Air Conditioner Sequence of Operation

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Richard Ashworth

When a technician is troubleshooting a problem with any piece of equipment it is important that the technician understands the sequence of operation for that equipment. When there is a problem with the equipment, including air conditioners, the technician will know the problem if the equipment or air conditioner does not follow the sequence of operation. Sometimes it is that easy and other times it is not that easy when troubleshooting equipment. However, it is important to understand the sequence of operation for an air conditioner so the technician can troubleshoot the air conditioner system.

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Proper Humidity Levels and Factors for Home Comfort and Health

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

The Contents and Make Up of Air and Humidity

Proper Levels of humidity Factors for Home Comfort and Health Humidity is important to our home and health and it is important to maintain the correct humidity in our homes and workplaces for our health. What is humidity? Humidity is simply little water droplets in the air. Cold air is nearly saturated with these little water droplets because the contents of cold air allow the air to hold more water droplets or humidity. As air is heated it expands and holds less humidity. When you heat the air in your home using a furnace, boiler, or heat pump this air expands and becomes drier. It is air with less humidity relatively speaking before it was heated and compared to the outside air. Air that is 30° F with 80% humidity will only be 15% humidity at 75° F. That is a big difference in humidity levels in the home after the air is heated. Granted, you are not heating air from 30° F to 75° F with your furnace. Depending on the set up of your thermostat and heating system you are most likely heating air that is 68° F to around 70° F to 75° F depending on the thermostat setting. The point is unless you have a source providing humidity to the air stream you are simply reheating dry air from inside the structure. There will be minimal infiltration humidity but the infiltration humidity will never be enough to bring the humidity levels up to healthy levels inside the structure for the inhabitants, plants, and furniture.

The Study of Psycrometrics

Psychrometric Chart content and make up of air

Psycrometric Chart

Yes, that is psycrometrics and it has nothing to do with psychology. It is the study of air and its properties. It is used in HVAC by HVAC technicians and HVAC engineers to determine the contents and make up of air. The HVAC industry uses Psychrometric Charts to plot the contents and make up of air. Using the Psychrometric Chart a technician or engineer can determine the relative humidity, enthalpy value, dry-bulb temperature, wet-bulb temperature, dew point and vapor pressure if they have a few of the listed values. With this data engineers and technicians can solve problems or assign values and set points. For example, an economizer system that is controlled by the building automation system can be controlled by an enthalpy value. This value associated with an And Gate will only allow the economizer to open under certain conditions that will allow the mechanical cooling systems to shut down and take in free cooling from outside the structure. The temperature, humidity, and all the contents and make up of the air will be optimum for free cooling using the economizer. By knowing the contents and make up of air one can set up HVAC systems to work better and one can also use the data provided by knowing the contents and make up of air to troubleshoot problems with HVAC and building systems.

Indoor Air Quality and Humidity

It is important to maintain correct levels of humidity in the home for many reasons. Comfort is on factor, indoor air quality is another factor, and saving energy is another factor. All three are related in one way or another but each are separate factors. If you reside in the northern climate regions where the average temperatures are less than 20° F you want the indoor humidity to be relative to outside air humidity. Temperatures about 20° F the recommended relative humidity inside the home or business is 35% to 45%. The construction of the home or business will also determine the amount of humidity. If you have vapor barriers and good tight windows and doors you need a good mechanical ventilation system. Humidity levels can rise above 60% causing excessive moisture inside the structure which will lead to mold, mildew, and possible water damage. Make sure you have a good mechanical ventilation system inside your structure to avoid moisture issues. Bathroom ventilation fans, hood fans over stoves, and other type of exhaust fans inside the structure pull out excessive moisture when cooking or showering. If you have this problem it most likely shows up in the form of mold growth inside closets, kitchens, bathrooms, and ceilings. Additionally, if you have excessive moisture problems your windows will frequently fog or have a lot of moisture on the windows.

