Replaced Thermostat

rotus8

rotus8

Ranger
Donating Member
My annoyance with the furnace thermostat supplied by Camp-Inn finally moved me to replace it. The original thermostat is completely mechanical with a hard to read thermometer and a heat setting without numbers and very touchy to set. This is exaggerated by the placement of the thermostat in the footwell where there is minimal lighting. I found I would have to stick my head down in the footwell with a flashlight to set it somewhere near where it was the last time I liked the setting. Switching the furnace off uses the same lever as the set point so it needs to be readjusted every time it is used.

I purchased a Honeywell TH1100DV1000 Pro-Digital 2-Wire Heat Only thermostat from Amazon for about $30. Installation was straightforward, taking me about 20 minutes, much less time than it took to decide which thermostat to buy. I am quite happy with the result. The new thermostat has a separate on/off switch, remembers the last temperature it was set at, has a lighted display showing the current temperature or the set point. The display is large and easy to see even when not lit. It does require two AA batteries that I expect will last significantly more than a year.

These pictures show the replacement process.

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New Honeywell TH1100DV1000 thermostat

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Original thermostat

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Pull cover off. Unscrew the two terminals to disconnect the wires and remove the two mounting screws

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Old thermostat removed. Bare wires are not dangerous but if you touch them together, the furnace will start up. To avoid this, switch off the main disconnect before starting.

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New thermostat base installed. The two wires are inserted in the R and W terminals, it doesn't matter which wire is in each place. C terminal is not used.

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Installation complete

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Backlit display
 
We used our furnace for the first time this past weekend while camping in the Nantahala National Forest in NC and wow! was it nice to have heat at the flip of a switch. I agree that the thermostat is in an awkward location and hard to read. Perhaps another solution would be to mark each of the "setting bars" on the thermostat with a different color or number and set the thermostat to that. You would still need a flashlight to see it however.
 
This has been one of my few complaints. No off switch on the furnace. It comes on in the night even when at its lowest and wakes me up. I'm already plenty warm and cozy and can't go back to sleep until it decides to go off on its own. I don't like the idea of needing batteries though. I do love the furnace. If it is a stormy day and you just want to go in and read or play games it warms it up in a hurry.
 
Pat,

When you turn down the thermostat to the lowest setting you have to push it a little further and harder to "click" it off. It does have a off position, you have to push it just past the lowest setting to hit it though.

This is one of those downsides to the stock furnace thermostat that Ted is talking about. You can't leave it set to a temperature you like and turn it off, you have to reset the temp each time you use it. And that setting tends to be a bit vague.

Cary
 
Oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't see that. I did look but it is a little hard to see under there. Thank you so much for the information.
 
Just a belated endorsement of rotus8's very apt thermostat suggestion: I recently bought the same or very similar Honeywell thermostat he recommends on line for around $25 including shipping and replaced the stock Camp-Inn model that had been giving me problems (the kids had probably kicked it, breaking one mounting tab off the cover and making it unsteady). Only complication I encountered was having to drill a new hole for the wires to pass through since my 12v and 110v outlets prevented it from being mounted over the old thermostat hole; that meant splicing a few inches of new wire on the existing wiring to reach. YMMV (Your Mounting May Vary). It worked so well that I immediately bought a second one and replaced the stock one in my new Airstream. Both work beautifully.
 
Bear,

We didn't relocate the thermostat. The 560 models have it in a different location than the 550s. There just is no wall space available in the 560s to locate it the same as in a 550.

Cary
 
I've read several threads about the thermostat and will reply here.

I think the thermostat needs to be where it is to get a more stable reading. If it were near the coach I think it would make the furnace cycle on and off too much. But adjusting it way down at the foot isn't very easy. I like the new one rotus added and think I will do the same.
 
I have also replaced the thermostat in my 550 Ultra SUV. I found a used Hunter 42999 on eBay and it works great. This is no longer available but the Supco 43054 Electronic Digital Wall Thermostats with Blue Back Light is almost (if not) the identical thermostat. It is available on Amazon.

Installation was very simple and only required the two wires from the existing thermostat to be attached to the new thermostat. It gives much better temperature control and doubles as a very readable thermometer for the inside temperature. It is powered by 2 AA batteries which are required for it to operate. The original thermostat did not need batteries.



 
Thank you Rotus8 for your very clear explanation on how to install this thermostat. I continued to have problems with mine. It pushed very hard into the off position and over time the metal contact piece pushed away from the contact. I straitened it once and it worked for a while longer but on the last leg of my trip it happened again. I ordered this thermostat and got it installed. One of my wires was under 1 1/2 inches long so it was a little tedious. Once I got it installed it still didn't work. Checked the fuse and replaced it. Back in business.
Not as bad a job as the one Bear did for me out in the middle of Montana in a primitive campground. Bear noticed that when I ran water it was dripping out the left storage bin. He checked it out and discovered that the drain had a leak. Thank you Bear. I don't think I would have found that leak myself and am grateful that you had the skills and knowledge to find it and fix it. Enjoyed camping with you and Jennifer and hope to do it again sometime.
 
We replaced our thermostat with a digital model, too. It's a great upgrade to your camper. I like being able to set the thermostat and leave it at night.
 
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