Thank you that's what I needed to know. This would be the new Ecobee 4 true or both. Since we rearranged the TV has been causing fits with keeping house stable.
Smart Thermostats
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Thank you that's what I needed to know. This would be the new Ecobee 4 true or both. Since we rearranged the TV has been causing fits with keeping house stable.
You need to convince the purse strings that a cooler-running TV is needed. 
Realistically, if the thermostat is located behind a TV, the thermostat or the TV needs to move as it is fouling up your system. This is especially true if the TV is flanked by STBs, disc players, gaming consoles or an AVR.
Realistically, if the thermostat is located behind a TV, the thermostat or the TV needs to move as it is fouling up your system. This is especially true if the TV is flanked by STBs, disc players, gaming consoles or an AVR.
I have a Bryant Preferred Series Programmable Thermostat (Model T6-PRH01-A). I would like to replace it with an Alexa capable thermostat like the Ecobee 4. But it is more than a thermostat. It displays outside air temperature, controls the heat pump and emergency / supplemental heat, controls the furnace humidifier, and has filter reminders. It is connected to my Bryant furnace. Would the Ecobee 4 be able to do all this?
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The ecobee has reminders for service and filters, and a UV lamp if your system is so equipped. It can also alert you for High / Low temperatures, plus High and Low humidity levels. I don't believe the ecobee can control you humidifier, but maybe they added that to the ecobee 4. (That's one thing I dislike about my humidifier, it has a control on the cold air return that needs to be tweaked every time the temperature outside changes. If the ecobee would handle that, that would be extra nice!)
The normal screen for the ecobee is the current calculated temperature (averaged from the sensors in use), the temperature range on the right, and the local weather conditions on the bottom of the screen. Pressing the weather icon brings up your local conditions and a four day forecast. The Systems Menu in the lower left (the dot means there is something to check) and I brought up the list of sensors to show how the bedroom is at 68?F now because it's the sensor where the people are. It shows unoccupied, but that's okay since we're here and asleep (well, except for me typing away on my computer...)
These are from the App, not the actual ecobee, but they're similar in appearance to what's on the ecobee's display:
(I'm not about to run downstairs with my phone to take pictures in the dark of my ecobee, sorry...)
The normal screen for the ecobee is the current calculated temperature (averaged from the sensors in use), the temperature range on the right, and the local weather conditions on the bottom of the screen. Pressing the weather icon brings up your local conditions and a four day forecast. The Systems Menu in the lower left (the dot means there is something to check) and I brought up the list of sensors to show how the bedroom is at 68?F now because it's the sensor where the people are. It shows unoccupied, but that's okay since we're here and asleep (well, except for me typing away on my computer...)
These are from the App, not the actual ecobee, but they're similar in appearance to what's on the ecobee's display:
(I'm not about to run downstairs with my phone to take pictures in the dark of my ecobee, sorry...)
The Ecobees don't have an outdoor sensor but uses a local weather station (perhaps a nearby airport).
They will indeed drive a humidifier:
Installing a humidifier/dehumidifier to increase your home comfort | ecobee | Smart Home Technology
They will indeed drive a humidifier:
Installing a humidifier/dehumidifier to increase your home comfort | ecobee | Smart Home Technology
Foxbat and harshness, Thank you for your information. It was very useful.
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You need to convince the purse strings that a cooler-running TV is needed.
Realistically, if the thermostat is located behind a TV, the thermostat or the TV needs to move as it is fouling up your system. This is especially true if the TV is flanked by STBs, disc players, gaming consoles or an AVR.
You don't have to move anything if the slave unit can be placed in another location and control the temperature. That's the whole point, spend a couple hundred on an Ecobee or much more including a lot of time to rewire and relocate thermostat.
Since my main thermostat is next to an Echo Dot I suspect an Ecobee 4 would be a bad idea. SWMBO would not like changing the Alexa code word.
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Wow, thanks for linking that! Our old humidifier died last season and so we've been living with the sparks and dry air this season. The post explains how to connect it to our ecobee and I have enough 8-wire cable that I can re-run the wire to the furnace to provide Humidity control.
