Xcel Energy is running a KILLER deal on smart thermostats right now, so I went ahead and ordered an Ecobee3 Lite for the house. $63 shipped! Anyways, my house doesn't have central air and uses a boiler and radiant heat. I posted a question about this before, however I think the Ecobee should help in my situation.
Here's how the genius that installed the boiler and zone valves set up the system:
Thermostat #1, located on the ground floor in the living room controls ALL free standing radiators in the house. That's the basement, dining room, entry way, living room, sitting room, 3 of 4 upstairs bedrooms, and the upstairs bathrooms.
Thermostat #2 is located in the kitchen, approx. 15 feet from 'Stat #1. It controls the baseboard heaters in the kitchen itself AS WELL AS the baseboard heat in the master bedroom, directly above on the second floor.
The problem with my setup is this: 'Stat #2 simply can't acquire a proper temperature reading to maintain comfort in the master bedroom! The laws of convection just don't allow it. The entire main level is basically open, and anyone who's had old-school radiators in their house knows that the really pump out the heat. It's incredibly easy for the 3 large radiators on the main floor to keep the kitchen warm, thereby causing the the #2 'Stat to turn off long before the master ever gets warm.
My initial thought was to use the Ecobee in conjunction with a room sensor to separately control the two zone valves at the boiler, however it seems that's really not possible. I'm not sure why, exactly, because it's a simple matter of programming: built-in sensor commands zone #1 water valve, room sensor reports back and main unit commands #2 zone valve, but I digress. In my application, I plan on using a room sensor in the master and telling the Ecobee to ignore it's own internal sensor, which I do believe is possible after reading the instructions.
Apologies for the long winded post, but I like detail! Does anyone else have experience installing/living with a smart thermostat? I'd love to hear feedback!
Here's how the genius that installed the boiler and zone valves set up the system:
Thermostat #1, located on the ground floor in the living room controls ALL free standing radiators in the house. That's the basement, dining room, entry way, living room, sitting room, 3 of 4 upstairs bedrooms, and the upstairs bathrooms.
Thermostat #2 is located in the kitchen, approx. 15 feet from 'Stat #1. It controls the baseboard heaters in the kitchen itself AS WELL AS the baseboard heat in the master bedroom, directly above on the second floor.
The problem with my setup is this: 'Stat #2 simply can't acquire a proper temperature reading to maintain comfort in the master bedroom! The laws of convection just don't allow it. The entire main level is basically open, and anyone who's had old-school radiators in their house knows that the really pump out the heat. It's incredibly easy for the 3 large radiators on the main floor to keep the kitchen warm, thereby causing the the #2 'Stat to turn off long before the master ever gets warm.
My initial thought was to use the Ecobee in conjunction with a room sensor to separately control the two zone valves at the boiler, however it seems that's really not possible. I'm not sure why, exactly, because it's a simple matter of programming: built-in sensor commands zone #1 water valve, room sensor reports back and main unit commands #2 zone valve, but I digress. In my application, I plan on using a room sensor in the master and telling the Ecobee to ignore it's own internal sensor, which I do believe is possible after reading the instructions.
Apologies for the long winded post, but I like detail! Does anyone else have experience installing/living with a smart thermostat? I'd love to hear feedback!