Low Humidity

Low humidity levels cause problems also. Static electricity, dry skin, dry sinuses, and other health problems including increased flu illness can occur. Additionally, low humidity levels cause problems with wood inside the home. To test for low humidity levels in the home make a glass of ice water and set it somewhere away from the kitchen or bathroom. If after five minutes water droplets do not form on the outside of the glass then you have a problem with low humidity levels in your house and you need to get a humidifier. If your structure is suffering from low humidity levels you will also feel cooler resulting in a desire to turn the thermostat up. Therefore adding a humidifier to the HVAC system will cause you to turn the thermostat down. The correct levels of humidity in your home can increase comfort, save you money on your utility bills, and make you healthier.

Warm Air Expands

Remember that your furnace or heat pump DOES NOT remove the moisture from the air. The furnace or heat pump simply makes the air warmer and warmer air expands making the percentage of moisture in the air less than when it was cold. Relative Humidity is the amount of water vapor percentage that is in a given amount of air at a given temperature. Air is considered to be saturated with moisture when it reaches 100% relative humidity however you can quickly change the 100% relative humidity in air by increasing its temperature. Decrease the temperature and the moisture condenses from the air or it can be considered rain. When you heat the air you increase its volume and without a humidifier adding moisture to the air you are decreasing relative humidity. Adding a whole house humidifier to your home will always help maintain higher levels of moisture in the house and that will counter all the problems associated with low humidity levels.

High Performance HVAC

Humidity Levels and Factors for Proper Home Comfort and Health

Humidifiers and Comfort

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

Humidifers and Comfort It’s winter time, and your skin and sinus’s are dry. Did you know that this condition not only extends to yourself and your health but also to your home? The furniture, doors, and other wood products in your home are all affected by the level of humidity.

Ever notice in the winter time the doors don’t close just right inside your home? Ever get static-shock when you touch something or someone? This is caused by dry air. The solution is a humidifier. There are many types of humidifiers from portable to fixed. The prices for these humidifiers also vary. Naturally the fixed will cost more and you will most likely have to hire a contractor to install it, but the humidifier will definitely make a big difference not only for your health, but also for your home. Proper Humidity Levels

Summer Humidity

In the summer, a lot of the energy consumed by your air conditioner is used to de-humidify the air. In most geographical locations in the U.S. and Canada there is an abundance of moisture in the air. The process of heating your home in the winter time, especially for heat pumps, dries the air out in your home. It then becomes necessary to humidify the air (unless you choose to ignore it) to keep a comfortable level of moisture in the air. Ideally, you want the humidity level in your home to be around 30 to 50 percent. In the summer this is not a problem. In the winter it is a problem. This level of humidity will also help you feel more comfortable. If the humidity level in your home is high in the summer you will not feel cool. If the humidity level is low in the winter you will not feel warm when the thermostat is set at an average temperature. This will result in turning the thermostat up to compensate and you will use more energy to stay warm. A properly designed and installed system will keep the proper levels of humidity in your home.

Dust, Dust Mites, Pollen, Viruses, Bacteria, and Humidity

Aside from the comfort factors of having the proper humidity levels in our homes, there is another aspect of having proper levels of humidity in the home. Humidity affects what is in our air also and this is why a humidifier is an integral part of a system that maintains optimum indoor air quality standards. Too much humidity promotes the growth of molds and mildews. Low humidity levels promote bacteria, viruses, and other organic and non-organic things that can be hazardous to our health. Below is a chart that will help you see that keeping the proper humidity levels in your home will also keep out things that can affect our health and our home.

Those people who have forced air systems I usually recommend having the whole house duct mount humidifiers installed. These are generally maintenance free except for a water panel that needs to be replaced on an annual basis. It will require the installation of a humidistat so that the proper amount of humidity is maintained in the dwelling. This system is automatic with no worries about manually filling up a pan or moving a large appliance like you have with the portable humidifiers. All you have to do is set the humidistat and change the water panel annually (or have a service technician do it when you have preventive maintenance done). Remember, humidity in your living and work space is important for your health. The are many different brands to choose from when selecting a whole house humidifier. Generally, Honeywell Whole house Humidifiers and Aprilaire Whole House Humidifier are good brands to choose from but there are others. Check with your HVAC Contractor for what they recommend for humidifiers.

