need something a little different.
What you might consider is a wireless remote control thermostat. You leave it in its normal place during the day, then take it to the bedroom at night. It will work to bring whatever room you are in up to the correct temps in your situation.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!