I had been looking at a different humidifier control that had an outdoor air sensor when the case on our current humidifier cracked and it leaked water all over the side of the cold air return, so I abandoned that project.
Any Echo can control the thermostat. The thermostat could replace the Echo Dot as far as that goes.
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If any thermostat is located in a place that it can't reasonably measure temperature (poor or no circulation, artificial heat source, difficult to reach), it should be moved. That it was poorly located isn't the thermostat's fault.
The Ecobee uses whatever sensors detect movement outside of the main unit; otherwise it uses the main unit. The Nest uses what sensors you pre-program in their four fixed intervals (Morning, Midday, Evening and Night).
Well, thanks to harshness, ecobee, and with my Wife's blessing, Scott's getting a little Amazon kickback on the Aprilaire humidifier I ordered today. I'll get it set up sometime next week and report back.
I have the 800 steam humidifier and am very pleased with it.
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After doing research the unit I'll be putting in is the Honeywell YTH6320R1001 Wireless Focuspro. The furnace is a Carrier 95% efficiency gas and has an 17 seer outdoor AC unit. The Honeywell receiving unit will wire directly into the furnace or at the old thermostat, haven't decided what I'll do yet. The sending unit wireless thermostat can be positioned on any wall away from heat sources or air registers. I don't need multiple room control that's what air registers are for. We keep bedroom registers cracked open winter and wide open summer works very well for comfortable sleeping 65° year-round while the rest of the house stays around 74°.
Manual heat registers have long proven to be a poor way to regulate heating and cooling. If you live to tinker with and balance them, they can work, but how well they work depends on how wide your outdoor temperature swings and how often you optimize the balance of where the heating or cooling is being sent.
The ideal system has dampers at each room controlled by a thermostat in that room. Absent that, we just worry about being comfortable in the rooms that we're in.
The ideal system has dampers at each room controlled by a thermostat in that room. Absent that, we just worry about being comfortable in the rooms that we're in.
The ideal system is just more $@# that breaks I've been just fine with manual registers for years. And that's the way it will continue. Thanks for your input.
You're ignoring the whole idea of having a wireless unit at an ideal location. You do it your way I'll do it mine. Hows that?
Not at all. I simply question the value of working around having the thermostat itself located at the ideal location.
Modern smart thermostats use sensors or geofencing (noticing that you're cell phone is with reach of your home Wi-fi) to decide whether you are home or not. The Honeywell uses daily timers to decide what you're schedule is.
Modern smart thermostats can set their own clocks and have their settings adjusted via device, computer or web apps as well as using popular home control devices. The Honeywell can do some of this but it appears that you must use their app.
The thermostat you chose seems to differ functionally from the $70 Honeywell that I replaced primarily by having a remote sensor, the outdoor sensor and the ability to automatically transition between heating and cooling modes. My utility bill shows that I've almost paid for my smart thermostat in the year that I've had it (versus my old Honeywell) and I'm now paying down the additional remote sensors. The batteries load differently but I enjoy not having to worry about batteries in the thermostat anymore.
We have choices and we each have our own weighting and criteria that allow is to prioritize and make those choices. I placed a high priority not requiring batteries at the main unit and the ability to work with my home automation system. That I could control it via voice has turned out to be pretty handy for me so I don't have to don glasses to fiddle with a tablet or small display to make adjustments.
I'd be interested in seeing how much your system costs all in. I understand the Wireless control module costs extra (though it may not be necessary in your case).
Installed the Honeywell YTH6320R1001 yesterday. Solved my bad thermostat location problem without the need to run new thermostat wires or move the existing. Abandoned old thermostat in place will use as a backup only. The new Honeywell has an outdoor sensor option among many others but since I run my own weather station and website wasn't necessary. I did install the return air sensor in the event of thermostat failure. Way to cold where I'm at to allow pipes to go unheated even for a short period. 5 of first 6 days of March went below zero at night, and our first temperature above freezing in a month 34° was yesterday. Happy with it so far.
