I have had a similar problem and tried a thermostat that had 3 stages for heat and 2 stages of cool. I used a 2 stage gas furnace with a 2 stage condensing unit for my one story home. I could not get the spread far enough apart to keep the furnace from operating when the radiant could do the job but was just a little slow to respond when the outdoor temperature dropped too quickly. After 2 years of adjusting different parameters on the boiler and the thermostat.

I gave up. I finally ended up with a Nest to operate the AC and the Radiant boiler and a separate thermostat for the gas furnace. When the outside temperature was lower than 17°F the radiant could not keep up. When that happens, I just set the radiant to 75°F and set a separate furnace thermostat to 68° or 70° (whatever the girlfriend is comfortable with) until the Outdoor temperature is above 17°. Then I would put it back to normal and the gas furnace would not operate.

You would think that if they can put a man on the moon you could make a thermostat that does what I want it to do.

And Who is THEY anyhow?

What defensive measures are you going to use against 99,000 tons moving at 8 knots?


Actually I think that's wrong.

How much does that ship weigh empty and how much can it carry?

Actually, @ChrisJ , there is a defensive measure which more recently constructed bridges use: basically an artificial island around the piers (the replacement Sunshine Skyway uses this, as do some other bridges in similar situations). The idea being -- quite correctly -- that running aground on such a thing will be quite effective in slowing and stopping even bigger ships.

Sadly, this could have been done for the Francis Scott Key bridge. I imagine that cost factors -- though relatively speaking not that great -- scuppered the idea. This is, after all, a government/highway department bridge. As it was, there was no -- repeat NO -- defensive structure around the piers. None. Not even an old tire.