Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Haunted thermostat?

FranklinD
FranklinD Member Posts: 399
I had an interesting experience last night. Kids were in bed and asleep by 10pm, wife left for work at 10:30, I went up around 11, read for awhile, and went to sleep around 11:30.

I woke up at 1:15 sweating like crazy. I thought that was odd...bedroom windows were open and fan was on. I looked over to the weather station on my bedside table, and saw (with surprise) that it was 63 outside, and 85 inside!

I jumped out of bed, thinking maybe there was a fire (despite not hearing even one of my 14 alarms going off), lost my balance, and grabbed the bedroom radiator for support. It was HOT. Like hotter than they get during the winter (hot water system). What the bleep is going on?!

Stumbling downstairs, I look at the thermostat. Sure enough, it's set at 80. It had been set at 60 and hasn't run in about a week (it finally became summer around here in the last week or so). Servicing the boiler and killing power to it was actually on my to-do list this weekend.

I went down and checked the boiler, and sure enough, the supply and return had stabilized at about 160 (my high-limit setting), and the heat was rolling off all the piping down there. I turned off the service switch just in case, and went and checked on the kids...all still asleep. I opened windows and turned on fans, then went to sweat away the rest of the night.

So....haunted thermostat? I had the dog out at 11, it definitely wasn't running then. It's not in a spot where it could've been bumped. No one went downstairs after I came up. I've been turning this over in my mind all day and I'm at a complete loss. Never had an issue with this thermostat before, ever. Batteries are newer and 'low batt' message hasn't been on. It's not a wifi or Bluetooth unit. 2 wires, very simple 5+2 day programmable.

Any ideas, or was it just a really chilly ghost? Thanks in advance! Funny stuff.
Ford Master Technician, "Tinkerer of Terror"
Police & Fire Equipment Lead Mechanic, NW WI
Lover of Old Homes & Gravity Hot Water Systems

Comments

  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    What make and model thermostat?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • aircooled81
    aircooled81 Member Posts: 205
    Check the schedule, maybe someone was fooling around and bumped it up. 12am, sounds like an easy number to oops.
    Kids, are they tall enough to reach the stat?
    GreenGene