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I have this digital thermostat controlling my heater (gas).

When I turn it on to lets say 66 deg, and the house is at 60, the HVAC will start working of course.

Problem: After few minutes, the thermostat goes dead as if there is no electricity to it. The HVAC will continue working by the way. After a few more minutes, it goes back to life as if nothing happened. That will keep happening as long as the HVAC is working.

  • It never happens that I go to the thermostat and it is "dead" if the HVAC is not working
  • I thought the first time it was dead, that the breaker jumped. I went to check and of course it didn't. I say of course because I just said that it will come back to life by itself after few minutes.

What is going on?

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1 Answer

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Sounds like a problem with the thermostat itself. Try replacing the batteries - and make sure you're using alkaline or NiMH batteries -- not "Heavy duty" (which drop off slowly, and are not good for electronics - or anything, really).

If the batteries are good, you likely have a defective thermostat. See if they'll replace it on warranty (quick reading of the 1 star reviews on amazon say this can be a hassle) or buy a new one.

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There is a battery. I took it out once it dies and did not replace it since "under normal operation, there should not be any need to draw energy from the battery". Battery is there only for a case of power failure. – csmba Feb 8 '11 at 7:41
I am guessing that is the problem then -- replace the batteries. Your furnace is probably not supplying constant power to it like it's expecting (which may be a problem with the furnace control board, or it may just not be designed to supply power constantly). I didn't realize there were thermostats that used that power, every digital one I've used required batteries to work at all. – gregmac Feb 8 '11 at 16:43

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