Fake thermostat???

Mike in Sunny Colorado

Wallies,

I have a commercial customer where I'm replacing a boiler. The unit has 1-ground level printshop, where the owner has his business, and a walkout basement with a cabinet shop. The cabinet shop has a large garage door.
The carpenters turn their thermostat up all the way and open and close the garage door to control the temperature.

The building owner asked for a "fake" thermostat that they can play with and a real one that he can control. This way he can adjust the heat to what he thinks it should be.

Can this be done? How?

I suggested a door switch that would shut the unit off when open. He's (owner) is afraid they will discover door switch and bypass.

Enquiring minds want to know,

Mike

Waylon Lowery

Disconnect

the stat wires where they connect to your controls in the mechanical room. Then install a stat in the mechanical room with a remote sensor in the carpenters office (make sure the remote sensor is well hidden).

lchmb

why not

just get a locking digital thermostat. set it to a reasonable temp and tell them that's it.

Constantin

Or...

Change their terms of the contract. Make them pay for the plant and the fuel they use. For example, you could use a ON-OFF timer to measure the amunt of time the print shop as opposed to the cabinet shop is calling for heat. Then separate the fuel bill accordingly.

I'll bet that as soon as the carpenters have to pay for their waste of heat that they'll adjust their wasteful control algorithm. Better yet, throw them out if a good talking-to does not do the trick. Some customers have to be shown the door, fact of life.

J.C.A._3

We used to call them,

"Pacifier Thermostats" . I agree with Constantine, make them pay for it. It will be the easiest way to make sure all is taken care of.

One other thought is the old Accustat we used to get from Sid Harvey'. The choices are ...Hi-Lo-or Off. They used , what looked like mercury thermometers, that fit in a set of contacts. It was either shooting for the high temp. or low temp. "bulb" depending on the ordered temp. sensors installed. Very simple and very effective. We used one in a church that had a HUGE pipe organ that would go out of tune if the temp. dropped below 65°. The guy who watched the building had the mentality that it was either on or off. The organ sounded horrible on a couple Sunday mornings because the same guy was a bit late getting there to set the t-stat up in time for services. The Accustat maintained the temp. at 66° and the problem disappeared.

Maybe you can get one and put the same temp. bulbs in both sides, thereby "pacifying" them. If they set it on high, it shoots for the same as it does on low. Sensors were available from 55°-78° as I remember. Chris

Weezbo

Yup:)

easy... done every day all over the world.

Weezbo

lash the whole house to a thermostat....

set the temp at say 71,now when they turn up the themostat it wont go beyond the :set point: thier thermostats work however only when the set point thermostat says it can:)it is an old trick to keep tennants from making you go broke.