What kind of Thermostats?

New boiler buyer

I just had a Munchkin w/indirect HWH installed. I want to put in good thermostats to control it.

The ones I bought were from HD, They were RiteTemp 7 day, 4 programmable. When my contractor went to install them, he said--even though they were hardwired-- they ran on AAA batteries & if the batteries died, so did my heat.

Any suggestions on a good programmable Stat that doesn't cost $100 each?

Thanks

Scooter Libby

Yes, if it's battery operated, it won't work if the battery runs down. Just like your cell phone. So what? The thermostat warns you way in advance, and if you ignore it, one day the house feels cold and you run out and buy a battery.

It's only a big deal if the house is empty for days on end. Even then, if you change the battery every year, you're covered. If that's not good enough, change it to a power-stealing thermostat, but these do tend to be the more expensive contactor-installed models.

But guess what? If the AC power fails, or f the gas supply fails, or a sensor in your boiler trips, there'll be no heat even if your batteries are good...maybe the batteries are the least of the possible problems.

Guy_6

Batteries

I have had the same batteries in mine for 2 years now without issue. I know that I should probably change them yearly, but...what's that expression? "The cobbler's kids go barefoot".
The thermostat will warn you when it needs batteries.

Al Corelli

We prefer the battery operated thermostats.
Some "power-stealing" thermostats cause chattering in some relays.