Humidifier Conclusion

Whether you have a Honeywell humidifier, Aprilaire humidifier, or other brand, remember there is required annual maintenance to your humidifier. Typically, humidifiers have water panels inside of them that some people refer to as humidifier filters. These humidifier filters as they are referred to treat the water that is channeled into the humidifier. This humidifier water filter needs to be changed at least annually to have the proper effect. Your HVAC contractor can arrange a maintenance agreement with you to maintain the humidifer and change the water filter so you do not have to worry about it.

Whole House Humidifier Video

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HVAC Products Containing Mercury and Proper Disposal

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

Products Containing Mercury and the Environment including new State Laws & Regulations and pending legislation

Mercury is extremely harmful to the environment and cause severe health problems in humans and animals. For many years HVAC and HVAC Controls manufacturers have used mercury in switches. Mercury is a liquid metal and provides a good source used in many switches because of its fluidity and conductivity. From thermostats to boiler controls mercury provides a reliable and efficient switching mechanism to start and stop certain sequences in HVAC applications.

Because mercury is very harmful to the environment and because many people do not know it is harmful or they are irresponsible and improperly dispose of products containing mercury some States have come up with laws regulating products which contain mercury or there is pending legislation ban the sale and use of products which contain mercury. Manufacturers have alternative methods to control HVAC applications and have taken steps to decrease production of making products which contain mercury and increase production of replacement controls especially for the States where there is current or pending legislation.

It is important if you replace your thermostat to check to see if it has mercury before throwing it in the trash. If you see a little oval bulb with a silver liquid inside the bulb you have a thermostat which contains mercury. It is important to properly dispose of this part of your thermostat which contains mercury. Other HVAC controls which contain mercury are boiler controls especially on steam boiler systems. It is improbable that the typical homeowner or business owner will replace this control if it malfunctions but maintenance personnel and HVAC and boiler technicians should be aware of these new laws and the fact that mercury harms the environment so that they properly dispose of any product which contains mercury.

At the end of the usable life of a product which contains mercury the products which contain mercury must be recycled or disposed of in accordance with Local, State, and Federal Regulations so that the mercury in these products do not harm the environment.

Please refer to your individual state laws and regulations to determine specific requirements for disposal of any products containing mercury. Never put products which contain mercury in the trash. Call your local refuse or Disposal Company or the State Environmental Protection agency and ask how to properly dispose of products which contain mercury.

States with Current or Pending Legislation Banning the Sale or Distribution of Products which Contain Mercury*

State	Effective Date
California	July 1, 2006
Connecticut	July 1, 2004
Illinois	July 1, 2007
Louisiana	January 1, 2007
Maine	July 1, 2006
Massachusetts	May 1, 2008
Minnesota	August 1, 2007
New York	January 1, 2008
Rhode Island	January 1, 2006
Vermont	January 1, 2007

*If your State is not listed check you Local, State, and Federal regulations for laws pertaining to the sale, distribution, use, and disposal of products which contain mercury. Many state, local, and even private waste disposal facilities have special collection methods for products that contain mercury.

High Performance HVAC

HVAC Products Containing Mercury and Proper Disposal

SilverPAC Silverstat 7 Advanced Thermostat

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

SilverPAC Silverstat 7 Advanced Thermostat

This thermostat is sure to save you some money in energy costs if you can get over the initial retail cost which is currently unavailable. Taking it a step further you can make some control changes to your appliances and hook them up to this thermostat so you can program on and off schedules for the appliances. We’re not talking about just your air conditioning and heating system either…………from your refrigerator freezer to your water heater to your lighting it can all be intelligently controlled and monitored with this thermostat. In my humble opinion this thermostat will definitely change your utility bill. Here are some of the key features that will help you save energy.

