Are there any thermostats that indicate when they're calling for heat?

Hap_Hazzard

I really hate having to go downstairs just to see if my boiler is on. I have a fancy-schmancy LUX thermostat that some previous owner of my house bought. It can do a lot of amazing things, from telling me when to change some filter that doesn't exist to controlling the air conditioner I do not own. It's fully programmable, but all I need it to do is maintain a single temperature, but it would be really nice if it could tell me when it's calling for heat. Shouldn't be too hard, right? A smart unit like that should know if a set of contacts is open or closed, yet, for some reason it's unwilling to share that information with me. So I'm wondering if there is any thermostat on the market that has this capability, or am I just way out of line for expecting a thermostat to provide me with this kind of esoteric detail?

nicholas bonham-carter

My Honeywell VisionPro tells me when the heat is on.--NBC

JUGHNE

The most basic Honeywell Focus PRO 5000 has nice large numbers. Shows actual temp and temp setting. Say "heat on" when calling. You hear a nice little "click" when going on or off. Backlight when you touch any button.
Does not need C wire but advisable. Get the large screen one.
TH5110D1022
I have 5 in my house.
SupplyHouse.com

Hap_Hazzard

I'm finding that a lot of digital thermostats actually do this, but they never list it as a "feature," so it's hard to shop for the right one. It'd be really nice if the mechanical ones could do it, but so far I haven't found one. I like the simplicity of the T87K, but, like I said, I don't like going downstairs to see if the boiler is running.

rlev11

On my Lux thermostat, the flame indicator icon on the thermostat flashes while running. How exactly are looking to be notified?, on the thermostat, notified on your smart phone, flashing red lights......

Hap_Hazzard

JUGHNE said:

I have 5 in my house.

Can you give me one you're not using? How many boilers do you have anyway?

Hap_Hazzard

rlev11 said:

On my Lux thermostat, the flame indicator icon on the thermostat flashes while running. How exactly are looking to be notified?, on the thermostat, notified on your smart phone, flashing red lights......

Just a little indicator on the display would be fine. There's no flame icon on mine. It does tell me what time it is though. Like I really need that.

rlev11

I'm using a Lux TX9600TS

JUGHNE

One ModCon, various zones. 2 of them also run AC's.
They are all employed at the moment.
Might have 1-2 on the shelf.

They will also do 1 CPH, just put one on a steamer.

Hap_Hazzard

Mine is a TX1500b.

mattmia2

The old 80's white rodgers programmable tstats had a huge red light on them when they were calling. My honewell chronotherm 4 or so has a flame and snowflake icon

Hap_Hazzard

Mine says "heat" or "cool," but that only tells you which position the system switch is in. In case you forget. I guess. Not that I would ever have any reason to switch it to "cool."

ethicalpaul

My ancient 80s Honeywell indicates it with a "heat on" or similar.

but I strung some thermostat wire to my living room with a red 24v LED on it so I can know while sitting on the couch.

JUGHNE

As you set up the HW Focus PRO series you eliminate any reference to AC and fan on the screen.
Also you can set max heating temp points and min cool temps (if used). Very handy for busy fingers. Most people do not know how to change those settings without the book. (wife included)

Just checked SupplyHouse, don't see that model there.

Le John

the simplest non prog heat only thermostat would be this one

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell-TH1100DV1000-PRO-1000-Non-Programmable-Heat-Only-Vertical-Thermostat.

Hap_Hazzard

ethicalpaul said:

My ancient 80s Honeywell indicates it with a "heat on" or similar.

but I strung some thermostat wire to my living room with a red 24v LED on it so I can know while sitting on the couch.

I was thinking of doing the same thing.

Hap_Hazzard

Le John said:

the simplest non prog heat only thermostat would be this one

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell-TH1100DV1000-PRO-1000-Non-Programmable-Heat-Only-Vertical-Thermostat.

That one's on my short list, but I kinda like this one better: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell-T8775A1009-1-Heat-Stage-Digital-Round-Thermostat-Premier-White-4091000-p

mattmia2

You could always jam an LED and a resistor in the base of any t-stat and poke it through a hole you drill in the side.

