Hardware Review NEST Thermostat with Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote Integration: A Review (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Hey guys, I’m back here again. I still have not decided on whether to go with a Nest or Ecobee or old school Honeywell. But I may be forced to.

Today my 25 plus year old programmable thermostat seemed to go whacko. It was reading 65 degrees in the house but is set to only heat to 60 during the day. It was continuing to fire the boiler so the house got to be 75 inside! Thats nice on these cool days. But not right. I did a few tests, I think the boiler’s processor is ok. Plus we’ve had a cold snap the past two weeks and in the morning when I wake up, the floors are not warm like it used to be when the boiler is working right to heat the radiant system.

Today after work, i decided to pull the old thermostat off and replace it with the old thermostat that was installed when I bought the house. It’s not as attractive as a Nest or a nice Honeywell. but it served to test my theory. The old electronic thermostat wasn’t working correctly. It’s set to 80 degrees to see if it still works to control the boiler. And it appears to he working. So I’ll roll it back down to 65 to 68 or so. Its crude and analog, and I’ll see if it’s warm or cold tomorrow morning!

i don’t trust either the thermostat’s thermometer reading of 75 or the infrared‘s reading or 78. But it’s in the neighborhood.

 

[DaveF]

If you get a Nest, pay attention to the details. There’s a newer version that has less features and lacks the “learning” or automated aspects.

I also think you have to pay attention to wiring and power options with digital thermostats and old wiring or boiler systems?

That said, If you just need a digital programmable thermostat to set Summer and Winter patterns, there’s a number of options spanning the price range.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Dave. This house has a two wire set-up at the thermostat, a white and red wire. So no power. In my research in the past, it seems people with my style home with radiant heat was able to make the Nest work. I think Nest made it possible to work on two wire systems?

I appreciate the suggestion for a digital programable thermostat. I really like these new generation of thermostats, but there’s nothing wrong with the old programable ones.

By the way, the boiler was not running this morning. The infrared thermometer was showing the floor temperatures in the mid 70’s. Around 74, that surprised me. Must have been still a bit warm from yesterday’s heat soaking. The walls were reading 69. This house has lots of single pane glass, so it leaks like crazy. It feels colder when I walk past those large panes of glass. I’ll see how the house feels as the day progresses.