If you have an
older thermostat that has a
heat anticipator in it then there are some things that you need to know about setting it and what it actually does.
First the
function of the heat anticipator is to fake the thermostat into feeling the
room temperature as hotter than it really is. The heat anticipator is actually a
variable output heater inside your
thermostat. The amount of heat that it actually produces is very, very small. This heat does, however, make a difference in how the room temperature feels to your thermostat.
If no extra heat is made inside the thermostat it will not react quickly enough to shut off the
heating source. This will make the room “overshoot” the set point of the thermostat.
By
heating the thermostat up very slightly it then shuts down the furnace or heat source before it actually reaches the temperature set point. This will allow the left over heat to go into the room and raise the temperature to the set point by the time it is all used up.
If you are experiencing wild
temperature swings or the room temperatures are either not getting to the set point or going over the set point then the heat anticipator either is not adjusted right or it is burnt out and not working at all.
There are a couple of different types of heat anticipators. They will usually look like one of these.
If your
heating is running too long then you will need to adjust the setting to a lower number. If you are not getting enough heat then go to a higher number. All you are changing when you do this is the amount of the heat coil you are using. Make small adjustments to the anticipator and then give it at least a half day before making more adjustments. Small changes can have a big effect if the heat anticipator is working correctly.
You also can set the anticipator by checking the current draw of the system. To do this you need to use an
amp meter and measure the current draw of the heating unit when it is running. Then set the heat anticipator to the corresponding number of the current draw. This will at least get you a good starting point and some fine small adjustment can be made from there.
For more advanced
digital thermostats there are
cycle change features that do what this
heat anticipator does in older thermostats. These often incorporate many things in determining the cycle length of the heating. These thermostats will not have a heat anticipator setting.
Like many things when it comes to
your comfort, all people feel things a bit differently. You need to make the changes to the thermostat so that
YOU feel comfortable. There is no right way it has to be done. Make it work for you and
adjust the thermostat so that you are the most comfortable!
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