Smart Wi-Fi that has the ability to communicate with the new smart meters many utilities are installing including gas and electric meters. These new meters have the ability to send real time data to the utility companies to monitor usage.
SilverSTAT7 has Windows CE 6.0 R3 as the operating system with an Intel Atom processor which takes this smart thermostat well beyond the average home thermostat you can pick up at the hardware store.
SilverSTAT thermostat has a 7 inch touch screen and features a Smart Energy In-Home Display (IHD) so you can monitor the stat and the amount of energy your home is consuming at any given time of the day.
The Wi-Fi allows the SilverSTAT7 thermostat to communicate with your home network and internet services for remote monitoring.
7 day programmable thermostat capabilities that works with a calender and scheduled alarm notices so you don’t forget to change the filters ever again.
The Windows software can also give you access to email, stock prices, real-time weather forecasts, and the price the utility company is charging for energy at specific times of the day.
SilverSTAT 7 thermostat can stream photos and music from wireless devices through your home network.

SilverSTAT7 Thermostat

Questions for the manufacturer include how many inputs and outputs for control functions and how much in house wiring changes need to take place for control of the appliances?

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SilverPAC Silverstat 7 Advanced Thermostat

Honeywell Chronotherm Plus 8624D Thermostat with a Trane XL19i

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

Honeywell Chronotherm Plus 8624D Thermostat with a Trane XL19i

I have a Honeywell Chronotherm Plus 8624D running a Trane XL19i with a Trane XV90 – all installed new in new construction in 2003. Every winter, during the morning warm-up from 66 to 70, the burners stays on for approximately 1.5 hours at 70, then rises quickly to 73 before finally shutting off. The only way to interrupt the process is to turn the system to OFF at the thermostat. The system is on AUTO with the cooling set at 75 for the winter. I have swapped the thermostats (there are two sets in the house, this is the one in the attic for the second floor) with the same results. I have not swapped the thermostat circuit boards, but I can not see a reason to. The main floor is on the same schedule, but has never done this three degree burst. I have had three different contractors out, with corresponding charges for thermostat troubleshooting with no luck. Have you ever seen this? Any thoughts? Thanks!

The Thermostat Answer

I get questions like this all the time which people email to me and it is difficult to give them a good answer simply because I’m not there observing this strange equipment or thermostat behavior. It sounds to me that you’ve eliminated the problem being the thermostat when you changed them out. You know the one in the other zone doesn’t exhibit the same behavior and the one in the zone giving you the problem didn’t exhibit the bad behavior (or three degree burst as you describe it) when you changed it to the other zone. At least that is how I’m reading it. You eliminated the Honeywell Chronotherm Plus thermostat as being the problem

Back to the Basics

I would go back to basics on this one and check the installation location of the Honeywell Chronotherm Plus. A thermostat should be located in a central located on an inside wall preferably as close to the return as possible. It should never be mounted where direct sunlight can hit it, on an outside wall, or near a window or door which leads outside. If that is okay then check the wall where the thermostat is mounted. The hole behind the Honeywell Chronotherm Plus thermostat? Is this a drafty hole where air comes in through crawl space or attic somehow? If that is the case stuff some insulation in the hole to prevent the drafty air from hitting the thermostat. Seal it off as best as you can to prevent this drafty air from hitting the Honeywell Chronotherm Plus thermostat. Offers residential commercial high performance HVAC advice concerning air conditioning heating Honeywell Chronotherm thermostat troubleshooting along with the Trane XV-90.

Lastly, Call in the Pros

honeywell thermostat and the Trane xv-90 gas furnace The next thing to do if this doesn’t solve the thermostat problem is to have an HVAC professional check the furnace out completely. I would schedule an appointment with you for morning furnace warm-up so I could observe this behavior myself. I would eliminate thermostat and control the furnace at the furnace to see if it still did this. The Trane XV-90 is a high efficiency model so you will an HVAC specialist to look at it. Preferably someone who has had some Trane factory training. These guys are not hard to find as Trane does a pretty good job of offering contractors classes for their HVAC Technicians. I believe it is requirement for Trane dealers (HVAC Contractors) to send their Technicians to so many classes every year so call a Trane dealer and ask for their best technician to look at this problem.

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Data Logging Thermostats

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

High Performance HVAC Air Conditioning & Heating Thermostats

Data Logging Thermostats

1) Question: Is there a thermostat for a nursing home with a print out for temperature verification?

The answer…..

