25-pdvc wall thermostat

[Dr.Faustus]

read some good things about adding wall thermostats to the pdvc here and installed one today. holy cow! i cant believe i lived all these years without one!.

and for $35 in parts and wire. i used a honeywell 5/2 programmable one from home depot for $25.


very easy install, very little expense, high rate of return on this upgrade.

i just had to tweak the stove a little to run better on the 1 setting, which i never did because i never really ran at that setting anyway but it burns good now on 1.

 

[dragracer300]

Isn't it nice to set the temp and it stays there?

 

[imacman]

Dr.Faustus, glad you finally "saw the light" and installed the stat. Only way to go w/ a pellet stove.

Enjoy!

 

[Dr.Faustus]

i'm still in awe. its only the first day its been installed.

yesterday at this time my livingroom was too hot to go into and the bedroom was too cold to sleep in.

i put the stat in the bedroom, set it to 72. set the pellet stove on 6-9 (i always keep the room fan on 9).

i noticed i used less pellets today too.


does this stove actually like to cycle between high and low? since the stat, i've noticed
1. no clinker
2. clean stove glass
3. less pellet usage
4. color of the ash is lighter and fluffier.

the only thing changed was the addition of the t stat and a tiny tweek to the LBF to insure it wouldnt duck out on the low cycles.

 

[imacman]

does this stove actually like to cycle between high and low?.....

That is the way a 25-PDVC runs while on a stat. Goes to Hi (whatever you have the stove set for) when calling for heat, and back to Lo when stat hits that temp. Saves a LOT of "wear & tear" on the ignitor too.

 

[esuitt]

What happens if you have a manual light stove? Can you still use a T stat?

 

[imacman]

What happens if you have a manual light stove? Can you still use a T stat?

No. There is no ignitor to start the stove.

 

[esuitt]

Thanks, macman. That is what I thought even though the manual says I can use a 24v T stat. The ppl we bought our stove from gave me a T stat but it has never work right from day 1 of install. So, I disconnected it and twisted the wires together to make the loop back to the control board.

 

[imacman]

Thanks, macman. That is what I thought even though the manual says I can use a 24v T stat. The ppl we bought our stove from gave me a T stat but it has never work right from day 1 of install. So, I disconnected it and twisted the wires together to make the loop back to the control board.

Hold on there a second......the control board has the thermostat jumper connector? What year was the stove made? If it's 2004 or newer, it has auto ignition. The ignitor may just be shot.

EDIT: OK, I am messed-up here....even the pre-2004 PDVC stoves have a thermostat option, although they only control the stove once it's been started manually. You need a millivolt Stat. The connections in the stat you have to use are the RH & W.

 

[esuitt]

Yeah, it is the 2000 stove listed in my sig. Manual says I can use a 24v T stat. The previous owner gave me a LUX stat when we bought the stove, but it does not work or it is not made for this stove.
But judging from the way he had it hooked it, he never had it running right either. I had to go change the jumper setting in it and it still did not control the stove.

 

[Don2222]

Hello Imacman

For a basement install, is it best to have the thermostat upstairs? Where do you have your thermostat??

 

[turbotech]

Yeah, it is the 2000 stove listed in my sig. Manual says I can use a 24v T stat. The previous owner gave me a LUX stat when we bought the stove, but it does not work or it is not made for this stove.
But judging from the way he had it hooked it, he never had it running right either. I had to go change the jumper setting in it and it still did not control the stove.

The manual for your stove says 8 volts or less Tstat. The manual for the 2004 and newer says it must be a millivolt Tstat.
If you are trying a 24v Tstat it may not work. The power supply on the stove provides 8v and 16v so there is no 24v.

If you connect a fused 120vac to 24vac transformer then that could power the 24v Tstat. The output of the Tstat then controls a 24vac relay coil. The relay contact/switch side connects to the stove terminals.

 

[turbotech]

read some good things about adding wall thermostats to the pdvc here and installed one today. holy cow! i cant believe i lived all these years without one!.

and for $35 in parts and wire. i used a honeywell 5/2 programmable one from home depot for $25.


very easy install, very little expense, high rate of return on this upgrade.

i just had to tweak the stove a little to run better on the 1 setting, which i never did because i never really ran at that setting anyway but it burns good now on 1.

Did you snake the wire through the wall?
What do you have the stove settings on now? 6-4-1 or something different?

 

[EZsteve]

Yeah buddy I bought mine today , gonna hook it up as soon as I get some free time probably this weekend. I did get a chance to look at the manual and it says that I hook up a jumper on the stat its self from the RC to the RH. I don't know if this is typical or no but you probably need to see to manual for your stat.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

yes i snaked the wire through the wall. i wanted the t stat in the bedroom, which was real easy to do because there is only 1 wall between the stove and the master bedroom. small hole in the bottom of the wall, then up a few feet then out the other side. snaking through the wall is easy so long as you are mindful there might be wiring in there. the hardest part is making sure you're in between the same 2 studs, but i have experience with that as i frequently run cat5 for my computer customers.


near the ceiling i have a thru-the-wall fan which blasts the warm ceiling air from the livingroom into the bedroom. no problem keeping it 72-74

i tried the 6-4-1 settings on my stove and they were quite working out for me, i found its happiest with 5-7-1. this keeps the flame REALLY small but it never goes out leaving me with glowing pellets like the 6-4-1 did. a flame that constantly ducks out and relights is the dirtiest burn you can get with a pellet stove.

 

[imacman]

Hello Imacman

For a basement install, is it best to have the thermostat upstairs? Where do you have your thermostat??

I'm not sure about that....I would tend to think the basement would get very hot compared to the upstairs. My stove is in my great room on 1st floor, and stat is about 18 ft. away in the kitchen.

 

[imacman]

Yeah buddy I bought mine today , gonna hook it up as soon as I get some free time probably this weekend. I did get a chance to look at the manual and it says that I hook up a jumper on the stat its self from the RC to the RH. I don't know if this is typical or no but you probably need to see to manual for your stat.

On a pellet stove, you do NOT need that jumper. If it's installed in the stat from the factory, you can remove it. RH is for heating, and RC is for cooling (if used for central air).

The only connections in the stat you need to use are W and RH.

 

[EZsteve]

Yeah buddy I bought mine today , gonna hook it up as soon as I get some free time probably this weekend. I did get a chance to look at the manual and it says that I hook up a jumper on the stat its self from the RC to the RH. I don't know if this is typical or no but you probably need to see to manual for your stat.

On a pellet stove, you do NOT need that jumper. If it's installed in the stat from the factory, you can remove it. RH is for heating, and RC is for cooling (if used for central air).

The only connections in the stat you need to use are W and RH.

Thanks imacman, that is some good info. How far do you recommend the stat being from the stove?