Thermostat Location?

[Homercules]

I would have posted this in Heating/AC but it applies to anyone with a detached shop.

I have just finished insulating my 24x32 shop and I need to hook up my thermostat (it is a line voltage version) but I REALLY want to be able to monitor and adjust the temp from inside the house. Has anybody done this? I keep wondering if I left the heater on. I have an electrical buddy that said I could get a low voltage remote/programmable thermo and he could wire it to switch the furnace on/off but I was wondering if there was something better that people are using.

BTW This is the best forum!

 

[dink]

What is wrong with just turning it on when you go in and turning it off when you leave....make it a priority to remember....unless your growing some weed or a meth lab in your garage I really dont see the point in a remote thermostate to keep tabs on the temp in your garage

 

[Homercules]

I guess it depends on how cold I let it get when not in use. If I keep it reasonably warm then I really don't need to control it from the house but if I let it get cold it takes a long time to heat up. I would like to pre-warm it without running out there. It was very cold and windy out there last night...

 

[6t7gto]

the lowest my thermostat will go is 45*.
i leave it there until i decide to work in the garage.
doesn't take long to catch up to 60*.
1200 sq.ft.

david

 

[dink]

I guess it depends on how cold I let it get when not in use. If I keep it reasonably warm then I really don't need to control it from the house but if I let it get cold it takes a long time to heat up. I would like to pre-warm it without running out there. It was very cold and windy out there last night...

Then I think you ought to either send the wife or kids out there to pre-warm it for you....if they really loved you they would.....I mean how much sacrificing have you done for them hahahaaa

 

[JohnZ]

Thermostats - my favorite subject. The Reznor unit heater in my garage is controlled by a conventional thermostat located out of the direct path of the forced-air output on the other side of my 2500 sq. ft. garage, but conventional thermostat cycles are based on a two-degree drop from the set point. This results in way too frequent cycling for very short periods in my application, which is inefficient and aggravating.

As a result , I cycle it manually in "auto", turning it on once every three or four hours when the temp drops to 65 or so and I have it set to shut off at 75; a typical cycle in that mode lasts for about ten minutes - when it shuts off, I turn it to "off".

I've talked to all the thermostat manufacturers, and none of them make a conventional thermostat with anything but a 2-degree drop; what I want is one that I can set to come on at 65 and shut off at 75, but nobody makes one with a ten-degree drop. I'm not interested in an industrial controller that costs $500+ to get a ten-degree drop thermostat. Any thoughts?

 

[D-Cal]

Google "wireless thermostat". Lots out there, moderately expensive.

If you just want to check what the temp is, get a cheap thermometer with a wireless outdoor sensor. Sensor -> garage, monitor -> house. If you saw temps falling, you'd actually have to get up and go out to the garage to adjust the thermostat <gasp>.

 

[danski0224]

I would have posted this in Heating/AC but it applies to anyone with a detached shop.

I have just finished insulating my 24x32 shop and I need to hook up my thermostat (it is a line voltage version) but I REALLY want to be able to monitor and adjust the temp from inside the house. Has anybody done this? I keep wondering if I left the heater on. I have an electrical buddy that said I could get a low voltage remote/programmable thermo and he could wire it to switch the furnace on/off but I was wondering if there was something better that people are using.

BTW This is the best forum!

Get a thermostat with a remote sensor capability. Honeywell and White Rogers offer some. Sensor in the garage, stat in the house. Now you have to go inside to adjust the temp in the shop.

If you need line voltage capability, get a RIB (Relay In a Box) that will switch the line voltage off the low voltage stat.

The better stats will allow you to adjust the cycles per hour and the temp swing. You can't buy them at the big box. Honeywell Vision Pro 8000 is one.

Some stats may not have a low minimum temperature if that is a concern.

Your electrical buddy should be able to wire up a relay in the heater circuit to control an indicator light in the home.

Probably cheaper just to go out there and check

 

[byrdman]

Thought I'd throw this in in case it alters anything- I've always heard you want to keep your temp above the dew point to prevent flash rusting on tools and bare metal projects. This is one of the main reasons I keep the heat going even when I'm not in the shop.