Hi Folks,
Bridgerman here. I invented the ThermGuard product and I now have another product that may be of interest to this group.
I purchased a vacation cabin that has a freestanding gas stove. It is a standing pilot unit that simply has an ON/OFF switch. I wanted to monitor the temperature inside and be able to heat with gas since the main heat is electric baseboard. I invented a small device that will connect to the millivolt gas valve and allow me to operate the stove remotely (1.5 hours away) and monitor the internal temperature using a Nest thermostat. I just received a patent on the product. It is called +wire.
I plug in a 24VAC wall transformer at the stove and using only two wires in the thermostat wiring, I can provide a 24VAC signal, a common signal, to the thermostat (to operate and send/receive wifi signals) and the stove gets a 24VAC heat signal from the thermostat. I convert the 24VAC heat signal into a dry relay closure for the millivolt signal from the thermopile that powers the gas valve.
There are other products on the market that will let you add a common wire for a smart thermostat but they don't work with a millivolt gas valve. These products also require at least 3 wires in the thermostat wire bundle and most homes, if they have thermostats on a millivolt system only have two wires. The millivolt stoves also do not produce the 24VAC that the smart thermostats require.
Bottom line: If you want to add a smart thermostat to a 2-wire appliance such as a freestanding stove, or even a boiler, there is now a product on the market that will work for you. I also use the product to pre-heat the cabin when I am on my way up. I keep the temperature low while I am away, and make the cabin toasty before I arrive.
I'm thinking $50 for the product with maybe an extra $20 if you need the transformer.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bridgerman
Bridgerman here. I invented the ThermGuard product and I now have another product that may be of interest to this group.
I purchased a vacation cabin that has a freestanding gas stove. It is a standing pilot unit that simply has an ON/OFF switch. I wanted to monitor the temperature inside and be able to heat with gas since the main heat is electric baseboard. I invented a small device that will connect to the millivolt gas valve and allow me to operate the stove remotely (1.5 hours away) and monitor the internal temperature using a Nest thermostat. I just received a patent on the product. It is called +wire.
I plug in a 24VAC wall transformer at the stove and using only two wires in the thermostat wiring, I can provide a 24VAC signal, a common signal, to the thermostat (to operate and send/receive wifi signals) and the stove gets a 24VAC heat signal from the thermostat. I convert the 24VAC heat signal into a dry relay closure for the millivolt signal from the thermopile that powers the gas valve.
There are other products on the market that will let you add a common wire for a smart thermostat but they don't work with a millivolt gas valve. These products also require at least 3 wires in the thermostat wire bundle and most homes, if they have thermostats on a millivolt system only have two wires. The millivolt stoves also do not produce the 24VAC that the smart thermostats require.
Bottom line: If you want to add a smart thermostat to a 2-wire appliance such as a freestanding stove, or even a boiler, there is now a product on the market that will work for you. I also use the product to pre-heat the cabin when I am on my way up. I keep the temperature low while I am away, and make the cabin toasty before I arrive.
I'm thinking $50 for the product with maybe an extra $20 if you need the transformer.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bridgerman