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Fed up with the heat! (Thermostat too high always)

Hi there!

Background:

We've been in this house for 30 years. We were always told our house is well insulated hence our home being so warm always.. We've recently(I'd say the last 10 years maybe) went from an old manual thermostat to a digital, with ZERO change.

Our thermostat always sits in the middle of the house on a hallway wall. Our furnace was installed (prior to us being here) RIGHT at the back door. I'm assuming this is the cause of the issue.

Right now, the thermostat is set to 72, but it's 81. It's normally always around 76-84 in the house, and for the most part (in the 70s) you get used to it.. But the higher it goes, the more irritating it is.

Seeing how I'm assuming it's the furnace and there's really nothing for us to do there, how could I finagle it to actually keep a decent room temp? Like... 70.

Would I just set it to 60 and hope it only heats up to 70? Is there a better option? Everyone that lives in the house doesn't like seeing the 'set' temp lower than 75, even if the room temp is at 80 -.-

If it's not the furnace, what else could I do?

Thank you for the help!

-melting in winter

Comments

  • Leon82
    Leon82 Member Posts: 684
    My in laws house was like that. I think they had convectors they were set in the wall and looked like iron. go back to the one with the dial and pull it off the spline and reinstall it 5 or 10 degrees "advanced" >:)

    It sounds like you need a thermostat with an anticipator function so it shuts the boiler off before the temp is reached.

    Is it hot water or forced air heat
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,609
    Is it a hot water boiler? Does it also heat your domestic hot water?
    A furnace heats warm air pushed through ducts.
    Do you have pictures?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    If the whole house is generally over-heated, move the thermostat to a location that better reflects the condition you would like. If the wiring is an issue, there are wireless thermostats available that a tech can set up for you in a few minutes.
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    If it's set at 70 and the thermostat is working properly, it must be somewhere around 70 at the thermostat. Make sure the thermostat is properly programed for the type of heat you have and make sure there isn't a large hole behind the thermostat where the wiring comes through the wall that can let a draft blow up or down that wall and hit the back of the thermostat. If all else is correct, I'd say the thermostat needs to be relocated to avoid drafts, etc.
  • vibert_c
    vibert_c Member Posts: 69
    Before the thermostat change ten years ago were all the residents content with the control provided by the thermostat. Would they all have been content if you covered it with a
    handkerchief so they couldn’t see it?

    How many residents presently have their fingers massaging the digital replacement? I call this phenomenon musical thermostats.

    There are rules to follow when locating a thermostat to control comfort in a home. Obviously your system is violating these rules.

    From my experience the thermostat should not be located in a hallway as you don’t reside in the hallway. Generally you want comfort when you are sitting on the couch engrossed in the TV.
    That means for comfort the thermostat should be located close to eye level while you are sitting down, ie not moving around. It should be on an interior wall away from drafts.

    Then tweak it to what makes you comfortable and cover it up so you can’t see it.

    Read Dan’s article on this subject, it is priceless