This is a touchy one and takes me back to the days when I started my HVAC career working in a hospital maintenance department. It also reminds of when I was doing service calls at a nursing home and listening to all the different residents complaining about the temperature. The fact is it is almost impossible to maintain a comfortable temperature between two different people. Someone has to make a decision on the temperature setting on the thermostat and live with all the complaints. For every person who says they are cold there will be a person who says they are hot. When I worked in the hospital sometimes I was assigned to verify temperatures. The hospital had a state of the art direct digital control system and every morning the maintenance chief would get a print out of all the room temperatures. He would also have a print out of all the complaints received the day before. He would hand them off to a couple of technicians and we would go manually verify that these rooms were maintaining what the computer print out said the temperature was in those particular zones where the complaints came from.

While some would think it was a waste of time verifying temperatures when the hospital was equipped with a state of the art direct digital control system the idea of sending a few technicians to all the rooms where the complaints were coming from gave the hospital staff and patients the idea that we truly cared about their comfort and that we really had no control over the temperature because the temperature was set by the director of the hospital via computer control system to maintain a precise temperature. We were simply there verifying that the state of the art DDC controls were maintaining the temperature as designed. Beyond that, the buck stopped at the directors desk.

There are thermostats and dataloggers one can purchase that will record temperatures over a period of some time to verify temperatures. Some are state of the art and some are very basic data logging thermostat temperature readers that will record the temperature over a specific period of time. The information is recorded on a graph or chart along with a time period. These data logging thermostats are often used by manufacturers who ship food and drug products via third party transporters and they want to make sure the transporter maintained the proper temperatures for the product as specified by the shipping agreement between the manufacturer and the transporter. Transporters and shippers most often use the term tattle-tale to describe these temperature dataloggers because it will tell the receiver if precise temperatures were maintained during the shipping process. This can be a solution to see if the proper temperatures are being maintained in any type of environment.

Other kinds of data logging thermostats include a temperature sensor you place in a specific location. These data logging thermostats are powered by batteries and typically need to be set up by hooking them up to a computer and using specific software made by the manufacturer of the data logging thermostat. After a specific period of time you retrieve the data logging thermostat and hook it back up to the computer and download the data stored in the data logging thermostat. You can put the downloaded information retrieved from the data logging thermostat into charts and graphs. Some data logging thermostats also have humidity sensors so you can record both humidity and temperature. See the data logging thermostat video below.

Another option is to check to see if the building is equipped with a Building Automation System or DDC system which controls the air conditioning and heating systems in the nursing home. If so, many of these systems record the temperatures in an archive file called a trend log. These trend logs are used most often by the maintenance staff to verify accurate temperatures and to troubleshoot intermittent problems with heating and cooling systems. The trend logs should record the temperatures of the zones around the clock and depending on how the program is set up will depend on how long this information is saved before it overwritten or dumped by the program. If the building is not equipped with a building automation or DDC system one would have to find a datalogger and probably the best place to find one of this the local HVAC outlets.

Remember, temperature or desired temperature is always different between different people. What is comfortable to you will not be comfortable for someone else. Many an argument has started over the setting of the temperature on the thermostat and unfortunately that is the way it is and probably always will be. You can bet that this problem is not unique with the nursing home where you work but it is the same in practically all nursing homes across the country and around the world. Temperature and comfort are always variable things where we must learn to tolerate a temperature we not so comfortable with because another person or a nameless director has the final say of where this temperature will be set. Perhaps the decision to set the thermostat where it is was based on budget concerns or perhaps it was based on a consensus of comfort factors among a group of people residing there. No matter where you set the thermostat not every person is going to be comfortable and there will be complaints. It’s just one of those things we have to learn to tolerate. Whenever I got a chronic complainer I always thought to myself or wondered what this person would have done 100 years ago or even a thousand years ago. These things are usually beyond our control in a public or even private place so we just need to learn to tolerate the temperature as set by the management. In many cases it is beyond our control so relax, throw another blanket on the bed or take a walk and get the circulation going. Another option is a portable fan. There is always a way to make yourself more comfortable in any environment.