HVACNUT

I'm fascinated why you're fascinated.
Won't you just know whether or not you're comfortable?
And just because the thermostat shows a pretty flame or gives an audible click, it doesn't mean the berler ain't broke.

pecmsg

Unless I’m cold I don’t look at the t-stat!

EdTheHeaterMan

Knowledge is power!
Not that knowing if the boiler is on or off is very much power, I think that @Hap_Hazzard needs to know if the heater is on or off so he can know if he is comfortable or not.
I have a customer that tells me how many minutes the oil burner operates. She has a logbook that goes back 20+ years... and she knows whether she is comfortable or not by how short the cycles are. She is 83-yrs old. The logbook started after her husband died.

Hap_Hazzard

It's not whether I'm comfortable. I need to know if I can tell my wife the heat's on when she tells me she's cold. It's also good to know when the heat comes on if you want to re-check your venting, or if you want to go outside and clock the meter. It just seems like a pretty basic piece of information a thermostat ought to share with the user.

BobC

My Honeywell RTH6450 has a heat on in the display to tell me the boiler is firing. This is one of the cheaper units in their line so IU'd say almost any Honeywell with a display has this feature.

Bob

Hap_Hazzard

I think whoever bought this LUX just made a very bad choice. It has a lot of features that aren't needed and it lacks one that's pretty basic. And now it's getting fussy, so I have to make sure it's still on whenever I touch it. I think the contacts are failing.

Jamie Hall

Cheer up. My main thermostat is a pretty simple programmable Honeywell, and it has a cute little flame icon to tell me that it thinks Cedric should be working. But... I can hear Cedric from most of the main floor. Very comforting. And at my age, "too warm" or "too cold" is pretty subjective, and has very little to do with what the thermometer says...

Hap_Hazzard

I can't hear my boiler from upstairs. I sometimes hear the relay in the thermostat click, but if I miss it, I have to go downstairs and look for the blue glow coming from the bottom of the boiler.

icy78

Venstar. They have a green or red light depending on mode enabled.
Used to be the Totaline line of tstats.

mattmia2

you can really end this statement right here "I think whoever bought this LUX just made a very bad choice."

Actually i have one that controls the separate zone in my bedroom that replaced an off brand home depot t-stat many years ago that was originally bought to control a contactor connected to my window air conditioner when i lived in an apartment.

It has "switches" that consist of those little spring domes that sit over the traces on the circuit board, i had to take it apart and put some deoxit on the up/down buttons recently.

Hap_Hazzard

A red light would be great, but it looks like they don't make a single heat only thermostat.

SuperJ

My ecobee shows a small flame while heating and snowflake during cooling, and a fan. Ecobee is a mixed bag. I like somethings, and it's definitely better than nest, but I don't like the fixed differential control.

Honeywell stats (even cheap ones) have better virtual anticipator logic that keeps you house closer to setpoint.

icy78

> @Hap_Hazzard said:
> A red light would be great, but it looks like they don't make a single heat only thermostat.

Yeah you're probably right about that. But there's a good chance that you can program the cool out, on many stats you can , and make it a single heat-only thermostat.
That one is also a programmable which you sound like you probably don't want .
You could check with them and see about a non-programmable.
I really liked those old Total Line 0-100 thermostats, witch this is basically a copy of.

I had to replace a couple of the old Totaline thermostats recently ( I did not install them however, their custodian did ) and called Venstar to find out if it was a direct swap onto the old sub base. It is , they were easy to get hold of for what that's worth.

mikeg2015

Honeywell T4. Shows heat call and has adjustable cycle rate, great for steam. Easy. About $55 at Supplyhouse.com

EdTheHeaterMan

Nest or Ecobee. then you don't even have to get out of the chair to see if it is on or off


This is the burner on


This is the burner off

This is me being lazy using my phone

Hap_Hazzard

I don't need or want a programmable thermostat, and I definitely don't want to connect it to the internet.

JUGHNE

A little 1/4" copper and good sized gauge mounted in the living room will give real time feed back.
Then with an indicator light connected to the gas valve you could time the steam up time, watch for vacuum formed etc.

Hap, you must be retired.