Ice Pack on the Thermostat

[Mike Lamb]

It was too hot for me to run the furnace the other day. The thermostat would only go up to 90F.

Someone on TIJ had mentioned putting ice on a thermostat works. I had my client hold the ice pack. It took about 15 minutes for the thermostat to drop to 89F. I don't know why it took so long but the furnace fired.

Click to Enlarge

21.7 KB

Click to Enlarge

31.54 KB

[Jerry Simon]

It was too hot for me to run the furnace the other day. The thermostat would only go up to 90F.

Someone on TIJ had mentioned putting ice on a thermostat works. I had my client hold the ice pack. It took about 15 minutes for the thermostat to drop to 89F. I don't know why it took so long but the furnace fired.

Click to Enlarge

21.7?KB

Click to Enlarge

31.54?KB

Woulda been quicker and easier just to hot-wire.

[BADAIR]

It was too hot for me to run the furnace the other day. The thermostat would only go up to 90F.

Someone on TIJ had mentioned putting ice on a thermostat works. I had my client hold the ice pack. It took about 15 minutes for the thermostat to drop to 89F. I don't know why it took so long but the furnace fired.

Click to Enlarge

21.7?KB

Click to Enlarge

31.54?KB

plastic and air space around/between sensor are poor conductors, thus 15 min delay

example: this is my stat, left outside for a few minutes and i know i don't have it set in heat mode, won't happen for 4 more months

WARNING!!! not for the faint of heart

pull stat and put inside a baggie

set atop icepack for 2~3 minutes and good to go

Click to Enlarge

21.74?KB

Click to Enlarge

31.99?KB

[Mark P]

I do not suggest doing it with any one present - but you could have removed the stat and joined the red & white wires together this should start the furnace. I have jumped a system like this to check its operation in foreclosures when there was no stat installed. To check the cooling you connect the red/green and yellow or blue.

[Tim Maxwell]

I've hot wired a few when the thermostat was missing.

[Mike Lamb]

I've never hot wired a furnace before so I thought this would be safer.

My client was more than happy to stand there with the ice bag.

[John Kogel]

It's a good tip. I find messing with the programmable thermostats to be like hacking into someone's computer sometimes. I am publicly apologizing for screwing up your programs, folks.

Cooling it with ice seems harmless enough.

[Robert E Lee]

I had three vacant houses this past week where the indoor temperature was too hot (88-92 degrees) for the furnace to kick on. I've used the bag of frozen peas a number of times in the past so will try to remember the red/white wire trick the next time.

[Marc]

I would not force the heater into operation under conditions outside the design specs but if you're inclined to do so, pack a small jumper lead in your tool pouch and just jumper the red/white. Red is the 24 volt supply and white is the conductor used by the thermostat to call for first stage heat.

The bounds of shabby DIY workmanship does not stop at wiring thermostats. I've seen it many times. So there's a risk involved in attempting to hot wire one.

Again, I don't recommend it for HI's

Marc

[Mark P]

or we could just run the a/c until the house was cooled down enough to run the furnace.

also that red wire will shock you just enough to make you say ouhh

[Tom Raymond]

Why dink around with the thermostat? I know, standard operating controls, yada yada yada. Hooey! If it's too hot for the stat to call for heat it's working, and if you have to chill the stat it ain't normal operation anyhow.

When I have had occasion to jump start one I've done it right at the control board, usually with all the covers off so I can see what's going on.

[Mike Lamb]

If it's too hot for the stat to call for heat it's working,

How would you know that?

and if you have to chill the stat it ain't normal operation anyhow.

No, but how would the thermostat know that?