Nest thermostat

[kennith]

That's exactly what makes a Honeywell a Honeywell - what's under the hood.

Don't take my word for it, just ask any HVAC guy.

Fuck HVAC guys.

"Professionals" are almost invariably fucking morons. If they knew what the hell they were talking about, they'd be designing the systems rather than installing them. They live in microcosms of specific interest and practice. Toss a new idea in there and you'll upend their entire world.

There are a few exceptions out there, but I'm not digging through a hundred idiots to find one guy that knows his shit.

The last "professional" I hired got his head stuck in a light bulb. That's not a joke. He genuinely got his head stuck in a circular florescent tube.

I know one HVAC guy that's worth a fuck, and he used to design, manufacture, and install massive NBC filtration systems. I plan to have a conversation with him this week regarding the Nest unit, just for entertainment purposes.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[adriatic04]

The first couple of nights, I was sweating my ass off because of it's scheduling and that temperature swing. It's smoothed out now. It's not perfect, but it gets better every day.

you aren't married...this doesnt work with a wife next to you. "what the hell, did you install it correctly?" comes to mind with an instance like this.

:rofl:





:banghead:

 

[az_max]

....
The last "professional" I hired got his head stuck in a light bulb. That's not a joke. He genuinely got his head stuck in a circular florescent tube.
.....

I just about spit my afternoon whisky on the computer screen

:rofl:

 

[kennith]

you aren't married...this doesnt work with a wife next to you. "what the hell, did you install it correctly?" comes to mind with an instance like this.

:rofl:





:banghead:

I wouldn't know. I've never been married, and I probably never will be.:rofl:

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[umbertob]

I don't know anything about the Honeywells, but I've owned a Nest thermostat (the original one, not the sleeker V.2) pretty much since the day it was introduced. It seemed like an extravagant expense at the time, but I was sick of fiddling with my old programmable thermostat every other day. The Nest has been pretty phenomenal in learning our family's schedules and temperature preferences, and has been working without a hiccup for years. We kind of forgot all about it - that's the best thing you can say about a thermostat I guess - and we very rarely need to override its settings. And they keep adding useful features to it. I am a big fan.

 

[D Chapman]

Fuck HVAC guys.

"Professionals" are almost invariably fucking morons.....

Because naturally amateurs commonly install HVAC systems. :yawn:

 

[hilltoppersx]

what do you think of this Dan? http://getpiper.com/

 

[kennith]

Because naturally amateurs commonly install HVAC systems. :yawn:

They most certainly do; with professional oversight.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[D Chapman]

what do you think of this Dan? http://getpiper.com/

That stuff is pretty neato. But also something that's screaming to be hacked.

I guess it would be good to spy on the babysitter with, though.

I just do not want anything connected to my house that 1) unlocks the doors; 2) puts a camera feed on the internet. But that's me.

 

[chris snell]

Perhaps someone can answer this for me: is it possible to install the Nest for a dual-fuel system without a professional installer? According to their webpage, you should not:

If you have dual fuel or a whole-home humidifier/dehumidifier we strongly recommend that you use professional installation.

This sounds like total bullshit but without having one to try out, I have no idea if it really is.

 

[kennith]

Perhaps someone can answer this for me: is it possible to install the Nest for a dual-fuel system without a professional installer? According to their webpage, you should not:



This sounds like total bullshit but without having one to try out, I have no idea if it really is.

You can do it, but it's possible to fuck your system up if you don't do it properly. You can easily navigate it to the professional options, where many advanced settings can be adjusted, wire by wire, and feature by feature. If you know what you're doing, it's idiot-proof.

If you don't, however, that idiot-proof nature will provide all the power you need to really screw things up. The functions and adjustment procedures are available in PDF format from their website, for reference in the event that you do indeed know what you're doing.

The Nest is designed and packaged for the average homeowner to install easily. It's natural for them to advise against attempting anything beyond the most basic of installations. When you hit that menu on the screen, there is a pretty explicit warning to go back and leave things alone.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[kennith]

The Nest is more than a toy, in that regard.