Offers residential commercial high performance HVAC advice concerning temperature data logging thermostat and thermostat recorders or thermostat loggers air conditioning heating energy management

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Data Logging Thermostats

Successful Thermostat Installation Advice

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

High Performance HVAC wants you to be successful at the installation of your new thermostat so we ask that you read the pages here at High Performance HVAC carefully before you attempt to install your new thermostat. If necessary study the installation guides before trying to install your new thermostat to make sure you can install the new thermostat without any hitches. Again we sincerely care about the success you have at installing your new thermostat so please read carefully and follow all instructions. We are confident that if you follow all the instructions, including the manufacturers and our thermostat installation pages here you can join the thousands of other people who have used High Performance HVAC Guides to correctly install a new thermostat and enjoy the savings a new programmable thermostat can save you on energy use.

High Performance HVAC wants to urge you to always follow the thermostat manufacturers advice in the thermostat installation guide as the thermostat manufacturer has the last word for guidance in installing their thermostat. Sometimes the installation guides can be a little confusing however most thermostat manufacturers have a toll free number which you can call if you need help and get into trouble and we urge you to take advantage of this help line if it is needed. We sincerely hope that our guide is comprehensive and we have taken great strides to ensure it is comprehensive however if you get into trouble do not hesitate to call the toll free number which most thermostat manufacturers have for their thermostat and thermostat installation advice.

Finally, this is not rocket science and many people successfully install their own thermostat without any problems. High Performance HVAC has literally help tens of thousands of people successfully install their own thermostat and we hope you will find the same success. However there are a few who do not successfully accomplish installing their own thermostat and end up calling an HVAC contractor to finish the job or fix something because the person did not follow either the manufacturer’s instructions or the instructions here in the guide. It happens but we want you to be prepared as a last resort that you may have to call a professional to finish the thermostat installation if you miss something like not reading the instructions as we recommend here in this guide. We do have a disclaimer that you agreed to upon the purchase of the guide that specifically states, “If you choose to use this information for the repair or maintenance of any equipment you do so at your own risk. By using this information you indemnify us for any claims caused by you. By using this guide user assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury and you agree that High Performance HVAC has no liability for damages”. And we digress as our lawyers made us place those statements in the guide for those sue happy people.

Follow the instructions and you should have no problems and if you do have problems then call the toll free number most thermostat manufacturers provide in the thermostat installation instructions and if you are still lost call a professional. We can’t get any more plainer than that and wish you luck!

Basic Checklist for a Successful New Thermostat Installation

Read this guide carefully and study it if necessary.
Study the new thermostat and new thermostat manufacturers guide before installing the new thermostat.
Always make sure you selected the proper thermostat for the HVAC equipment you have.
Study the old thermostat and thermostat wiring before installing the new thermostat.
Write down all wiring of the old thermostat including the wire colors and terminal designations where the wires are terminated.
Always make sure you have the correct tools as listed in our tool lists before you attempt to install a new thermostat.
Always make sure you have correct materials before trying to install the new thermostat. We provide a basic list of possible materials you may or may not need when installing a new thermostat.
Always turn the power off to all units before doing anything including attempting to change the thermostat. The thermostat installation we are describing here are low voltage thermostat and you will likely not be harmed by touching a live wire with 24 volts however for safety reasons and to avoid damaging the HVAC equipment or the thermostat(s) you NEED to TURN the POWER OFF to all the HVAC equipment including the condenser and the air handler or gas furnace.

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Successful Thermostat Installation Advice

All About Thermostat Wire

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

All About Thermostat Wire Thermostat wire comes in a bundle with the outer jacket of the thermostat wire being either brown or white. The bundle can have anywhere from 2 conductors inside the bundle or outer jacket and all the way up 8 or 10 conductors inside the outer brown or white jacket. The wire inside the bundle for typical thermostat wire is 18 gauge solid copper wire and each wire has its own outer jacket that is a different color than any of the other conductors in the bundle. These multi-color wires are colored different for identification from one end of the bundle to the other end of the bundle. Thermostat wire can be purchased in a bundle as follows:

18-2 – 18 gauge solid copper with two wires in the bundle – red and white colors with a brown or white jacket
18-4 – 18 gauge solid copper with four wires in the bundle – various colors with a brown or white jacket
18-5 – 18 gauge solid copper with five wires in the bundle – various colors with a brown or white jacket
18-6 – 18 gauge solid copper with six wires in the bundle – various colors with a brown or white jacket
18-8 – 18 gauge solid copper with eight wires in the bundle – various colors with a brown or white jacket

The above list represents the most common available combinations of wire available for air conditioning and heating thermostat wires. Other combinations of wire may be available.

