Changing the thermostat differential???

[john sawyer]

I have a US stove 5500m, I know and have experienced many problems that have been posted. I have to solve the irregular feed problems and the fluctuating draft fan but on to thermostat. It is a bimetal mechanical simple type us Stove
Wall Thermostat WT47
. It has too great a differential as the house cools down to much or heats up too much. It seems to have a 2.5 differential either way and I would like to cut that down a bit. Here is what I'm thinking. The bar that the coiled bimetal coil sits on is at a certain height on the t-stat. I wonder if I carefully lowered that bar just a little to react quicker to temp changes. Has anyone done this with success? It seems like it might work as the coil would react in a wider arc thus speeding up the start up and shut off time.

 

[wsar10]

It was engineered to meet specific specs, My guess is it will never work correctly again or at all if you bend the coil or its contact. That coil has a weight on it (or vile of mercury if its a mercury switch) I would not think it would release properly if you bent it.

Your thermostat should have a "heat anticipation" setting "lever", try adjusting it.

 

[DBCOOPER]

Skip a drink and buy yourself a decent thermostat.

 

[john sawyer]

Yes, bending would be out of the question but take the bar that the coil makes contact with that is calibrated for a particular throw of the contracting and expanding bimetal coil and carefully lower said bar in the case effectively decreasing the time it takes to react as the bimetal coil moves at a given rate and has a greater ark at its long end. I haven't found a thermostat that would plug into the 5500m that has the ability to increase or decrease the differential. it is a 2 wire hi/low t-stat.

 

[DBCOOPER]

If you do a internet search you will see that the WT47 is used on a lot of applications including gas heaters. They are not anything special. You could use any of the digital thermostats that have a swing setting. The Hi/Low is a function of the board in the stove, not the thermostat.

 

[wsar10]

just go buy a new "milli-volt" type thermostat...... if it only has a hi-low setting that could be the issue itself, or its simply old and has paid its dues, mechanical t-stats eventually fail.

 

[john sawyer]

Thanks, so any 2 wire "milli-volt" with a differential setting t-stat will work? I'll go researching to see if I can find one.
Anyone have any suggestions?? I don't think I'll skip the drink though. After many hours baby sitting that stove I need one or 2, oh Hell 4 might do well.

 

[tjnamtiw]

None of the 'reasonably' priced Honeywells that I've looked at have 'swing' capability. My thermostat does as do the Lux's that many here use. Just go to the HomeDepot and Lowes websites and look at the installation and operating instructions that they offer in Adobe format. If it has swing adjustments, it will say how to program it. You don't need to spend a fortune on one either. Unless you want to give up drinking altogether That's why I only paid $25 for mine and kept my Jim Beam!