It's a real, fully functional thermostat that's capable of doing far more than the basic tricks for which most (including myself) purchase it. If you want to do so, you can even program it traditionally; bypassing it's most attractive feature, which is the adaptive programming.

Out of the box, it's an easy to install automatic thermostat that does everything by itself after it works with you for a while.

You can stop all that and do everything manually whenever you want. At that point, you've just got a nice, fully programmable thermostat that will work with most systems, and something pretty stuck to your wall.

Even in that event, it's still a good purchase. It's damned easy to operate.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[seventyfive]

I just got one of these. Works just like a thermostat.

Sometimes I turn the lever to shut the thing downstairs off and open the windows. Does anyone make a Bluetooth robotic window opening adjuster? Something I can control via my phone? Or tablet? Or laptop? Or smart watch? Or my google goggles?

 

[crown14]

I just got one of these. Works just like a thermostat.

Sometimes I turn the lever to shut the thing downstairs off and open the windows. Does anyone make a Bluetooth robotic window opening adjuster? Something I can control via my phone? Or tablet? Or laptop? Or smart watch? Or my google goggles?

I like this because its round. It must be better than the other thing I have because it is a different shape.

 

[seventyfive]

I like this because its round. It must be better than the other thing I have because it is a different shape.

Is it rectangular? I looked into those but they have too many levers and when I tried to twist it, to change the temperature, it fell off the wall.

 

[seventyfive]

Now this is interesting. It looks like a simple one rotary device with no levers. Is it considered technically wifi if your yelling at some old bitch to adjust the knob?

 

[az_max]

Back in the 80's we had an evap cooler put on my parents house. No thermostat, just high/low/off. Also got the UpDucts so you didn't have to open a window.
Now Phoenix is known for it's low humidity in the spring and summer. The evap cooler worked so well you'd wake up with stiff nipples. And that was on Low. We had blankets on the bed in May to keep warm. Eventually we got a thermostat for it and it was set on high cool. It still cooled well enough to need a light blanket when it blew on you. And it was Damn Cheap to run. We're talking total electric bills in the summer of $70 (1600ft^2 Ranch with 4 people living there). And the house plants grew like weeds. The only thing that didn't like the humidity was the door frames. Every door stuck shut. Had to sand the door frames and doors once or twice.
*That's* the type of cooling I want again.

 

[kennith]

The mechanical models had no idea what to do with this building.

They were way off, and cycled all over the place. I adjusted them internally with another thermometer to measure for the specific temperature ranged I like, but the things were still frustrating. They didn't seem to like the system, and needed constant attention.

The fancy Honeywells I bought worked okay, and would theoretically manage temperatures throughout the day, but they had problems as well. They could not seem to keep the building under control, and I was forever having to adjust them.

It wasn't an annoyance, but with the whole system turning on and off all the damned time it was rather inefficient, and rough on the components.

I have two separate entire systems here, controlling sealed air spaces and with isolated ducts. That's all in the steel shell, which is not climate controlled. Everything is insulated, but the things still couldn't manage it.

I stuck the Nest up there, and it just works. As someone mentioned earlier, I forget it's even there until I pass by and it lights up.

Perhaps a top of the line Honywell would do the same thing... I fucking doubt it.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[kennith]

That stuff is pretty neato. But also something that's screaming to be hacked.

I guess it would be good to spy on the babysitter with, though.

I just do not want anything connected to my house that 1) unlocks the doors; 2) puts a camera feed on the internet. But that's me.

I agree, but I will also suggest that consumer oriented passive security devices are stuck in the early nineties.

Some leaps and bounds need to be made in the industry. The available options are fucking stupid as hell.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[leeawalden]

So Honeywell Lyric, Smart thermostat, or Nest (meh)?

I'm leaning towards the HW Smart Thermostat (wifi 9000).