Hooking up Thermostat to St Croix Hastings

[bogieb]

I bought a Braebun 505 thermostat to control my Hastings. I know absolutely nothing about wiring, so I need someone to help me in basic layman's terms (if I get dip switch or thermistor, I will just give you a blank stare and whine that I don't understand).

1. Neither the stove nor the thermostat came with wire. What kind of wire do I need to obtain
2. I know I hook up two wires to the back of the stove, and understand where that is at, is there something else I need to do back there before I change it over to T-stat mode?
3. Once I hook the wires to the stove, does it matter which wire goes where on the thermostat?

Thanks in advance for your attempts to help!

 

[heat seeker]

You can get thermostat wire, which is encased in plastic, but any wire will work. Voltage and current are minuscule, so no safety concerns.

There is probably a jumper between the two terminals on the back of the stove. Remove the jumper, or it will always call for heat.

Polarity of the wires doesn't matter - hook up the wires either way, no matter. The 'stat should show you which terminals to use.

 

[bogieb]

Okya, I got some thermostat wire from the big box store. Now, what is a jumper? Told you I was totally clueless

 

[TimfromMA]

Okya, I got some thermostat wire from the big box store. Now, what is a jumper? Told you I was totally clueless

There probably won't be one. Mine came brand new and didn't have it.

Polarity does not matter so simply connect one end of the wires to the thermostat and the other to the terminals on the back of the stove. To make it run on thermostat, there is a switch on the stove's main panel labeled manual, t-stat and smart stat. T-stat mode will never actually turn the stove off, it will simply cycle high when the thermostat calls for heat and low when it does not. Smart stat mode work just like t stat except that if the thermostat goes an hour without calling for heat, the stove will completely shutdown the re-start later when it cools down in your house.

 

[heat seeker]

A jumper is just a piece of wire connecting two terminals. Some stoves require one across the 'stat terminals to run, if there is no 'stat connected. Some stoves have the jumper on the control board. If your 'stat doesn't seem to work, you may have a jumper on the board. Your manual should tell you what to do, in any case.

 

[bogieb]

Thanks Tim and Heat Seeker, I'll try it out tonight when I get home (after I put a sheer pin in the snowblower in preparation for the upcoming storm).

 

[bogieb]

Well that was a FAIL. I hooked the wires to the thermostat, then to the back of the stove (no jumper as far as I could tell), but it is just two connector ports I have access to). started the stove up until it was going well and the temp was showing at 70 on the thermostat. Slid the range to 80 (it clicked when it went past the actual temp) and switched the stove to SmartStat. And the stove immediately went to idle. I tried it a couple of times, but got the same results. guess I will mess with it more over the weekend and see what I can figure out since the manual just says that all I have to do is slide the switch

 

[bogieb]

I wonder if it has something to do with the wire I bought. I got the only thermostat wire they had, which has 4 wires. I made sure that I used the same two between the thermostat and stove, so don't know why it would be an issue. And the thermostat had only two screws set up so I used those and they were supposed to be correct for the stove. A well, I'll either fix it or blow something up trying.

 

[TimfromMA]

I wonder if it has something to do with the wire I bought. I got the only thermostat wire they had, which has 4 wires. I made sure that I used the same two between the thermostat and stove, so don't know why it would be an issue. And the thermostat had only two screws set up so I used those and they were supposed to be correct for the stove. A well, I'll either fix it or blow something up trying.

I'm about to ask a REALLY dumb question so please forgive me.

Did you strip the wires?

 

[bogieb]

Yes, I did strip the wires (one of the few things I do know - so not a dumb question).

 

[TimfromMA]

Try this.

Disconnect the wires from the back of the thermostat but leave them connected to the stove. Put the stove in t-stat mode and touch the 2 wires together. The stove should stop idling.

 

[bogieb]

Alright, I will try that tonight when I get home - thanks Tim!

