Heater thermostat

[petenkathy]

I would like to put in a new digital thermostat so I can get the heat a little closer to what it is set at. There is such a variance between what is set and what I get in this old unit. I read your article on putting in a Hunter thermostat from Wally world. This sounds like the way for me to go. The article, however, was about a unit with the A/C going through the Thermostat. Mine does not. Only the heater. It seems like this hookup should be very simple, but I don't want to try it till I am sure I can do it. My heater is a suburban sb345P. Any help would be appreciated.

[Haffie]

Heyas,

Hunter thermostats can be used for heat only too, just set the slide switch to heat. The two wires that come from your furnace will connect to the RED and WHITE terminals (as shown in the instructions).

However, you fail to provide details about your rig, so the thermostat might not be the cause for the heat difference. My old Southwind is so delaminated, that the sidewalls actually started to pull away from the floor plates, leaving a 1/2 - 2/4 inch gap all around the rig. Not bad until the wind started picking up, then I went through a full tank of propane in about a week.

Have a good one,

Haffie

[petenkathy]

No, I was referring to the fact that there is so much difference between the temperature you want and the one you get and then the time it takes to decide to come back on again. There is a name for this. It gets too hot and then too cold. These old thermostats have about 6 degrees difference whereas the new ones have 1 degree which is what I want. I was thinking it only needed one wire hooked up cause it has the battery power.

[thewiz]

You can use any thermostat from the local ACE hardware.
Haffie Explained how to do it. There are two wires that arrive at the thermostat. The thermostat just closes the two wires to complete a circuit and the heater comes on. Then when the heat rises the thermostat opens the connection and the heater stops in a little bit.
You do need to use the two wires that are behind your thermostat.

[Haffie]

Heyas,

No, I was referring to the fact that there is so much difference between the temperature you want and the one you get and then the time it takes to decide to come back on again. There is a name for this.

The name you are looking for is the "Anticipator", a rheostat like adjustment in the old thermostats, usually set to about .6 on the scale. However, your thermostat can still be located where the surrounding air doesn't move much and the temperature fluctuation takes longer than it normally would.

Have a good one,

Haffie

[ron buckner]

another term is "Ambient Compensator". But haffie is right, the return air systems in our rigs is all but non existent so your going to have hot and cold spots (5th Wheels are notorious for it) If its not something you want to keep living with, I'd suggest separate floor space heaters.

[Eric J]

I put one of the newer thermostats in my house, for me I can say yup the temp in the house stays much closer to what you have it set at and at the same time it really kicks the unit on/off alot more than with the old one, kinda wearing it out with all this on/off on/off stuff? and like you my camper kinda gets a lil hot and a slight bit cold as well, so I am trying something I made up, with a 4'..... 12v muffin fan mounted at the ceiling pointed at the thermostat to ever so slightly move some air at that thermostat, I was in it last weekend and used it, and its not quite what I was wanting? but it has made a difference for the back of the camper. I may try moving the muffin fan this winter and see if I can get what i,m looking for? if I was to put a 1 degree thermostat in mine I feel like it would be just right in the back and to hot in the front?

[Carl]

Eric, sounds like you need to move your thermostat to a place in the unit where it is needed the most. My thermostat used to be mounted on the wall near the entrance door. Moved it toward the rear of the rig and now it stays more to the temp I like. Just a thought.. Carl

[ron buckner]

Eric you have the right idea, the problem is that the air at the tstat is being allowed to settle (hot air up-cold air down). By creating air motion you obviously upset that dynamic, the problem is that moving air also creates cooler air (chill factor), so the issue comes down to how much air is needed and where do you need it at. The idea of a more sensitive T-stat, placed in a more suitable space becomes a "#$%" shoot, Closer to the door means more on/off because of traffic and proximity, and if the door is at one end of the rig then the other is either to hot or to cold. Further away from the door and the opposite is the norm. And your right about cycling, the more on/off, the more potential for on/off issues. I've opted for a cyclonic fan (4"- D.C. computer cooling fan), mounted high in a bathroom wall about midship in our motorhome, blowing a very small amount of air (150 cfm). The fans are skinny, quiet reasonably attractive and cheap. I usually have it running 24-7 and it keeps the air fresher as well.

[Eric J]

Carl the thermostat is mounted 3/4 way back in the rig, to look at the whats their I kinda seem to think they have it in what would look like the right area? but yet not quite I recon? the heater is on the floor 1/4 way back from the front, I am kinda wondering if I could make up a different face plate to direct air left to right more? but that ain't so ez to do. but i,m pondering on it? maybe i,ll wake up in the middle of the nite sometime with a brain storm idea on what I could make one up outta

Ron i,m using a muffin fan outta a GE frig, I had to replace something in it (cant remember any more what or why) that came with that fan and the one in it still worked, but it is not as quiet as I would like but was free to try and play with it. i,m still gonna try and play with moving air around before I would go to 1 degree thermostat, I think it will ware out a ignition system..... module/ ignitor/ board..... semi quickly? but the rig fer sure would stay much closer to a decent temp I would think?

[petenkathy]

I think Eric hit on the problem the best. When it finally comes on it is too cold
and when it goes off it is too hot. I would rather it kicked on and off too much. I think the new type thermostats keep the tempeture at a more even level because of the way they are built. I am going to try it to try to make it more comfortable. Thanks for all the ideas though.

[Carl]

EricJ. My thermostat was mounted on a wall with a register directly below it. It was reading the air flow out of the register. After remodelling my living room, I moved the thermo to a wall away from the register. Now it reads room temp and not the register. Dumb trailer manufacturers, or installer? Carl

[Eric J]

I see what ya mean Carl, I would have moved it to, if that was the case.
I used mine over the weekend temps at nite about 34 degrees, my heater would run 15 to 20 mins and off about the same.