Recommend integrated Thermostat/humidistat?

[jeffw_00]

I have a 1-speed, 1-zone gas Forced-Hot_air furnace, with non-integrated humidifier on the side of it. (New England)

Two low-voltage wires go to the thermostat. Two more low-voltage wires go to the humidistat next to the thermostat.

Thermostat and humidistat are old mechanical models. I'd like to replace with one electronic one. The only one I can find is a White Rodges 1F97-391 costing ~$150. Couldn't find anything on Honeywell's site. Can anyone recommend a reliable, accurate electronic thermostat/humidistat?

Thanks!
/j

[BaldLoonie]

The White-Rodgers is a great stat. There's a new one called Climatouch (aka Totaltouch from Carrier & Bryant dealers) that is easy to use. The illustration below doesn't show the humidity reading nor setpoint. I am trying one on my 3 stage system and so far so good. http://www.totaltouch.info

http://www.totaltouch.info/images/index_21.jpg

[jeffw_00]

how much is it? I should have mentioned I'd also like to pay closer to $50 if I can...
/j

[airworx]

ive used that totaline touch pad thermostat, you can use it for heat pump, electric , gas. upto 2 stage a/c or 3 stage ht. as far as a thermostat for humidity control i know carrier thermidistat is excellant.
you are not going to get a thermostat / humiditstat for 50 dollars though.

[t527ed]

Originally posted by jeffw_00
how much is it? I should have mentioned I'd also like to pay closer to $50 if I can...
/j



only thing you would get for that price is a headache.

[jeffw_00]

The totaline that supports a humidifier also supports 3 heat and 2 cooling systems - seems like overkill - and I'm guessing it's a lot of $$ (can't even find a price on line) - is it really better than the white-rodgers?

[BaldLoonie]

There is a single stage Climatouch/Totaltouch. Not sure if it has the humidity control though. W-R stats are extremely reliable. The first Climatouch I tried was bad, this one is working OK. These are cheaper than the 1F95. Not sure if you'd find on the net or have to buy through a local dealer.

[jeffw_00]

Thanks - it appears that the only Totaltouch with a humidistat on their website is the P206-1400 that also supports 3 heating and 2 cooling systems, dehumidification, and other stuff. It looks like it might be hard to use since we're taking advantage of so little of what it offers (Also, I suspect it might be wicked expensive, being their top-of-the-line model).

The W-R has some nice features the totaltouch lacks, like running the humidifier a bit less when there are a lot of long heating cycles (to reduce condensation on windows). It seems like a good option, and I guess I won't get anything with both for $50 - but

are there any other good choices to consider??????

thanks
/j

[Edited by jeffw_00 on 01-29-2006 at 07:45 PM]

[jeffw_00]

are there other good choices to consider?
thanks!
/j

[citywide service]

When you guys say thermidistat is that a stat which controls the add on humidifier as well as the unit or does it run the system by reading R/H? I'm a bit cornfused here, sorry.


Citywide.

[jeffw_00]

what I want is a single unit that controls the furnace and the humidifier. Some call this a thermidistat, sort of a cross between a thermostat and a humidistat.

[jeffw_00]

the anticipator control on the total touch is very coarse - +/- 1.0 DegF.

Also - it's made by a small company AED Electronics and sold through carrier. - they sound like a mom/pop operation.

I'm leaning towards the W-R.

I found a $50 ritetemp - but they screwed up the humidifier control - they force the fan on whenever it calls for humidity

[t527ed]

Originally posted by jeffw_00


I found a $50 ritetemp - but they screwed up the humidifier control - they force the fan on whenever it calls for humidity



can't force the fan on if you only have 2 wires to furnace

[jeffw_00]

Yeah, that's perfectly true. But then it starts to become a hack job, and the humidifier runs for hours when no air is blowing - bad for the drum motor. The Totaltemp and the Bryant make the fan an option (and both recommend running it for mist humidifiers but not for drum humidifiers).

BTW: The Totaltemp has what may also be a fatal flaw - the 'anticipator' (the control for hysteresis around the setpoint), can be set only in increments of 1DegF, which seems way too large.

/j

[Edited by jeffw_00 on 01-30-2006 at 09:05 PM]

[mscott]

I have the RiteTemp 8085C controlling our furnace and Skuttle steam humidifier and I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the humidity control on the RiteTemp. It has a 5% (non-adjustable) swing on the humidity setting. So if I set the humidity at 35%, it'll drop to 30% before the humidifier kicks on, then run up to 40% before turning off. This means our humidifier tends to run for hours on end.

Since I'm in the market for a new furnace anyway, I've been considering the Carrier Infinity/Bryant Evolution systems, as well as Lennox and their SignatureStat. All these systems seem to be able to control both a furnace and humidifier, although I haven't been able to confirm the swing on the Lennox stat yet. (Carrier/Bryant was 2%, IIRC.) Carrier/Bryant also have a Thermidistat which seems to have most of the same heat/humidity control capabilities as the Infinity/Evolution stats, but should work with most existing systems.

-Scott

[jeffw_00]

Beware - When the humidistat calls, some stats only run the humidifier if the furnace is running (appropriate for drum humidifiers), some also (when the furnace is not running) cut in the fan & humidifier and run it until the humidity is up to level (appropriate for steam). Some give you a programmable choice.

Also - some automatically crank back the humidity when it's really cold to prevent condensation. The Evolution stat does this based on outside temp. The White-Rodgers does it based on how long the furnace is running.


I avoided the Rite-Temp because i was concerned about accuracy (and it's only Mode was the steam mode. I avoided the totalTemp because the anticipator accuracy was in whole degrees. I put in the W/R 1f97-391 over the weekend - so far so good.

/j