Heat Anticipator

Jerry_15

Thanks Mike, finally the right answer. I was afraid to say it myself, having been snarled at in the past. The heat anticipater has nothing to do with the heat in the room, but the heat generated by the current itself which messes with the heat setting. This can be plenty when a t-stat is operating a zone valve, not the boiler, and has the full 24 volts going through it. A digital set back battery job cures all,and saves having to justify a $95 service call to make 2 minute adjustment. Everybody's happy.
PS - The only time I mess with them is when I run into one of those nasty Edwards three wire jobs. Then you gotta fix it.

Stewart Terrien

Heat Anticipator

How do you adjust the heat anticipator on a Honeywell thermostat? Have a new replacment steam boiler boiler and a one pipe system. When the boiler shut off (after the thermostat is satisfied) the temperature in the room is about 4 degrees higher than the setting of the thermostat. Is this normal? Thanks.

Brad White_9

Based on the amperage of the connected boiler

> How do you adjust the heat anticipator on a

> Honeywell thermostat? Have a new replacment

> steam boiler boiler and a one pipe system. When

> the boiler shut off (after the thermostat is

> satisfied) the temperature in the room is about 4

> degrees higher than the setting of the

> thermostat. Is this normal? Thanks.



Stewart-
No, that kind of over-shoot is not normal (defeats the purpose of a thermostat!)

The amperage rating of the boiler is what the anticipator is set to. This number can be found on the gas valve or nameplate of the boiler or controller. Folks here with far more hands-on experience can direct you better than that. They may even have a number from experience sight unseen to get you started.

Brad White_9

Amperage Rating of the connected boiler

Stewart-
No, that kind of over-shoot is not normal (defeats the purpose of a thermostat!)

The amperage rating of the boiler is what the anticipator is set to. This number can be found on the gas valve or nameplate of the boiler or controller. Folks here with far more hands-on experience can direct you better than that. They may even have a number from experience sight unseen to get you started.

CHARLES_4

Thermostat

What's the model # of the 'stat? Assuming this is a mercury switch 'stat, heat anticipator is adjustable. Digital models are non-adjustable.

Big Ed

Setting

Have the company who installed the new system come back and adjust setting.You would need a low range amp meter to find the running amperage which would be the starting point .Cycle will be shorten or lenghting from there.

You may have a old steam only model with no anticipater.You may now have to up grade thermostat with the fast new boiler...

Ted_13

setting the heat anticipator

The heat anticipator should be set to the corresponding current through the circuit. To get a more accurate reading you can coil your jumper wire ten times (R to W) put your ammeater through the coil take the reading and divide by ten. Sometimes it good to have a little overshoot as oposed to short cycling.

Ted

Anthony Menafro

Anticipator

Charles G,
Honeywell makes their new t-stats (digital) with adjustable anticipators. You really have to read into the booklet to find out how, but it's in there. Since the new ones are out, my steam systems haven't had any short cycling.

Anthony Menafro

RonSBC

I'm with ted on this amperage through the W curcuit

Stewart Terrien

The Honeywell primary contol #R7184P has amperage listed at .1 amp. I am assuming this is the number I am looking for to set the heat anticaptor on the thermostat.

CHARLES_4

Anticipator

Thanks for the heads up. Now, teach me. Looking @ Pro-series 6000/8000 and see "cycles/hr" and "system type select". Either one of these could be what I'm looking for? Help me learn something early today so I can go back to bed.

Techman

heat antisipator.

Greetings. Like Ted said ,also. I Use my regular tool box ampmeter, plus I also carry a 10 loop"amperage multiplier tester tool" in my toolbox, it's made out of 18 guage thermostat wire.About 4ft will do ,jump across R-W .If ampmeter reading is 6 amps than set antisipator at .6 Fine tune up or down just a little

Big Ed

Mutimeter

you can also use a digital mutimeter. Any descent modern unit will adjust to low range...

John \"T\"

