chicagoskiguy Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I'm considering a system with 2 C4 thermostats. I've read some good and bad things about the thermostats here. For the most part, in my current house, I have a program set on a standard programmable, and really don't touch it all that much. There are other thermostats that of course won't integrate with the C4 system, but may perform the function of thermostat better, and/or simpler.That being said, those of you that have purchased one, and lived with it, would you make the same choice if you could do it all over?Thanks, Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchelludwig Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Me, I love the themostats. Do they really do all that much for me, no not really. But I can tell you that the integration with C4 has it's benefits. Our house is about 10 years old, and the AC units are starting to show their age. I have programming in place vi HE such that if the temperature in the house exceeds the high value set for a zone by more than 5 degrees, to alert me via mail. About 3 months ago I got an alert, called home, and the kids found water pouring out of one of the units. Was able to get someone in to fix it, avoided damage to the house, yadda yadda yadda.Plus, c'mon, how can you have something that can be controlled not controlled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikey78 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Would absolutely do it again.Really like the ability to change the settings e.g. hold temp or program the thermostat from any place in the house rather than having to walk to the thermostat.I also like being able to monitor the state of the house when away.The thermostat is programmed to change the heat or cool set point a half hour before we wake up so that the temperature is appropriate when we get out of bed. I use that change in heat point to program a heated towel rack, which is on a C4 switch, to turn on at the same time rather than setting a different event in the scheduler. That way the towel rack is hot when we wake up. I am sure that others have many other examples of programming that you can do with the thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_The_Lucky Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 For me - it is probably the most used part of C4 - or at least the most appreciated besides the lighting. One of my big complaints before C4 was having to go upstairs every night to check the status of the thermostat for the kids. I love the thermostats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tumult Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I'll be adding more thermostats to the next house. perfect for theater if your thermostat is in the other room. should have put one in the master bedroom, as I'm always getting up to lower it.tum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsanf3 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 The thermostats is one of the things I love most about my Control4 system.Before I installed my system I had to go two floors down to always adjust the thermostat (several times). Now I can control from the remote and I have it programed to turn on automatically when it gets to warm in the Master bedroom when I'm not at home, via the temperature sensors of the Card Access relay/contact devices.Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slemay Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 To me - it's a no brainer... yes... I have 3 zones and it's great to control stuff when on vacation etc... (ie: middle of winter - turn the heat down to 50 while I'm in Florida - then turn it back on the morning before I fly back up). Plus - the ability to program them in emergencies.. ie: FIRE alarm goes off - turn all HVAC off (to not spread the smoke) is a big benefit... yeah I know it's not likely... but it's still a concern and it pays to be safe... that extra 30 seconds could be all you needed to get out alive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Probably not. I have two and neither lives-up to a good Honeywell programmable. If you need temperature factored into your calculations then just use the thermistor in a Card Access unit. Before seeing this thread I put the two next to my NIST-traceable standard and a cheaper Oregon Scientific unit. The two standards were reading 68 degF. The two C4 units were reading 63 degF and this was after a calibration done last November. No prob, I'll change the offset one more time...Another issue I have is with the deadband. I think that a 1 degF deadband is acceptable on paper but furnace runtime seems longer at this setting than when I was using the Honeywell with anticipator circuitry. Lastly, I don't know why but everytime I spot check the setpoint on the two, it seems to be different and not what the programmed setpoint is. What is driving this? I'm sure others will add their experiences but I suggest you try one and see what you think regardless of what you read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4Newbie Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I agree with Controlfouruserguy. The temperature in my house (I have 5 stats) is never accurate anymore. Even after calibration several times, the temperature can be off by several degrees (the actual temperature reading on the stat vs the reading on a thermistor).I am just hoping that when Zigbee Pro is supported by Control4, other thermostat options become available. I love the ability to monitor and control my stats via C4, but hate that the temperature is no longer reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 How are your thermo's set up? Do you have a dedicated common wire and power stealing turned off? Have you tried a temp sensor instead of the on-board thermistor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Dedicated common. Power stealing ON. Are you thinking power-interruption? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Well, if you have a dedicated common wire ran and hooked up, you should be disabling the power stealing feature. That could certainly cause some unwanted behavior from your HVAC unit.If you're not sure if it's dedicated, take out the emergency battery, slide the power stealing switch to off, then re-insert on the mount. If it stays lit, then you have a dedicated common.FWIW, When you get home tonight, take the Thermo off the wall, look on the back and slide the power stealing switch to off. Do a quick test to make sure the unit is properly calling for heat and cool, respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Well, this much I know- off the wall Battery is flashing at me. On the wall-OK. I will certainly check on this wire business in a few hours. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 ^^With the battery out and switch in OFF mode, unit does not power-up when reattached to wall. Is the switch just preventing this or is there some more wiring needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 It sounds like you are indeed using powerstealing and not a dedicated common wire. Powerstealing can cause some erratic behavior on certian HVAC units. Here's a link to some information that I came across in a search of these forums.http://www.jesh.com/powersteal.pdfYou many want to see if it is possible to get a dedicateed common to power your thermostat and see if that fixes the issues you're having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I ran across the resistors over the weekend and almost threw them out. OK, will hook them up. But, if the battery is out and the PS switch is off wouldn't that mean the tstat doesn't power-up on transformer sourcing? It seems that I still have a common in place but I'm I hearing that the common side could come from somewhere else that disturbs power delivery or casuses drop-out under certain conditions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I think I lost you in the last post. It's the powerstealing that will cause drop out from what I've heard. I havent seen any instance in having a dedicated common cause power delivery issues. I could be wrong though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I think I understand. So, next thing for me to do is take off some cover on the FAU and look at the sub-assy where the 4-conductor is attached and just go at it with the resistor. But, in the attachment you gave me it shows a dedicated wire on the com terminal. So is the issue that some installs get the one side of 24 AC from some other place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 At this point, I would get a licensed HVAC guy to help you. We sub-contract an HVAC guy when we do our thermostat installs. Sorry I cant be much more help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 No, you have been great. I certainly don't want influence things if it's an install issue. One thing still bothers me about the stat and that is why the calibration drifts. I re-cal'ed on Sat. and so far, so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoskiguy Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Thank you to everyone for all the great feedback. It was interesting getting all the different perspectives of people that actually live with the C4 thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 My personal opinion would be to get a nice carrier or bryant zone system, and wait for a driver to control that. The zone system they make is killer, cost effective, has nicer thermostats, and I would imagine due to high demand a driver will be developed this year.That is the system I have, and I am holding out for integration that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrader Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 ^^^ I agree completely!Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csmpez Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I sent my two C4 T-Stats back to the dealer... they never worked right. I had a professional HVAC contractor come in and he said (1) they were wired wrong and (2) they wouldn't have worked right anyway because they were defective, even after correctly wired. Regardless, I had the tech reinstalled my two Honeywell TH8320U1008s.Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 After seeing that AMX stat in the other thread, even if they do work well, flash factor is very low. Very un-C4 if you ask me. Not that C4 is flashy but at least give the damn thing a well-lit screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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