replacing 3-wire line voltage thermostats
w0lley32
15 years ago
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joed
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Voltage regulator for thermostat?
Comments (14)It's possible that the assumptions here are all wrong. First of all, if it's a fuse that's blowing then the problem is over current and not necessarily over voltage. Noise on the line, if that's a problem, is likely introduced after the 24-volt transformer, as a power transformer by its very nature, being an inductor, will likely not pass transient high frequency noise, it's too slow to react unless it's part of a switching power supply design or an oscillator. The 3-legged packaged regulator (DC) referred to is likely a TO-220 (maybe a TO-92) package. A small value (capacitance) bypass cap may help if in fact there is some sort of RF transients being introduced (after the transformer secondary winding). Even though 24-volt AC feeds this device, it most certainly must convert this AC to DC (probably 12-volt) in order to function. There should be regulation and bypass built into the design. Another possible but expensive solution might be 'Whole House Surge Protection' installed right at the load center (electrical entrance). This should provide protection from voltage spikes originating from both sides of the load center (utility & internal). Besides, now that we have microprocessor controlled HVAC systems with ECM motors, microprocessor controlled 220-volt stoves, ovens, dryers etc., how else can we protect these sensitive devices from spikes? It's not just your large screen A/V system that needs this type of protection in today's world. You can't buy a Monster Power Bar for your HP! Another advantage of Whole House Surge Protection is that it ties all the separate grounds of the electrical utility, telephone lines and cable lines together to one common ground. Have you ever tried measuring the voltage (AC) between these grounds with a Fluke? The comment that is most interesting is from mike_home regarding humidity and static electricity, though I suspect the source of the problem lies elsewhere. Back to this Nest thing, what's directly on this fuse's circuit that's drawing so much current? This could be a design flaw and may not be up to you to solve. SR...See MoreInternal cabinet lights - low voltage vs. line voltage
Comments (24)fluorescent bulbs under cabinets will be T4 or T5 ; these are long and thin -- think of light sticks, not round / spot / pucks. I gave you search terms. I'm sure you will find out stuff. All bulbs generate Some_Heat; the wattage is a key indicator of heat. Xenons are in the same family as halogens and old-fashioned incandescents (the bulbs we had in the 20th century), which is not efficient technology in terms of producing light (as opposed to heat). Searching, I read that xenons are only 10% cooler compared to regular halogens. That is still Hot. So incandescents, all types including xenon-halogen, make more heat than the other means of producing light (fluorescents and LED's). Fluorescents give more lumen (light) and less heat than the incandescent family (xenons, halogens). Fluorescents come in the range of 6 watts to 25 watts; that is fewer watts than the incandescent family needs. Incandescents use more watts to match the lumen, and the extra electricity goes into heat production. They are a heater and a light. LED's come in the range of a fraction of a watt. LED's are lowest wattage but they are so weak they don't produce much lumen (light). So they are good for accent lighting. If you buy large numbers you will get more light. you would have to install hundreds of them, to match the 1000+ lumen output of fluo or incandescent. Has anyone out there installed a hundred LED's under a cabinet? HTH -david...See MoreReplacing Line Voltage / Electric Heat Thermostat
Comments (18)"People who do not have a multimeter or have one and don't understand how to use it shouldn't monkey around with electricity." The only way you learn to trace circuits and use test gear is by doing it. It's nice to have expert guidance, but you can also get help from books, which is how I learned to use a VOM as an adolescent. (No DMMs in those days. Also, no internet. We had libraries, though. :) But here we are more than 2 weeks after the original post, and if the OP has done any circuit tracing, I haven't seen reference to it. My guess (and I hope he'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that he doesn't want to get into the project quite that deeply, and is hoping he can just buy a solution. His proposed purchase is a thermostat which has a similar configuration to the old one. That seems like it ought to work, but a digital thermostat still works on a completely different principle from a mechanical one. So the NEW new thermostat may work when connected like the old one was. Or it may not work at all. Or it may work only partly. Or it may go pop or BANG. Or it may just quietly release a little puff of smoke and stink. There's even a slight chance he could get hurt or damage something else, the worst case scenario. I just think that if he doesn't want to do the hard technical work of tracing things out (and there's nothing wrong with having different priorities), it's probably best to turn this over to a pro, and get it over and done with and WORKING....See MoreRepurpose High Voltage 14/2 Romex wire for Low Voltage LED strips
Comments (3)Hello Everyone. Have no fear, the LED strip lights I'm using only pull 5.5watts per foot. I'm doing about 15 feet of lights. 15x5.5= 82.5watts @ 12v DC. The longest run is probably 15 feet maybe? The wire could easily be 18 AWG or even 20 AWG in all seriousness (although wouldn't be recommended). 14 AWG is MORE than enough. :-) Thanks so much for the sanity check and verification that using the NM cable is all good in this use case. After writing this I did find other posts on other forums of people who had the same scenario. It seems to check out from multiple sources. Thank you....See Morejoed
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