Heat Anticipater

35 years ago, when I was in school for HVAC, I was told that a heat anticipater was an electric heater in the thermostat that fooled the thermostat into thinking that the room was warmer than it actually was, so that it would turn off the burner before set point and let the residual heat in the heat exchanger of the FORCED AIR FURNACE bring the room temperature to set point. I was also told that matching the setting of the heat anticipater to the number of amps actually going through it was a good place to start. Move it up a little if the unit short cycles too much or if the room never reaches set point. Move it down a little if the room temperature swings uncomfortably above the set point.
You have a one pipe steam system. By the time you get steam into all the radiators at anything below design load for the total SYSTEM (boiler, radiators and piping) you're going to overshoot the set point by the time the residual heat comes out of all that mass.
If the only load going through the anticipater is the one tenth amp of the R7184P then you will get virtually no anticipation because that is less than the lowest setting of most heat anticipaters.
You'd get more anticipation out of a choked down vari-vent.
You ask is a 4° swing above set point normal. It may be better than normal for a one pipe steam system on a mild day.
If the temperature at the thermostat is four degrees above set point before the call for heat is ended then the stat is out of calibration. Make sure it is level if it is a mercury bulb type. If it is old replace it. The thermostat is the least expensive component in the system.
Some of the digital thermostats have a feature that you can turn on or off, that will adjust the cycle time by computing previous overshoots and rate of temp rise. Watch out though with that steam radiator system. If it shortens the cycles too much, the radiators away from the thermostat that need more time to get a belly full of steam will starve to death (that room will never get heat). If that happens turn off the EMR feature.

Stan W_2

Thermostat mercury bulb antisipator setting for hot water system

Setting the antisipator:
If it is a hot water system, check on or underneath the gas valve for the amperage rating, then multiply 1.4 times, then set the result ( sum )to the thermostat antisipator's setting.

If it is a furnace, match the antisipator setting to the gas valve amperage rating.

JK_3

vision pro 8000

One of the nice things about the vision pro 8000 is that it learns to anticipate on its own. Set the schedule and let it work. I teel my custoers who are used to setting their therms a half hour before they wake up so that the house is warm to put in this model, set it to your alarm and enjoy your morning coffee.

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Jerry_15

OK - I've just got to know what possible effect the amperage output of the gas valve in the boiler room could have on room temperature in the structure. I believe I know the answer, but will simply say that any digital t-stat that I've used for awhile that has a battery operated display, doesn't have a heat anticipator. I do have a ten loop coil in my box somewhere. Life is too short.

Ron Schroeder

Jerry

The higher the amperage the longer it takes to open the valve, so you set the anticipator so that the t-stat starts opening the valve before set point, conversely if the anticipator is set higher it opens sooner and causes a longer cycle

Mike M.

It's all about Ohm's Law

The more current going through the thermostat, the hotter the little "heater" in the thermostat gets. This heater is the anticipator, not the slider with the amperage scale on it. The slider calibrates the anticipator so that they all heat to the same temperature regardless of circuit current, resulting in consistent performance from installation to installation.

JK_4

Then there are the "pros" that will change oot the bioler and leave a line voltage thermostat connected. I've seen some pretty interesting results depending on how its connected.

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Techman

Heat Antisipator

Stewart,Is the t'stat level? Also ,is the hole in the wall where the t'stat wirers comes out of the wall sealed? Sealed with something like "Thumbgum"? O.K. The H.W. t'stat #T87F has a setting of .10 which is the amp draw of the H.W.relay# R7184P .Try setting the slide bar to .10 , then run the system and see what happens.

Empire_2

Hey guy's

Correct me if I am wrong, BUT I set the anticipator for any HW, Steam to 1.0 amps. This gives absolutely no anticipation. At say, 70* I want the stat to shut down at 70* the affective heat given off after shutdown is minimal and I feel I do not require any anticipation. Zone valves, switching relays, have a value, but when done, they shut down and stop flow....Right? E I R if you take your volts =24 divide by 1.0 = 24.....no anticipation.

P.S Techman I posted your information on capacity controls in the A/C section. I hope it helps. Takes a little while to load, but let me know if you can read it. I can always send it by Mail if you like. Thankx.........

Mike T.

Big Ed

Cycles and Burnouts

Setting anticipater to the amp draw of the control will set the cycle to 6 per hour which is correct for most single stage systems . Steam would work better in a longer cycle..Like 3 per hour. Take a large mass hydronic system with huge radiators and the boiler water is raised to produce hot water.It may be better to run at 8-10 cycles a hour.

You should adjust .05A at a time from the curent draw. Setting too far will fry the anticipater. I find it better to take the reading with a meterand wait a minute or two to find the running amps.Some systems will draw more on start up,like some zonevalves , stack dampers or the old stack relays...

Before the adjustable anticipater we use to install different heater disks for different cycles..Honeywells series 10 set up .You still see them around.It used the "R" terminal or the third wire to power the heater...

Jerry_15

Hey JK, I put in a LUX model ELV1 single pole, line voltage programmable with 5-2 day clock. Works great. Nobody stocks them, even though lux is a popular brand, so I order them by the case. Screws right to the J-box, complete with extra beauty cover. Two double A"s, monster time saver. Only brand I've found with these features. But then, I ain't a pro. Yes, line voltage control can defeat some of the features on a new boiler, but there are many cases on existing where it can still work, without getting into the spaghetti factory in the basement.