Joined Nov 2012
L7: Teacher
Forum Thread
Replacing the thermostat?
November 29, 2016 at
05:44 AM
Hi Guys,
I have the Honeywell Beutler 800 thermostat. Recently the screen said LO BAT. I have replaced the batteries w/ different ones. I read the notice inside the cover. The fuse is still intact. No matter what batteries I put in, nothing shows up on the screen. But the heater still seems to be able to be turned on (and off) manually. So I'm assuming the screen display has failed. So much for automated environmental controls.
So in researching online, I understand the thermostat can be replaced by one w/ "compatible wiring". Is this true or can it be replaced by anything? I'm wondering if anyone has ever replaced their thermostat themselves and which brand/models were used?
I have the Honeywell Beutler 800 thermostat. Recently the screen said LO BAT. I have replaced the batteries w/ different ones. I read the notice inside the cover. The fuse is still intact. No matter what batteries I put in, nothing shows up on the screen. But the heater still seems to be able to be turned on (and off) manually. So I'm assuming the screen display has failed. So much for automated environmental controls.
So in researching online, I understand the thermostat can be replaced by one w/ "compatible wiring". Is this true or can it be replaced by anything? I'm wondering if anyone has ever replaced their thermostat themselves and which brand/models were used?
About the OP
39 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I like them because I don't have to get up to adjust the temps (part lazy, part health issues) and if we're away from home, DH will get an alert on his cell phone if one of them goes off. It's also nice if we've been away on a trip, we can bump up the heat and have a warm house when we get home.
Edit: Meant to say too, the Nest Fire Alarm and the carbon detectors do self checks each week and send DH a report, so we will know if there's a problem with them.
I have the Honeywell Beutler 800 thermostat. Recently the screen said LO BAT. I have replaced the batteries w/ different ones. I read the notice inside the cover. The fuse is still intact. No matter what batteries I put in, nothing shows up on the screen. But the heater still seems to be able to be turned on (and off) manually. So I'm assuming the screen display has failed. So much for automated environmental controls.
So in researching online, I understand the thermostat can be replaced by one w/ "compatible wiring". Is this true or can it be replaced by anything? I'm wondering if anyone has ever replaced their thermostat themselves and which brand/models were used?
It depends on what type of heat and/or AC you have. I put in programmable tstats at home (2) - some Honeywell RTH7600D [homedepot.com]. Wiring is easy - but look at the wiring of your current unit and see if the replacement accepts the same (usually there are letters for the wires, like "C", "Y" etc).
I don't really see a benefit in spending 3x the $$ to go with a Nest - they are $250 MSRP whereas the Honeywell models I got were $80 MSRP. Sure it's wifi, learns and whatnot... not much more than a regular programmable can do (besides remote monitoring).
https://smile.amazon.co
I haven't hooked it up yet because the people that did my AC install wired it wrong and used blue for A/C instead of leaving it as the common wire. So I need to bust out a wiring diagram to figure out wtf I need to do to get the extra wire wired as the common one.
I had only 5 wires going from my thermostat to the furnace/AC. I purchased a furnace 7 years ago that is 2 stage, but the installers just left the 5 wire input so the furnace wasn't working as best it could. So when I replaced the thermostat I also redid the wiring with 7 wire (maybe 9 wire?) so that the smart thermostat could take advantage of the 2 stage furnace. Everything was labeled quite nicely, so the hardest part of the job was running the wires through the floor.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I don't really see a benefit in spending 3x the $$ to go with a Nest - they are $250 MSRP whereas the Honeywell models I got were $80 MSRP. Sure it's wifi, learns and whatnot... not much more than a regular programmable can do (besides remote monitoring).
I think the Learning approach of the Nest is cool from a Tech standpoint, but it is still early adopter pricing and nah...they can keep em.
A co-worker gave me his WiFi T-stat that I have used for the upstairs zone, the standard run of the mill Honeywell is downstairs....I picked up that HomeDepot BF 79 WiFi Tstat [homedepot.com]Saturday. We'll see how that one goes...it looks like the WiFi version of my parents T-Stat. I was tempted to get 2 and swap theirs out so I can change their temp remotely when mom asks me for help with theirs.
1) It has remote sensors to average out the effective temp.
2) It's compatible with Apple's HomeKit technology.
I'm not a huge Apple fanboi, but I like their HomeKit approach.
But I wish I went with the Nest because it looks cooler.
EDIT: Check with your utility if they provide any rebate for new thermostat install. Mine did but required professional installation.
I have the Honeywell Beutler 800 thermostat. Recently the screen said LO BAT. I have replaced the batteries w/ different ones. I read the notice inside the cover. The fuse is still intact. No matter what batteries I put in, nothing shows up on the screen. But the heater still seems to be able to be turned on (and off) manually. So I'm assuming the screen display has failed. So much for automated environmental controls.
So in researching online, I understand the thermostat can be replaced by one w/ "compatible wiring". Is this true or can it be replaced by anything? I'm wondering if anyone has ever replaced their thermostat themselves and which brand/models were used?