boyst Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Just now, ExiledInIllinois said: /rolling my eyes. I am just a Rube. But aren't IPs dynamic? Just you're not an L33t Hax0rz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 9 minutes ago, Boyst62 said: Just you're not an L33t Hax0rz LoL... Remember I am old, a generation before all you slick Millennials. Please speak non-nerd. I kinda understand the last word. ? Anyway... Greybeard, nothing but praise for the Venstar! And no I don't sell them. Here are the screensavers... You can customize and configure anything you want, just put on SDCard, upload, etc... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 The first generation of Nests had problems with the base they attach to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 Thanks to all that replied. About 6 weeks ago I was in Costco and they had the Nest and the Eco's on sale. I started thinking about replacing mine. So it was a bit odd that my current thermostat stopped working. However as it turns out it was a bad battery connection. When I had the issue, the first thing I did was change the batteries because it looked like either the display was dead or it had no power. When I inserted the new batteries I wiggled them back and forth, mainly because I have had bad luck with battery holders. Those square LED flashlights? you can get free from Harbor Freight seem to need attention on the battery holders after a while. So anyway, when it did not power up, I figured component failure. I was somewhat distracted by the Sabre/Leaf game, so I did not spend much time on it. After I wrote this post I started thinking about it and decided I should really check to make sure it had power. So I took out my voltmeter and checked the connectors on the battery holder. It takes two AA batteries. Sure enough, no volts. I cleaned the + battery contacts with alchohol, reinstalled the batteries, once again wiggling them and it powered up. So the immediate problem was eliminated. It pays to have a voltmeter. It is even better when you actually use it. I am still interested in a new thermostat, so the comments here have been helpful. The Venstar looks good but I would prefer something "off the shelf." I'm guessing it probably is a bit pricey. I was considering a Nest at Costco, but the price held me back. Thanks for letting me know about the issues. It is a bit interesting that the older thermostats have batteries and the new ones take the power off the 24 volt transformer in the furnace. The batteries wouldn't hold up when supplying power for the wifi connection and processor of the newer models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherpa Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Greybeard said: It is a bit interesting that the older thermostats have batteries and the new ones take the power off the 24 volt transformer in the furnace. The batteries wouldn't hold up when supplying power for the wifi connection and processor of the newer models. Based on my experience, I disagree. I was worried about the wifi capability using up batteries, and that simply hasn't happened on the six that have no "C" wire that I run daily for our church. The guide says to replace batteries in six months, but voltage is monitored and displayed, and all six are at the one year+ range, and still full power. One is over 18 months. Also, mentioned above was that the "C" wire is usually blue. In my experience, the blue is first stage heat, or just heat if you have a single stage. The "C" or power wire is brown. In the seven that we have, that is the case in all of them. For what its worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, sherpa said: Based on my experience, I disagree. I was worried about the wifi capability using up batteries, and that simply hasn't happened on the six that have no "C" wire that I run daily for our church. The guide says to replace batteries in six months, but voltage is monitored and displayed, and all six are at the one year+ range, and still full power. One is over 18 months. Also, mentioned above was that the "C" wire is usually blue. In my experience, the blue is first stage heat, or just heat if you have a single stage. The "C" or power wire is brown. In the seven that we have, that is the case in all of them. For what its worth. When they built my house, Blue was Cool. Yellow was common. But didn't need it. When I put the Venstar in, I needed a C wire. I switched it. Making yellow = cool. And blue as common. I think, pretty sure that is standard coloring. Edited December 6, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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