Where should a thermostat be located?

[Hobby_Man22]

A buddy told me they should have mounted the thermostat farther away from the return air. This is a 30x50 steel building and they put the thermostat off to the side below the spiral duct. I know in a house you want it in the middle, but in a totally open building, you can't do that. Should it be positioned more in an area where the air circulation from the vents comes in contact with it? I don't mean direct contact, just 30 feet opposite the vents.

 

[Terry D]

I was always told to put it by the return air grill. You do not want supply air blowing on it

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Well I think of that's the case then it's in a good spot right where it is. I don't feel any air from the vents in the spot it's at.

 

[Bert_]

In an open building it's not that critical. Just don't put it by the door.

 

[karoc]

As other said near return,it where it will get a good true reading of what the inside average temp is.

 

[Jim greengo]

In an open building it's not that critical. Just don't put it by the door.

What he said.

 

[rlitman]

I was always told to put it by the return air grill. You do not want supply air blowing on it

+1 The return is usually a great location for that thermostat. It's generally a spot where external influences (outside walls, doors, supplies) don't affect it, and it gets a good feel for the air in the space.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Sounds like they did it the way I would have.

Tommy

 

[Hobby_Man22]

It's a steel building too, so I didn't want to mount it to a steel girder that's super cold compared to the rest of the room.

 

[rlitman]

It's a steel building too, so I didn't want to mount it to a steel girder that's super cold compared to the rest of the room.

So long as you're a few feet from an exterior wall, the steel won't be conducting enough heat to matter. It may feel cold to your touch, because it is able to draw heat from your skin more rapidly than other surfaces, but it is actually at equilibrium with the rest of the space.