Low temperature thermostat

[lkg907]

I need a low temperature thermostat to control my garage heater (either a Modine or a Reznor) So far I've found nothing that has a set temperature of less than 45 degress.
I'd like a minimum set point of 35 degrees.
Any clues??
Thanks,
LKG

 

[6768rogues]

A mercury thermostat needs to be mounted level to read properly. I intentionally put mine out of level to give it a different range of operation. Then I set it at various settings, took the temperature of the building after the temp stabilized, and marked the thermostat accordingly. Now I can turn it down to 38 or 40 or whatever.

 

[CraigFL]

A mercury thermostat needs to be mounted level to read properly. I intentionally put mine out of level to give it a different range of operation. Then I set it at various settings, took the temperature of the building after the temp stabilized, and marked the thermostat accordingly. Now I can turn it down to 38 or 40 or whatever.

Great idea! Great Solution! Sometimes we forget the obvious...

 

[6768rogues]

I have other good ideas, but I haven't thought of them yet!

 

[GearHd6]

Yeah, I havent been able to find one either. I'd like to leave mine running all the time at about 35 degrees but mine only goes down to 50 now, thats too high to run all the time.

 

[Pointbock]

I ordered one from littlegreenhouse.com and have it running an older Modine PA30. I can set it from 30-110 and it has a clear dust cover (nice in the shop.) I think it was about $35.

 

[6768rogues]

Here is one that goes down to 40 degrees.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4E879
It doesn't cost much, but if you know someone with a Grainger account you can probably get it for less. Mount it out of level and you can get any range you want.

 

[sneezer41]

'ritetemp' bought at home despot goes down to 35 degrees.

setback style.

I would consider keeping it a bit warmer, to prevent condensation.

Another trick is to just put it on a timer and turn it on an hour a day or somesuch

 

[lkg907]

Thanks for the clue on littlegreenhouse.com. The Rancor digital looks to be the way to go.

 

[Vicegrip]

Granger also sells Ranco thermostats that can run on 120 or 24 volt and have independent sensors and relays. a 120 V stat can switch a milivlot or 24 volt device or the other way around. $50 or less if you poke around on the price. I use them all over the place. In RTUs, duct air valve control, zone valve control, for tank heaters, freeze control systems and other devices. You can set the differential from one to 30 deg. They are cheap, dead nuts reliable as well as accurate. The sensor line can also be extended. you can also make your settings and flip a little switch inside to prevent tampering by knob monkeys.

 

[larry4406]

I bought a digital Honeywell RTH110B at Home Depot. It's minimum heating set point is 41 degrees F and no mercury. I think I paid $29 or $39, not sure. Looks nice on the wall, although I don't like having to take the cover off to change from heat to off to AC or change the fan from auto to manual.