Ain’t Technology Grand!
I am not a
complete fuddy-duddy about technology. I
love computers, I love the internet, I love GPS, I even like Facebook. Cable TV is spectacular, automatic stuff on
cars and ABS brakes…GREAT. However,
everything technological is not a plus.
With our
recent HVAC upgrade, we got a new high-tech thermostat. This baby hooks up to the internet and you
can adjust it where ever you are from your phone. You can
set it to adjust to different temperatures in four different time periods. It will be 70 in the evening, drop to 60 at
night while you sleep, come up to 70 in the morning, then drop to 60 while you
are at work, and come back to 70 by the time you come home from work. Terrific stuff.
Except.
We don’t
leave the house at any specific times during the day. We don’t have any specific night time, or
time we get up in the morning. We are
not on any schedule and do not want our home temperature on a schedule.
The
installer asked how we wanted the thermostat set and I told him I just wanted
to manually change the temperature from time to time and did not need to do it
by phone.
I am sure
there is an argument to be made for saving money with varying settings. I don’t want to do that. I think you use lots of energy getting the
temperature up from 60 two times a day and it is just as efficient to leave it
at one preferred temperature. Don’t
waste your breath telling me otherwise, I don’t care. I am old and stubborn and
can afford the extra $14.78 a month I might be wasting with my prehistoric thinking.
So, the
technician left with the thermostat set to 70.
Around 5 am
in the morning Mrs. C woke me.
“Why is it so cold.”
“Shouldn’t be, the thermostat is set
to 70.”
“Check it.”
It was at 60
degrees.
After some
research it was determined that the thermostat was factory set for four
different times and even has different settings on the weekend.
“Crap, I only wanted it like the old
one, I told them I didn’t need any program functions.”
The
directions they left us were only for setting up internet phone access. Apparently, it is easy to adjust with the
phone once you set up that function. I did not want that function, but the
directions did not explain how to turn off the program at the thermostat it
only explained how to use the phone setup.
I found
instructions on the internet, but only for a similar model. They almost worked except when we had to push
the “set” button which did not exist
on our model.
“CRAP!”
Between the
two of us and much cursing and button pushing we managed to disable the program
settings and it is now firmly fixed to manual.
If we had to
do that again, neither of us knows what the heck we did, so we will be calling
the HVAC company for detailed instructions.
Anyone remember
when things were simple?
Are you copying me or am I copying you...lol. Only last week I had a similar problem and it wasn't me who caused it.The guy who came to fix the heating system was in more of a muddle than I was. He got it all wrong. In the end I went to manual settings. I'm glad you were able to sort it out.
ReplyDeleteI do. My previous system was brilliant. I could program it, override it or have it on low all the time or off in the summer.
ReplyDeleteWe've never figured out the real way to use ours, but have managed to get it so that we can manually adjust temps as we want.
ReplyDeleteThe programmable settings don't work for us either now that we're retired...we simply use the override system....68 F through the day and 66F overnight.....if I know we will be out fo rmuch of the day I just leave it at the night time setting. Sometimes you just need to think for yourself you know? Technology is numbing our brains.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we have the same brand but slightly dummer version. The 'HOLD' function is what you want, that keeps it at your desired setting for as long as it's set. We live in an old converted one-room school house that is only mostly insulated so we save tons by using set-back but Queenie would opt as you do, to not set it back ever' if we were but a bit richer .....
ReplyDeleteThey offered us a new thermostat when they installed our heat pump last week and we declined. We don't like our thermostat, but we know it.
ReplyDeleteI remember those on and off switches and the up or down. Now it's very difficult. New cars are a real learning curve too. Keeps us entertained and sometimes not in a good way.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
They should put a switch on all new stuff: "Old People Settings" or Millennial Settings".
DeleteOur son who lives in Montana has a setup like this, while we were visiting Cindy adjusted the temperature down on his thermostat because she was getting hot, next thing we knew the temperature adjusted back to a higher one, We figured out how to shut it off and in a while it came back on and adjusted to a different temp...long story short our son was sitting at work adjusting the temperature on his phone. Like you I prefer the old thermostats where you can just set it where you want it.
ReplyDeleteIt took us a while to figure out how to set ours manually. I'm right there with you buddy – we're not all 20 year olds. Tech companies should have an Old Fart button.
ReplyDeleteR
Might be age or it might be our just being able to walk to the thermostat and use a talented finger to select the desired temperature for that moment. Mine too has all the bells and whistles which I ignore. I no longer live on a schedule driven by a work schedule. I enjoy a little spontaneity.
ReplyDeleteSounds like our sprinkler system. Factory set to go off when the factory thought it should go. Was not working with our city water restrictions and at times, it would go off in the middle of the day on a day there was no watering. We'd get dirty looks from the neighbors. We still have not figured the stupid thing out so we have to do it manually, which is ridiculous. One of the conveniences of a sprinkler system is for itto water when you can't. Too stubborn to call a gardener...
ReplyDeleteYes, i remember when the TV had a couple of knobs and you got up and turned them. Much easier than watching Grandma juggle two remotes and fuss when nothing works.
ReplyDelete"Nest" thermostats do the same thing. They say it gets TWO THUMBS UP by 99% of those who have one. Guess who the other 1% is? :)
ReplyDeleteComputers were brought into our lives to make them simpler. Maybe it was just to make us simple.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Everyone knows that I'm a technology simpleton...but even Hick had trouble with our new thermostat, and he worked on stuff like that his whole career. Took him about a month to get our thermostat off the program we had told the technician we didn't want.
ReplyDeleteWhen you buy a system such as that, don't pay for it until it works the way you want it to work.
ReplyDeletePaul L. Quandt
i really miss those days when there was no electricity and families of village gathered as community and had chattings til late nights
ReplyDeletesharing was the fun and great entertainment
few months back i don't know what button was touched on remote our t.v turned into a simple radio
there was no t.v channel only fm channels from all over the world and we were worried that what is went wrong or will it be fixed
hubby had to run to the store in main city area and asked the shopkeeper who sold us that remote (second we bought when first was broken by guest child)
he showed that we pressed the certain button due to which the code was changed
what the heck why the code is needed to put here in remote
I'm old enough to remember adjusting the heat in the house this way: if it's too cold, you fire up the wood stove. If it's too warm, you let the fire go out.
ReplyDelete