Programmable Thermostat

[Fattman-Litlboy]

Has anyone replaced their thermostat with a programmable one?

[DoggieDaddy]

The thermostat in the coach is very complex because it operates so many things. I doubt that they make one that you can program times in also. I've had to reprogram ours because a dealer screwed it up. It's complicated.

[hogdriver]

I agree. I don't think it's possible unless you gut the thermostat's function and replace it with two or three others. IMHO trying to put a programmable thermostat in, which would make an already complicated control worse, is not a good idea.

[Knightab]

I have replaced mine, I found nothing to it. The only option you don't have is high and low speed on the AC, you can pick which one you want and connect it or just install a switch.

[hogdriver]

Originally Posted by Knightab

I have replaced mine, I found nothing to it. The only option you don't have is high and low speed on the AC, you can pick which one you want and connect it or just install a switch.

Thanks for the input but a Thor thermostat and the one in the Entegras are nothing alike. Entegras use a RV Comfort thermostat that control three AC units, three heat pumps, four floor heat zones, a Aqua Hot gas boiler, an electric element.

[Knightab]

Originally Posted by hogdriver

Thanks for the input but a Thor thermostat and the one in the Entegras are nothing alike. Entegras use a RV Comfort thermostat that control three AC units, three heat pumps, four floor heat zones, a Aqua Hot gas boiler, an electric element.

Ahhh, ok, sorry about that. :-/

[shiggs68]

The correct answer to the original question is it depends on what style current thermostat you have.

If the older style RV thermostat, then yes it can be replaced with a standard S&B house thermostat except for controlling the fan speed. There are many YouTube and other online references to help with the effort.

The other case is the Dometic Comfort Control style thermostat. These are not possible to replace without replacement of the control board inside each Air Conditioner. This style uses a daisy-chained digital link (telephone style cable) between the thermostat and each controlled unit.

Hope this helps

Maybe, if you post a picture or the make/model of your difficult thermostat, people here can help you better understand how to operate it.


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum
TravellingRVDoctor, LLC

[Gary.Jones]

Everyone should ideally mention the specific type of equipment that they are talking about and those providing information should carefully examine what equipment is being commented on. A detailed signature line for every post goes a long way to avoiding problems, but if for some reason you don't want a signature line that specifies your coach, model, year, then describing all of that in the post itself is a great idea, but responders have an equal responsibility to make sure that their advice is for the specific equipment under discussion. I appreciate all responses but hope that it is specific to the question and equipment asked.

Gary

[MRUSA14]

Yes, this is one of my pet peeves. This is an ENTEGRA forum and the questions pertain to Entegra coaches. Many people respond with information that may be correct for their brand but not for an Entegra which is often equipped differently. Therefore the reply while well intentioned, is actually confusing and misleading. I wish people would not respond at all when the question is about a different coach, but if they do, they should definately identify their coach and its systems which are often very different from the coaches that most of us on this forum have.

[Cruzer]

I see replies from owners of other brands quite often on this forum. That means that others are interested in Entegras, which is good. However, advice from others who are not familiar with Entegra can be misleading so anyone using the forum does need to be careful about what they are reading. Actually, I have found some of the responses funny.

The OP states they have a 2015 Entegra in their signature. Anyone familiar with Entegras knows what kind of thermostat they all use. Hogdriver pretty much explained it and gave the best answer.

I would add that the other limiting factor is that the thermostat has remote temperature sensors that interface with the thermostat based upon varying resistance readings. Any brand X thermostat would undoubtedly not be able to communicate accurately with the existing sensors.

[whem2fish]

Google mod my Rv.com a article there

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Fattman-Litlboy

Has anyone replaced their thermostat with a programmable one?

Originally Posted by DoggieDaddy

The thermostat in the coach is very complex because it operates so many things. I doubt that they make one that you can program times in also. I've had to reprogram ours because a dealer screwed it up. It's complicated.

Fattman-Litlboy
The thermostat in my coach controls ONLY the Suberban SF-42F propane furnace.

6 years ago I replaced the original thermostat with this "programmable thermostat".. (which works perfectly with my furnace):
Shop Honeywell 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat at Lowes.com

As others have stated it may be impossible to find a "time programmable thermostat" to work with the more complicated heating/cooling system in your coach.

Mel
'96 Safari

[voltdoc]

Originally Posted by Fattman-Litlboy

Has anyone replaced their thermostat with a programmable one?

Yes, and no. No need to replace the thermostat, just add a plug and play module that makes it considerably more useful.

As a pre-production, and non-affiliated, beta tester of a future third party automation product, I have recently been educated regarding some technical details regarding the thermostat system that Coleman/RVP/Airxcel uses on the MACH 8 A/C units found in our Entegra's (also found in newer Tiffin's, Winnebago's and many other late model coaches).

Without getting into specifics, I can tell you the Coleman/RVP/Airxcel RVcomfort thermostat communicates to controller hardware/software, which is located in the AC units themselves, via a proprietary communications method.

You will NOT be able to take an off the shelf home or commercial style thermostat and make it run the MACH 8's. Period.

But right now I can and do control my MACH 8 thermostat from anywhere via the internet. Either on the coach or 1000 miles away. Intelligent programability will definitely be an option down the road as well as many other capabilities beyond heat and cool. You can't purchase it just yet, but I and several others that have joined the beta program should be receiving production hardware to test in the near future.

Please note, I absolutely have no commercial interest in this add-on product but I just love the capabilities I have seen so far.

[roadrunning]

Ok i must be missing something my early 2013 has a programmable thermostat. Maybe your looking for something more or they changed them later.