re: Smart thermostat refs, screw google and nest

I'm waiting to hear the data here too. The condensers I've had to replace in two different houses had zero to do with the thermostats in use.

it isn't so much a smart/vs non-smart that can damage equipment (or shorten life) but many of the "smart" wifi t-stats are so focused on connectivity they dont focus anything on equipment operation.

The most basic aspects that have an impact are cycling control. If you take a proper t-stat like Honeywell, it has a setting called CPH (cycles per hour) and for compressors you want that set to 3. What this means is that the t-stat has a dynamic swing such that it tries to limit the number of compressor starts to 3. So in milder weather, you may get more temperature swing so that it takes longer for the compressor to come back on as it will have to wait longer for the temperature to drop enough to call for more cooling. As it gets hotter, the swing narrows providing more comfort and reducing the number of starts on the compressor.

Start/stop is where the majority if compressor wear comes from. T-stats with poor cycling control will often allow things like turning a compressor on for 5 minutes, then off for 5 minutes resulting in 6+ starts per hour when under 50% load. Good control at 50% load would be 10min on, 10min off.

This doesn't even get into zoning or more complicated setups where you need proper CFM control and the 3rd party smart t-stats just can't integrate with communicating equipment. You need to use the t-stats provided by the manufacturer to get full control and properly operate the equipment. These might as well be replaced with the equipment.

quote:

---

Do the Honeywell models have the feature like Home/Away where it knows when you pull into the neighborhood and turns on the AC?

---

overrated.

if you didn't remotely turn the air down at least an hour before you pull in, the geo-fencing aint doin shite to cool it down and you will not be a

quote:

---

coolduck

---

eta and the geo-fencing is shite. if your app isn't running in the background of your phone (like after a restart) or its logged you out after a period of time its not going to work anyway plus your wife is going to be pissed off if she expects the AC to cut on when she pulls in, but if you're not in the car your phone won't activate it and she's going to call you bitching that the AC didn't turn on automatically.

trust me baw, this feature is useless.

quote:

---

You’ll be replacing your a/c unit 10 years or so sooner if so

---

que?

sounds like some DIY-er installed it wrong for the type of unit they had and so its not operating correctly. there is zero difference between a human turning the thermostat up by hand and doing it from a phone app*

*unless you're trying to use a bunch of advanced shite from overly-engineered 'software smarty' enginners who have never built a thermostat before and think that they can 'out-smart' the HVAC hardware with all kinds of complicated shite that the HVAC installed 15 years ago wasn't designed to do.

don't buy your thermostat from some idiot startup co in california who have all of 2 years experience building thermostats.

i use mine as a convenient way to turn it up or down when i'm in my bed or i'm out of town and forgot to turn it up before we left.

honeywell says 'i can operate an hvac correctly'

ive had an ecobee for years and this is the first I've heard of this app. This is awesome.

quote:

---

Ok I see they are no longer supporting their 1st and 2nd generation thermostats.

---

I did not receive this notification. How do I tell what gen I have?

quote:

---

I need a thermostat that can override the hot flashing wife from incessant temperature adjustments every hour or so. Additionally, I need a pair of thermostats that will keep her from simultaneously running the AC upstairs and the heat downstairs.

---

I have a dual zone unit downstairs. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen hot and cold fighting each other.

Had the Honeywell T5 in my old house and bought it for my new one. Its around $100 & works well for me.

quote:

---

The most basic aspects that have an impact are cycling control. If you take a proper t-stat like Honeywell, it has a setting called CPH (cycles per hour) and for compressors you want that set to 3. What this means is that the t-stat has a dynamic swing such that it tries to limit the number of compressor starts to 3. So in milder weather, you may get more temperature swing so that it takes longer for the compressor to come back on as it will have to wait longer for the temperature to drop enough to call for more cooling. As it gets hotter, the swing narrows providing more comfort and reducing the number of starts on the compressor.

---

My nest thermostat has an average of 2.1 starts per hour over the last 1019 days (when set to cool)

quote:

---

My nest thermostat has an average of 2.1 starts per hour over the last 1019 days (when set to cool)

---

That is pretty high for an average. You must get a lot of days with higher start rates than that.