big maxx with smart plug

[mopar4u]

i have a mr heater big maxx 80,000 btu on a manual mr heater thermostat in my detached garage that i only turn on as needed, not used 24/7. any concerns with setting the thermostat and using a smart plug via my phone to turn it on and off? My thinking is to be able to turn it on when im not home but gonna be soon or leave it running to thaw out my snowmobiles for a while. of course i could always walk out there and turn it on or off with the thermostat but since i had this smart plug laying around i thought id ask. not sure if this is hard on the electrical board and is it ok to turn the power off to the fan instantly.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ihome-isp6-smartplug-off-white/5656722.p?skuId=5656722

 

[brewchief]

Turning it on that way shouldn't be a problem but turning it off when it's running and not letting the fan cool the heat exchanger may have some long term negative effects. A wifi stat would be s better solution.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[mopar4u]

Turning it on that way shouldn't be a problem but turning it off when it's running and not letting the fan cool the heat exchanger may have some long term negative effects. A wifi stat would be s better solution.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

thanks for the quick reply. makes sense. i wont do it this way. wondering finding a wifi thermostat that goes below 32 is out there...

 

[The Cobbler]

or rig up your smart switch with a relay to turn on/off the thermostat ?

occasional shutting the fan down before the heat has lowered will not be na issue, but I wouldn't want to do it on an ongoing basis

 

[mopar4u]

or rig up your smart switch with a relay to turn on/off the thermostat ?

never really messed with relays. any links or plans on how to do this?

 

[mopar4u]

any info on which relay and how to hook it up?

 

[The Cobbler]

you want a relay with a 120 volt coil, with contacts capable of 24 vac @ 1 Amp to close the thermostat line
assuming the smart switch is compatible with a relay

 

[ripperd]

Yeah, relay in line with the tstat W (heat) wire will override. Set it to the normally open part of the relay so that when the smartplug kills power to the relay, the relay opens the contacts and interrupts the heat signal from the tstat.

 

[mopar4u]

Could you post a link to a relay that would work?

 

[Showkey]

The 32* thermostat set point also has long term effects.
Most garage heaters and even furnaces have a recommended or required 50-55* low temp set point. The concern is excessive condensation in the heat exchanger. Premature rust is the concern.

 

[ripperd]

The 32* thermostat set point also has long term effects.
Most garage heaters and even furnaces have a recommended or required 50-55* low temp set point. The concern is excessive condensation in the heat exchanger. Premature rust is the concern.

I don't think that is necessarily the issue they are referring to.

There are some thermostats that once the temperature gets below a certain point, they just display LO and will refuse to turn the heat on.

In the scenario with a secondary control, lets say the OP is gone for a few days so their smart plug keeps the heat off in the garage. When they arrive back it is 30 degrees in the garage. The smartplug re-enables things, but the thermostat refuses to work because the ambient is too cold. To get it to work, you have to manually bypass the stat to turn on the heater until the room temp is warm enough for the thermostat to decide to operate again.

 

[wes73]

Get a Sensi ST55 Wifi thermostat and use the app on your phone. While it only goes to 50 degrees minimum, you can turn the heat on and off from your phone, as well as adjust the temp from your phone as well. I have two, one house and one garage and love them. It is also a thermostat that works with 2 stage heating systems. Plenty of features for the $$$.

 

[mopar4u]

Get a Sensi ST55 Wifi thermostat and use the app on your phone. While it only goes to 50 degrees minimum, you can turn the heat on and off from your phone, as well as adjust the temp from your phone as well. I have two, one house and one garage and love them. It is also a thermostat that works with 2 stage heating systems. Plenty of features for the $$$.

Will it function / turn on when the garage is as cold as 10f? Ive found that the digital stats wont function when they are cold. Im not running heat 24/7, only as needed.

 

[Showkey]

I don't think that is necessarily the issue they are referring to.

There are some thermostats that once the temperature gets below a certain point, they just display LO and will refuse to turn the heat on.

In the scenario with a secondary control, lets say the OP is gone for a few days so their smart plug keeps the heat off in the garage. When they arrive back it is 30 degrees in the garage. The smartplug re-enables things, but the thermostat refuses to work because the ambient is too cold. To get it to work, you have to manually bypass the stat to turn on the heater until the room temp is warm enough for the thermostat to decide to operate again.

Post #2 he asked for a t stat that could be set for 32*.

The furnace manufacturers say do NOT use t stat with a setting lower than 50* in “prolonged use under 50*”. Agree if it’s off for days or weeks is not the same as prolonged use at low intake temperatures.

Also agree some do not follow the furnace manufacture’s instructions or warning on the low set temperature.

 

[ripperd]

Post #2 he asked for a t stat that could be set for 32*.

The furnace manufacturers say do NOT use t stat with a setting lower than 50* in “prolonged use under 50*”. Agree if it’s off for days or weeks is not the same as prolonged use at low intake temperatures.

Also agree some do not follow the furnace manufacture’s instructions or warning on the low set temperature.

Yeah his specific words were:

wondering finding a wifi thermostat that goes below 32 is out there...

Which is open to interpretation. "goes below 32" doesn't necessarily mean setpoint, it could mean the entire assembly actually will still operate. Which makes sense given the way many newer thermostats refuse to operate in below freezing temperatures.

 

[wes73]

Will it function / turn on when the garage is as cold as 10f? Ive found that the digital stats wont function when they are cold. Im not running heat 24/7, only as needed.

Not sure since I keep mine at 50 all the time. I did not see any operating temp in the manuals. Their support is rather responsive.

https://sensi.emerson.com/en-us/support/sensi-manuals