Do I need the fancy and expensive "RV" thermostat?

[hbidlack]

My apologies if this has often been asked and answered, I didn't see a thread on this directly, my apologies if I missed it.

We have a two year old Coachmen Clipper 17 FQ, and we love it. I've tweaked a few things (added USB, etc), but we still have the very inaccurate and dumb "slide" type thermostat that came with the trailer. We only run heat off of it, as the AC is in the ceiling (we haven't actually used the AC yet, as we only boondock)

My question is: what type of digital thermostat can I install? In my home, I've done several, with two and four wire set ups.

I've been told completely opposite things by people I think are smart. I was told that I must spend the roughly $150 the dealer wants to put in a "RV" thermostat. My dealer would be happy to sell me one.

I've also been told that I can use a commercially available "home" unit, because it is not actually 110v in the system, but rather 12 or 24 volt.

So, I ask you wise folks, what is correct? Can I use a simple digital thermostat? How can I tell which kind are ok to use?

Or do I have to spend the bucks to have a pure and true RV thermostat? Again, only heat from the gas furnace.

Thank you and I really appreciate the help!

Hal b

[aeblank]

Dealer prices are usually insane, but....

Home thermostats are 24V AC.
You need a 12V DC or totally battery.

I want a 12v wifi, but they don't seem to exist.

[donniedu]

Check first. If you have a basic 5 wire setup then there are several to choose from. I installed a battery operated Hunter Douglas that works great. Change two AA batteries once a year is nothing to me. There are several online instructions for adding a basic digital thermostat. Most are setup to operate the AC too, but its pretty easy to do without that feature. BTW I paid about 25 dollars the the thermostst. What you want is one that operstes off a couple of AA batteries. Home thermostats are as I remember 24 volts AC, so will not work on a 12VDC system.

[Jay2504]

I take it that the AC controls are on the the AC unit on the ceiling. If that is the case the unit you have a 2wire thermostat. The easy way to tell is to pull off the cover and look at how many wires are hooked up. If it’s just 2 wires any digital thermostat that is heat only, and uses batteries (usually AA) will work. Why not pull off the cover and post up a picture. Jay

[bikendan]

Most replace it with a battery operated Hunter or Honeywell digital t-stat.
I got mine at Walmart on clearance for $14.

There are a number of internet instructions or videos on changing them out.

[DavidBo]

My A/C is a Coleman Mach unit, and my MiniLite also came with that crappy analog thermostat. I usually camp in the South with hookups so air conditioning is a must, and the original 'stat would either freeze you out or let you swelter. I did a wire-for-wire replacement with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-83303...+rv+thermostat

Not the cheapest but worth every penny and the swap was effortless. I did try it with the furnace during a rare cold snap, and the inside temperature never varied more than a few degrees just like with the A/C. Worth a look if you have the same setup.

[WFD]

Originally Posted by DavidBo

My A/C is a Coleman Mach unit, and my MiniLite also came with that crappy analog thermostat. I usually camp in the South with hookups so air conditioning is a must, and the original 'stat would either freeze you out or let you swelter. I did a wire-for-wire replacement with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-83303...+rv+thermostat

Not the cheapest but worth every penny and the swap was effortless. I did try it with the furnace during a rare cold snap, and the inside temperature never varied more than a few degrees just like with the A/C. Worth a look if you have the same setup.

I have bought the exact one mentioned in this post twice and replaced the crappy stat in our last 2 trailers. Not sure if yours is the Coleman Mach or not...but I also bought them on Amazon...best price I found at $55. As mentioned was a very easy swap, and made a big difference. One thing I did, and this was mentioned in another thread last week...was I added some insulation in the big hole behind the stat. Those walls can trap some heat in summer and cold air in spring and fall, and could lead to the stat getting an inaccurate reading of the room temp just from the air temp coming from that wall.

[Fluffywhitedogs]

This is what I put in my Clipper 17Bh. Super easy mod.

