Friday

tip-o-day

Winter is coming...in case you hadn't noticed.
With these crazy prices we are all trying to think of ways to save on heating bills this year.

Installing a digital, programmable thermostat can not only save money - but they are just damned convenient. How nice to wake to a warm house and still save money!

They're also an easy do-it-yourself project.
I installed our second one this weekend and have included an illustrated tutorial below in case you are nervous about doing it yourself.

Here is our current thermostat. An original Honeywell. It's served us well - but it's time to upgrade.


First, gather the tools you will need for your job.


A thermostat is a low voltage device - so while it won't kill you, turn off power to the unit. Safety first.
You can do this either at your electrical panel...


...or you may have a switch that cuts off power to the thermostat.

Be sure to test to see there is no current before you begin.

Next, familiarize yourself with the instructions. This can save time and aggravation later.


Remove the thermostat cover. Then find and NOTE the current configuration of the wires. Either jot this down or label the wires directly.


Oh.. by the way...
Whenever I am taking something apart that I am not all that familiar with, I try to line up the parts in order of their removal. This helps a whole lot if I need to re-install the old part.


Ok, so here we are ready for our new device.


Based on where the wires were located and how they were to connect to the new device, I realized I would need to move it slightly. So I got a couple more tools to make that adjustment.


Here, I have the wires hooked up, and you can see under the screw hole to the left that I have drilled new holes and installed a yellow wall anchor (a molly). The instructions were very clear on how to connect the wires - so there were no worries.


Once the base was attached firmly to the wall, I installed batteries and snapped on the control box.


Now its time to program the ON/OFF cycles and temperature settings. These settings are detailed in the instruction booklet as well as having Simplified Instructions right on the inside of the lid. This is very handy as a reminder since you generally don't changes these settings too often.



hmm... looks like my artistic wife has some work to do on her fancy faux finish.


Remember, any settings you make now can be overridden. And the great part about that is - let's just say you are very chilly one night and crank that puppy up. Then - you drink a bottle of wine and then... perhaps start dancing around the living room...naked... ya know cuz its so warm ... and then you might...dance your way upstairs and possibly fall into a deep, drunken sleep.
zzzzzz
NOT TO WORRY!
Your new digital, programmable thermostat will set the heat back down at its regularly scheduled time -even tho you used the override feature to raise the temperature during its ON time.




ok, pack up your tools and tidy up.