Member of the Month

Farmville420
August, 2023

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Anyone in HVAC?

profile picture
Golden_Joe
Posts: 9296 - Karma: 65,350
Here's a request: connect the fucking c wire! It's 2021. If folks don't have a smart thermostat, it's pretty likely they will before the furnace needs replaced and it doesn't take a genius to install them either. If you can take the time to wrap the wire around the cord, you just as easily can connect it if available.

Quick summary: I got a new furnace in 2019. They did not connect the c wire to the current wiring setup, even though I had a cheapo smart thermostat with the c wire connected to it. It wasn't an issue because it had alkaline battery backup. Now I upgraded to nest and according to Dr. Google, while not required, the c wire is pretty important to prevent battery drain on the nest. Without the c wire, it only charges when the air handler is on pumping heat/cool air. So if I keep my windows open for a week with everything off, my thermostat could run out of juice and not turn on when I want it to...requiring me to charge it.


The blue wire is what I need to connect. Should likely be an easy fix but this turned a 15min thermostat installation into an hours long ordeal of troubleshooting. So annoyed.





Jun 15 2021 12:38AM
4 0
profile picture
TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12325 - Karma: 112,532
Your wife is banging the hvac guy
Jun 15 2021 1:32AM
8 0
profile picture
Notaskibum
Posts: 848 - Karma: 3,968
Cut the red wire
Jun 15 2021 1:46AM
5 0
profile picture
twinkle_toes
Posts: 811 - Karma: 9,638
what's the point of having a rechargeable thermostat in the first place if it's going to be wired to the main source of power anyways....? I'm so confused
Jun 15 2021 3:10AM
1 0
profile picture
r00kie
Posts: 4816 - Karma: 53,517
'Smart' thermostats are proof that not everything needs to be 'smart' and you cannot change my mind. Give me the old school dial.
Jun 15 2021 6:33AM
5 0
profile picture
Golden_Joe
Posts: 9296 - Karma: 65,350
twinkle_toeswhat's the point of having a rechargeable thermostat in the first place if it's going to be wired to the main source of power anyways....? I'm so confused


Backup power? Idk they all do. Plus not everyone has a C wire so this option gives them the ability to have a thermostat without adding a new wire. Just not optimal.
Jun 15 2021 9:32AM
0 0
profile picture
Monsieur_Patate
Posts: 1393 - Karma: 4,302
r00kie'Smart' thermostats are proof that not everything needs to be 'smart' and you cannot change my mind. Give me the old school dial.


Agreed that not everything has to be smart, but I'd actually argue that out of all the smart stuff, the thermostat is probably one of the best application of "smart" tech, because it's more than just convenience, it saves energy.

I hooked up the house with a bunch of smart shit, the thermostat and the watering system are in my opinion the best applications because of their eco-friendliness and help in limiting waste of energy/water.

Smart locks are convenient, I can just leave without worrying about keys and shit. Amazon can open my garage door to drop packages inside if I want to. Same with the doorbell, nice to see who is at the door, as well as get notified of packages, possibly talk to them, etc. it's not really "needed", but the convenience is nice to have.

Security system/camera is also nice for convenience/peace of mind, but really a "dumb" system is probably just as effective in that regard.

Then the stuff I'm not convinced of are the TV and the lights. Gave that a shot for a while with routines and stuff, but we're back to just using remotes and switches, just as easy. Maybe with sensors it'd be different, idk, just don't really see the value tbh.
Jun 15 2021 11:16AM
3 0
profile picture
Golden_Joe
Posts: 9296 - Karma: 65,350
Monsieur_PatateAgreed that not everything has to be smart, but I'd actually argue that out of all the smart stuff, the thermostat is probably one of the best application of "smart" tech, because it's more than just convenience, it saves energy.

I hooked up the house with a bunch of smart shit, the thermostat and the watering system are in my opinion the best applications because of their eco-friendliness and help in limiting waste of energy/water.

Smart locks are convenient, I can just leave without worrying about keys and shit. Amazon can open my garage door to drop packages inside if I want to. Same with the doorbell, nice to see who is at the door, as well as get notified of packages, possibly talk to them, etc. it's not really "needed", but the convenience is nice to have.

Security system/camera is also nice for convenience/peace of mind, but really a "dumb" system is probably just as effective in that regard.

Then the stuff I'm not convinced of are the TV and the lights. Gave that a shot for a while with routines and stuff, but we're back to just using remotes and switches, just as easy. Maybe with sensors it'd be different, idk, just don't really see the value tbh.

I had an apartment one time that was fully wired for smart shit. All the lights and outlets and front door were connected through an app. Was pretty nice. I wouldn't go out of my way to outfit my home to make it smart but if I was building I would definitely do it. Really nice for traveling so you can have lights turn on and off without any extra hardware. That's my biggest gripe with my porch light having to be on 24/7 when I travel.

Idk what security system you have but I got simplisafe and it's the tits.
Jun 15 2021 5:33PM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-4)