thermostat failure on electric heaters
Four electric fan type heaters, now with dead / unreliable thermostats. All different brands and models. Do all the thermostats come from a single factory in China? Is RV travel damaging the the...
Forum Discussion
PT: "Yes". I had to utterly re-engineer a floor hot water heating system for a 30,000 square foot mechanical repair shop in the mountains. The brand new installed system was a joke. Six zones, and none of them worked right. The owner paid thirty thousand dollars for a 750K boiler, underfloor tubing and zone controllers. A month after installation after ten visits by a tech, resultant threats to the seller, bad juju, thunder, lightning and evil karma, the owner (whom I first tried to argue out of wasting his money but failed to do so) came to me and begged me to "Make It Work". Six zones? Anticipation? Lead and lag? Probably one of the more involved engineering feats I had to overcome. I had to work with major components already in place. Hydronics is not for anyone who is not an intense nerd with engineering skills.
First setup was a success. All six zones got tweaked and worked as they should
Outcome was absolutely to the molecule as I had predicted in my initial argument. Heating takes energy and energy meant LPG consumption. The seller lied his ass off. Four 500 gallon tanks had to be set to get the liquid boil off high enough in -20F weather. Why have a thirty feet tall ceiling in the work bays? Heat rises. Unnecessary air circulation invites discomfort because of the acceleration of heat loss. Need 110F metal halide lighting?
He disn't listen-
12 inches of wall insulation-
Three feet of clearance over top the highest RV on a lift-
24" of ceiling insulation-
Infrared heaters in each bay at forward end for the mechanic-
The genius was shocked to get a nine hundred dollar bill from the LPG company. More screaming and yelling. I had to take him inch by inch throughout the structure using a pyrometer proving my system. His hard-headedness about structure height and heat loss because of five massive roll up doors, went nuclear when we went outside on a -5F day and he saw with his beady little eyes door temperatures of 40+F.
Another Mammoth Lakes genius, insisted on installing a hydronics heating system for his 300' driveway. A one million BTU boiler was installed. I sat back and laughed when the propane mechanic said the first month's three thousand dollar driveway bill was the end of that scenario.
So, the design and implementation of heating systems (not a heater) takes strict observance of reality. pre-planning- acknowledgement that some barriers cannot be resolved by brute force and remain intelligent.
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Narrowing Delta T can radically increase comfort. Who wants to remain in an environment where the temperature see-saws twenty degrees? The same holds for refrigeration and foodstuffs. Delta T should be understood and acknowledged by the consumer.
The gizmo I recommended has a fixed temperature so extending the leads is a must. Then comes the Easter Egg hunt. Where to place it. This can only be done by trial and error. It's primary use is to protect huge electric motors.
The advantage of the gizmo is it's size and durability. Smaller than two stacked dimes, and able to cycle more than thirty thousand times. Pluses and minuses. Advantages and disadvantages. No such thing as a simple, tiny, reliable, affordable ADJUSTABLE thermostat. Pick your compromise.
First setup was a success. All six zones got tweaked and worked as they should
Outcome was absolutely to the molecule as I had predicted in my initial argument. Heating takes energy and energy meant LPG consumption. The seller lied his ass off. Four 500 gallon tanks had to be set to get the liquid boil off high enough in -20F weather. Why have a thirty feet tall ceiling in the work bays? Heat rises. Unnecessary air circulation invites discomfort because of the acceleration of heat loss. Need 110F metal halide lighting?
He disn't listen-
12 inches of wall insulation-
Three feet of clearance over top the highest RV on a lift-
24" of ceiling insulation-
Infrared heaters in each bay at forward end for the mechanic-
The genius was shocked to get a nine hundred dollar bill from the LPG company. More screaming and yelling. I had to take him inch by inch throughout the structure using a pyrometer proving my system. His hard-headedness about structure height and heat loss because of five massive roll up doors, went nuclear when we went outside on a -5F day and he saw with his beady little eyes door temperatures of 40+F.
Another Mammoth Lakes genius, insisted on installing a hydronics heating system for his 300' driveway. A one million BTU boiler was installed. I sat back and laughed when the propane mechanic said the first month's three thousand dollar driveway bill was the end of that scenario.
So, the design and implementation of heating systems (not a heater) takes strict observance of reality. pre-planning- acknowledgement that some barriers cannot be resolved by brute force and remain intelligent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narrowing Delta T can radically increase comfort. Who wants to remain in an environment where the temperature see-saws twenty degrees? The same holds for refrigeration and foodstuffs. Delta T should be understood and acknowledged by the consumer.
The gizmo I recommended has a fixed temperature so extending the leads is a must. Then comes the Easter Egg hunt. Where to place it. This can only be done by trial and error. It's primary use is to protect huge electric motors.
The advantage of the gizmo is it's size and durability. Smaller than two stacked dimes, and able to cycle more than thirty thousand times. Pluses and minuses. Advantages and disadvantages. No such thing as a simple, tiny, reliable, affordable ADJUSTABLE thermostat. Pick your compromise.