 

[heat seeker]

When you short the two wires together, it may take up to 2 ½ minutes for the stove to respond. It seems to depend on where the stove's mind is at at the time. Sometimes mine will speed up immediately, sometimes it takes a while. Bear in mind that it will step up in increments of 2+ minutes to get to the set heat range. It doesn't jump up all at once. So, to get to heat range 3, it could take around 10 minutes to get there.

I suggest that you use t'stat mode, since Smartstat behaves slightly different at times.

I'd also visually check the wire to make sure it wasn't damaged in packaging or in transit. It happens.

 

[TimfromMA]

Just watch the main stove panel. The power light will blink when is idling. Shorting the wires together should make the power light go solid.

 

[bogieb]

When you short the two wires together, it may take up to 2 ½ minutes for the stove to respond. It seems to depend on where the stove's mind is at at the time. Sometimes mine will speed up immediately, sometimes it takes a while. Bear in mind that it will step up in increments of 2+ minutes to get to the set heat range. It doesn't jump up all at once. So, to get to heat range 3, it could take around 10 minutes to get there.

I suggest that you use t'stat mode, since Smartstat behaves slightly different at times.

I'd also visually check the wire to make sure it wasn't damaged in packaging or in transit. It happens.

The wire is fine, I checked it over as I was unrolling it. I prefer to use Smartstat as when the sun is shining it will heat up the house pretty good unless the wind is blowing. If I was to go to T-stat, I might as well run it on #1 all the time and then just blow it out at #4 for 30 minutes once a day.

 

[heat seeker]

Tim - good point!

I was suggesting t'stat mode just for testing, but Tim's idea to watch the light is right on!

 

[TimfromMA]

The wire is fine, I checked it over as I was unrolling it. I prefer to use Smartstat as when the sun is shining it will heat up the house pretty good unless the wind is blowing. If I was to go to T-stat, I might as well run it on #1 all the time and then just blow it out at #4 for 30 minutes once a day.

I like T-Stat mode for when it's really cold.

 

[bogieb]

Tim - good point!

I was suggesting t'stat mode just for testing, but Tim's idea to watch the light is right on!

Ah, sorry I misunderstood!

 

[bogieb]

Just watch the main stove panel. The power light will blink when is idling. Shorting the wires together should make the power light go solid.

Okay, thanks for the tip.

 

[TimfromMA]

Another thing to look for is if the wires connected to the stove have been stripped back far enough. If they aren't, the contacts inside can end up gripping the insulation and not the conductor.

 

[bogieb]

I tried stripping the wires back more (try simplest thing first), and that had no effect. Then I tried shorting the thermostat wires together (in Tstat mode) and nothing there either (I gave it plenty of time). Looks like I'll have to tear into the back of the stove to see if there is a jumper there, although the manual doesn't say there is. I really don't want to do that as there isn't much room (plus I would have to turn off the stove), but at some point I will have to bite the bullet I guess.

 

[TimfromMA]

You probably wont find an internal jumper. Its conceivable that there is some kind of broken wire inside on the thermostat terminals but without seeing it for myself, anything would purely be a guess.

 

[heat seeker]

If a jumper were across the 'stat terminals, the stove would be calling for heat all the time while in 'stat mode. More likely you have a disconnected or broken wire.

Check the back of the terminal block where the 'stat wires connect. I have slip-on connectors on mine, and they could have pulled loose.

Also, check the control board to make sure the wires are securely connected to the terminals on the board.

 

[bogieb]

Just took the terminal block and pretty sure I found the issue - there isn't anything connected to either terminal. I fished around with my fingers but couldn't find the wires. Will probably just let it go for this season because I do not want to get into tearing the back of the stove off now!

Thanks to everyone for trying to help!

 

[heat seeker]

That would do it! I think it's just a matter of running a pair of wires to the control board, but I get that you don't want to tear into it now. It's a good little project for spring. The wires might even be there, just got pulled off the terminal block. We'll await your news 'til spring.