Artix Linux Forum

Thermostat Recommendations?

01 August 2024, 16:29:07

Hi all. I'm about to start looking for a new thermostat to replace my current one and I thought I'd ask if anyone has any recommendations. Looking for a non-IoT thing that has an intuitive interface for creating or updating a schedule. Let me know if you have anything you like that meets my simple requirements.

I bought a house last year. It came with an Ecobee thermostat. Definitely not something I'd buy for myself, but I thought I'd give it a chance. I kept it offline and used it as a regular thermostat. But the thing is terrible. I'm afraid to touch it because half the time I try to interact with it, it crashes. Then my heat or AC is disabled for like 5-10 minutes after it starts back up. Even after updating it to the latest firmware, it still crashes. I can't take it anymore! I want this Internet of Shit device GONE.

Re: Thermostat Recommendations?

Reply #1 – 02 August 2024, 03:38:09

Most of the central heating controllers I've encountered have been made by Honeywell. None of them were smart ones but they were all pretty easy to program and use once you get the hang of it, they usually have 2 or 3 on and off times per day on a 7 day schedule, and 2 zones for the heating and hot water. Some of them have hidden menus or switches to alter the operation mode to suit various applications, detailed in the manual. That can vary according to the model, you'd have to look into the layout and wiring of your central heating system and get something suitable for it - or find a good heating engineer and ask them. Typically systems are connected according to a few standard designs.

Re: Thermostat Recommendations?

Reply #2 – 02 August 2024, 13:58:03

I should also add that problems can originate from elsewhere in the system, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, for example the ecobee website says:
"ecobee thermostats need a constant 24VAC power supply from your furnace. If the ecobee is powered off or frequently rebooting, it may not be receiving power from the furnace, which could be the cause of the issue."
Motorized zone valves frequently fail or become intermittent in operation too. You can visually confirm some things are working, and also take tests with a multimeter - carefully, because mains voltages might be involved.

Re: Thermostat Recommendations?

Reply #3 – 02 August 2024, 16:33:44

I've ran into other comments online saying the same thing. But I don't think that's it because the UI starts freezing several seconds before it shuts off. And I've also seen it reboot when adjusting device settings that have nothing to do with adjusting temp, such as pairing room sensors that don't seem to do anything. Honestly with how laggy the interface is, I might just replace it regardless.

Re: Thermostat Recommendations?

Reply #4 – 07 November 2024, 23:09:36

I bought a Honeywell Home T5 Touchscreen thermostat a few months ago and all my problems disappeared. Ecobee can say whatever they like in regards to the rebooting issue I was facing, but as far as I'm concerned it's bullshit. Cheers!

Re: Thermostat Recommendations?

Reply #5 – 14 November 2024, 14:41:51

I have a honeywell home theromostat and it has the ability to program like 10 times with each different temps and it was like 25$ or 30$ on amazon.  it has batteries that i replaced once in 11 years of living in my apartment.  Has served me well.