Thermostat location

[slandi]

Hello everyone,

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who answered my question on where best to place the DX coil of the HP when using it with an electric furnace. The information will be very helpful and will help me convince the HVAC company that installed the furnace to retrofit my DX in the return coil. Since I had so much success with the first question here is my next question.

Last night I noticed that my HP runs for a long long time 45-60 minutes before the thermostat is satisfied. I've had HVAC techs in to check out the system and everything is in check and the Thermostat is brand new and is working properly. Now the thermostat is located in the living room of our open concept split level bungalow opposite a large window under which is a heat register. The living room has a very high cathedral-type ceiling and the upper level of the split is open with a railing and doors going to three bedrooms. I'm wondering if the thermostat is sensing the draft developed by the register under the large window and sensing that the temperature is cooler calls for more heat in almost an endless cycle. I've also notice that when the HP calls for Aux heat and the toasters come on, the air coming from the register is much warmer and the thermostat usually is satisfied after about 10 minutes or so. Again, could this be because at the point the same draft is no warmer and is satifiying the thermostat faster?

OK now our living room is set-up in such a way as the only other inside wall on the same floor level on which I could install the thermostat is right above an open stairwell going to a lower level of the house. The other place I was thinking is on the wall on the upper hall level right above the living room which is again completely open the to living room. However, I was thinking this might be a problem as heat rising would satisfy the thermostat before the living room had time to heat up to the requested temperature.

I realize how long that description is, but I'm trying to give as many details as possible and perhaps someone else has encounterd the same problem.

So my questions are these:

1. Does my theory of the draft going up to the ceiling and then down to the thermostat make sense? Could in fact this draft be making the thermostat run the HP for long periods of time?

2. If this is so, then from the details given above, what would be the best location for the thermostat. Above the stairwell or on the upper level adjacent to the living room.

Thanks for any help you could give me on this particular problem. I was thinking of changing the thermostat's position tonight after work and I'm hopeful to have some opinions by then.

thanks,

Stefano Landi

please don't post e-mail addresses, it attracts spam causing bots to the site!

[Edited by BaldLoonie on 12-19-2005 at 04:14 PM]

[smokin68]

A hot air draft would shut the hp off prematurely...not make it run longer. The stat should be 5 ft off the floor and close to your return grill, but not in a dead-air space(hallway),or in a direct path of a supply grill or heat source(window,near a stove, fireplace,outside door,etc). It hard to tell the best place without being there, this is what your installer should have determined.

[slandi]

Well everyone moving the thermostat to the other side of the room away from the direct path of the heat register did the trick. The furance/HP is now working perfectly keeping the house at a constant and cozy temperature. We purchased an electric furnace and I've already done some quick calculations and have determined that we will be saving some $60-$70 / mth on our heating bill and so basically the furnace will pay for itself in the next few years. Thanks again for listening to a HVAC newbies questions and concerns.

best regards and Happy New Year!

Stefano

[fortressofcomfort]

Congrats?
What kind of thermostat? Must not be a Honeywell, just a guess.