Forum Discussion

woodland_park's avatar
Jun 15, 2017

analog to digital thermostat conversion

I own a 2012 Woodland Park Signature Series park model that has an analog thermostat in it,(unknown manufacturer), and I'd like to convert to digital. The dealer stated the following,"We cant use digital thermostats because there is no common wire to supply constant power for digital thermostats. We've tried multiple different thermostats claiming you don't need a common wire but it doesn't work".I have a Coleman/airexcel model 46413-813 A/C unit and an Atwood 8900-111 series gas heater.I usually don't have the breaker on for the A/C unit till I need it, but leaving it on isn't a problem if it somehow figures into the "constant power" referenced above.Everything is working fine, but I'd just like to go with a digital thermostat. Is the dealer correct?
  • He doesn't know what he's doing.
    The digital stat hooks up and works just like any home unit does. It will not use the constant power source that RV stats usually do.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    I'm guessing here, but I think we need to know if you HVAC system, the Coleman A/C + the Atwood Furnace, are being run like an RV (on 12VDC) or like a house (24VAC Transformer).

    Have you looked at the back of the thermostat? Like How Many Wires? Which Colors? Any Terminals Marked? Any extra wires, not connected? Their Colors?

    Can you post pix of both sides of the thermostat?

    The chart linked from Makarios RV, presumes you know the T'Stat is a Coleman, and you can ID its number. Probably not too helpful unless you find a number or somebody recognizes yours from a picture and can provide that number.

    BUT!!! Still call or email Makarios. I needed a part, for something totally unrelated to HVAC and T'Stat's. They sourced it for me, for free. By that I mean I didn't buy anything from them, their help was free and spot on, and the part (from another supplier) was exactly what I needed, free, and promptly delivered.

    If Makarios can put you in a Coleman Digital T'Stat for $50 like the one I tracked from their example, that's a very good price. Basic home T'Stat's are around that price. WalMart used to have a $20 Honeywell that a lot of us used in our 12VDC-controlled HVAC, but I think it's not only no longer carried at WM, but also discontinued by Honeywell. Maybe too many of us were having too much fun going digital for $20!
  • OP has a Park Model....they don't have DC System/ALL AC powered
    OP has a Coleman Model 46413-813 A/C unit.....120V AC Unit
    OP has a Atwood 8900-iii series....which come in 120V AC versions

    Just saying......
  • It really shouldn't matter if it is a DC or AC system should it? All of the AC systems in a bricks and sticks home can use some form of a digital thermostat.

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