18 Guage Thermostat Wire Bundle in an Outer Brown Jacket

Solid copper wire is recommended for use in HVAC applications for simply because stranded copper wire leaves open the possibility that a hair (part of a strand in stranded wire) can cause serious problems and possibly a malfunction in the systems. Using solid wire ensures a hair from a strand will not cause problems.

Why does the outer jacket make a difference? It does not make a difference unless the wire is run in a plenum or a place where the air will be used for the air inside the structure. This is an NFPA Code (National Fire Protection Association) that requires any wire run in a plenum or that is exposed to the conditioned air is required to be plenum rated wire. This refers to the outer jacket and what happens to the outer jacket of the wire if it catches fire. Plenum rated wire has an outer jacket that is not toxic when exposed to heat or flames and using plenum rated wire increases the chances of people surviving a fire if the structure has a fire in the future. If the thermostat wire is run inside the wall then there are no codes about using any special wire and inside walls are using not exposed to conditioned air or spaces.

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All About Thermostat Wire

The Venstar ColorTouch Programmable Thermostat

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Richard Ashworth

A first impression when taking the Venstar ColorTouch thermostat from the box was that the thermostat was smaller than I had imagined however it is no smaller than the typical digital programmable thermostat. The more I got into the thermostat the better I liked it even though I found what I think is a minor flaw in the thermostat. Despite the flaw we are recommending the Venstar ColorTouch thermostat for residential and light commercial users who will find the benefits and features rich and colorful.

Minor Flaw of the ColorTouch Thermostat

I took the thermostat from the box and began examining it. A small transformer was hooked up to power it from my desk so I could explore the features comfortably by my note pad. I had done this before with other thermostats. One thing that stood out from the other thermostats from the ColorTouch was the fact that I had to use a tool to open it up or to separate the sub-base from the main thermostat. It is necessary to do this upon initial installation and whenever an HVAC technician wants to troubleshoot the HVAC system. I’ve done it a thousand times and so has many other technicians. It is a process of eliminating a possible problem and the core definition of troubleshooting. Anyhow, other modern digital thermostats do not need tools to take apart. I simply want everyone to know this so that someone does not pull the entire thermostat from the wall. This includes homeowners and HVAC technicians.

Feature Rich along with Ease of Programming with a TouchScreen Interface

One of the big bonus features to this thermostat is that you can load your own photos on it and display the photos as wallpaper on the thermostat or as part of the screensaver feature of the thermostat. Or both. The screensaver and wallpaper feature can be set to one of many themes that come default in the thermostat. You can also set the screensaver to a clock (analog or digital – your choice) rather than photos.
It has its own software you can download and set up all the features and programs from your desktop. You will need an SD card to do this but it is one of the features I have been waiting for and it is refreshing to finally see. The ColorTouch Assistant is easy to use for most people. See the video below. No longer does one need to take a course in rocket science to program a thermostat.
Dealers or HVAC Contractors can easily preprogram their contact information into the thermostat so the customer can have easy access to contact information.
Alerts are easily programmed to remind you to change the filter, change a UV Bulb, or call for annual maintenance.
Set your vacation dates in the thermostat and the system will respond according to your setting when you go on vacation.
Additional features include multi-stage heating and cooling settings, English, Spanish, or French language settings, a free cooling option, heat pump condenser lock out feature and dual fuel settings.

There are other features to the ColorTouch Thermostat by Venstar that make it stand out from the average off the shelf thermostat. Once the thermostat is installed and your photos are loaded in this thermostat you will love it and never want another thermostat.

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Air Conditioner Sequence of Operation