Honeywell TH1100DV1000/U PRO 1000 Non-Programmable Thermostat - Heat Only - White

[MacGumbo]

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...t-98522-2.html

[Mrpsyko]

What brand of ac do you have ? I installed a $17 Honeywell battery powered thermostat in my 2012 microliter with the Coleman Mach thermostat. And recently in stalled a Lux digital in my new super lite. It also had the Coleman Mach thermostat. Look in forming for threads with directions.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by Fluffywhitedogs

This is what I put in my Clipper 17Bh. Super easy mod.

Honeywell TH1100DV1000/U PRO 1000 Non-Programmable Thermostat - Heat Only - White

Attachment 161285

X2. Great choice for a heat only replacement.

[jtesta1]

You don't have to have an expensive thermostat, but would advise you to have a digital one. Much mo re accurate.

[Decon Blue]

Originally Posted by Fluffywhitedogs

This is what I put in my Clipper 17Bh. Super easy mod.

Honeywell TH1100DV1000/U PRO 1000 Non-Programmable Thermostat - Heat Only - White

Attachment 161285

I installed that exact one in my previous RV, although it walked fine it would constantly run furnace more often. Variation was only about 1-2 degrees and then furnace would kick back on. Seemed to run a lot more but living in Florida it was not a huge deal.

[Rich5117]

There may be an adjustment you can make on your analog thermostat. It is called a heat anticipator, some models had it some do not. This adjustment is just for what is occurring it narrows the temperature the unit shuts off at. A model number would be good if you can get it.

[SailorSam20500]

Had a Coleman Mach analog. Put in the Coleman Mach digital. Was a wire for wire replacement - easy peasy to do. Has worked perfectly. Temp is a lot more stable.

Note that home style thermostats don't have the high/lo switch on them. If you like having that control, you would have to add a switch to control it. There are threads on this forum that show it being done.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by aeblank

Dealer prices are usually insane, but....

Home thermostats are 24V AC.
You need a 12V DC or totally battery.

I want a 12v wifi, but they don't seem to exist.

Maybe a little thread drift here? When you say "12v wifi" what does that mean. WiFi router or something else.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by emm-dee

Maybe a little thread drift here? When you say "12v wifi" what does that mean. WiFi router or something else.

A wifi thermostat that'll run in the camper.

They have 12v thermostats.
They have wifi thermostats.
They don't have 12v wifi thermostats.

I mean, of course you need to be able to turn in the AC on with your phone on your way back to camp after being out all day.

[Schwartzworld]

Originally Posted by aeblank

A wifi thermostat that'll run in the camper.

They have 12v thermostats.
They have wifi thermostats.
They don't have 12v wifi thermostats.

I mean, of course you need to be able to turn in the AC on with your phone on your way back to camp after being out all day.

Why couldn't you just put in a standard 110 to 24 volt AC transformer? That would give you the correct voltage for any WIFI thermostat.

The wiring after that is a mystery to me. I have the Dometic thermostat that is supposedly not upgradeable.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by Schwartzworld

Why couldn't you just put in a standard 110 to 24 volt AC transformer? That would give you the correct voltage for any WIFI thermostat.

The wiring after that is a mystery to me. I have the Dometic thermostat that is supposedly not upgradeable.

Not having 110v power is the primary reason. Though I suppose a 12vdc to 24vac may exist, but it'd be a power suck.

I have wondered if a household thermostat would run on 12vdc, but way way too busy to try. Electronics often have a huge variance in power input. Honeywell tech support is not very techy and said 24vac is required.

And yeah, there's a billion wires in there. Way more than it seems should be necessary.

[Schwartzworld]

Originally Posted by aeblank

Not having 110v power is the primary reason. Though I suppose a 12vdc to 24vac may exist, but it'd be a power suck.

I have wondered if a household thermostat would run on 12vdc, but way way too busy to try. Electronics often have a huge variance in power input. Honeywell tech support is not very techy and said 24vac is required.

And yeah, there's a billion wires in there. Way more than it seems should be necessary.

A very small and compact inverter would be cheaper than trying to convert 12 volt DC to 24 volt AC.