Programmable Thermostat

[Quadra-Brian]

I own a Quadra-Fire Santa Fe Pellet Stove Insert. It came with a 12 volt wall mounted manual thermostat. I am interested in getting a programmable thermostat. I am not an expert on matters involving electricity. Can I simply buy a programmable thermostat from Lowes or The Home Depot? What should I look for to make sure that the thermostat is compatible with my stove. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[jtp10181]

Your QUAD dealer can order a programmable thermostat designed for use with the pellet stoves.

Otherwise you would need to get one that runs off betteries I think, because a lot of furnace thermostats draw thier power from the furnace. I Think the circuit on the pellet units is not enough voltage. It might be 12v but I thought it was less.

 

[Fire Bug]

I'm not sure, so like jtp said, check with your dealer but you might be a battery opearated, programable, remote control unit avaiable for your stove.
Skytech Remote Controls, offers and makes most of the remote controls for several companies even though the company puts their name on the units.
They are great! You can leave it in the wall holder use it manually, program it, or use it fully as a thermostat without programing it.
Also, there are no wires to run from the transmitter to the reciever units.
The reciever also can be taken from the holder and to another location in the room.
Here is a link for Skytech. I think they might only be used for gas products.

http://www.skytechsystem.com/

John

 

[nshif]

Most standard Thermostats are 24V and will not work in your application. Try to get a compatible one from your stove dealer.

 

[begreen]

It should work fine with a basic battery operated, programable thermostat. The new Mt. Vernon needs a more sophisticated, dedicated model due to the progamable options. But the current Santa Fe will be fine with a more basic model.

I have had good luck with Lux TX series thermostats. The Lux TX9000 worked very well for me on the 1200i, but I see no reason why the simpler TX1500 wouldn't work equally well. I used this model on our old propane furnace. There's one for sale on eBay right now. And I still have our old one if you don't find one you like.

 

[Jabberwocky]

My old Thelin ran fine on a old fashioned mercury thermostat and on a $40 off the shelf programmable that ran on a 12V battery. I think the programmable is made by Lux and are carried in all hardware stores. The battery would last more than one season.

I recently came from a Quadra Fire dealer and the thermostat running the Castile was extremely simple and non specialised for stoves.

I found the "trim" feature very handy for my old Thelin where it would call for heat if the temp even varied by even half a degree. Others may prefer 1-4 degree swings in temperature, thats the beauty of the programmables.

 

[moralleper]

I am running my Santafe with BeGreen's old Lux programmable thermostat and it works like a charm, thanks again Begreen. I would highly recommend getting one of these. The Lux model I am using is a 24v battery operated unit. It has 4 programs throughout the day. We have ours set for 69 in the morning hours(6am-9am), 68 for most of the day(9am-6pm), 69 in the evening(6pm-10pm) and 64 at night(10pm-6am). All I do now is keep the hopper full.

 

[begreen]

Just to clarify what may be confusing. When the Quad manual calls out for a 12V thermostat, it is very misleading. All the regular Quad pellet stoves need is a temperature switch. The voltage rating is for the transformer on the furnace and is irrelevant in this case. 24V is a standard for many thermostats. But to reiterate, you don't need a transformer supply to run the thermostat on the Quad as long as the programmable thermostat has self-contained batteries to run it's electronics. In the case of the Lux thermostats, there are 4 AA batteries that run it for over 12 months.

 

[Quadra-Brian]

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[titan]

Any t'stat (mercury,digital,manual,auto, programmable,non-prog) will work providing it has "dry contacts" to makereak the voltage supply from the stove.Not very familiar with pellet stoves, but I would use a digital programmable t'stat to take full advantage of all its' automatic features and conveniences like "temperature setback" when the house is empty.See honeywell,white-rogers,aube.

 

[drizler]

The only issue really should be whether it needs a standard type or a millivolt. My countryside needs a millivolt model and it just doesn't react to the standard 24 V types that all else uses. Your manual should state if it needs that type. Mine ended up with a White Rogers due to that and it runs on a couple AA batteries. Some of themore expensive honeywells have the glow faces. I wish I had one of those as its always dark where mine is mounted ( out of necessity) and the lighted dial would be a definite plus. Just something to consider otherwise the best deals are on Ebay and others if you shop some. All our local stuff is way pricey and not much selection. You do lose the ability to return it easily that way though. I just reebayed the wrong one I got a few years back. If you dont' have a manual its probably online someplace, most are it seems.