Morry Loc: Palm Springs, CA

I have a 7 year old Lennox 2 stage furnace. The fancy thermostat that came with it when new I think will need replacing as it is acting up and unreliable when working. I have looked at some new replacement thermostats (other than Lennox brand) . . . and it is as confusing to pick as is with many other things today. Does anyone have experience and knowledge about this? Thanks for your input!

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

First thing to check...many of these newer thermostats are actually battery-powered. See if that is the case with yours. It might only need a new battery.

Also...depending on your HVAC system, there may be many advanced functions involved...two speed blowers (or variable speed blowers), two speed compressors, safety sequences to avoid fire or explosion hazards, any number of other possibilities. This may not be a do-it-yourself project, and you may not be able to use a generic thermostat successfully. I know that our thermostat installed with a new system about 5 years ago does all sorts of communication with both the furnace/air habdler and the compressor outside. Best to call the original installer on this one.

Laramie Loc: Tempe

There are lots of different thermos available. Do you want a smart one, that sends data home, or a simple one just to turn the furnace up?

Hip Coyote

we have both ecobee and Nest. Nest is a bit easier to use. And now, nest has a thermostat with remote sensors so that you can set temps for other areas of the house rather than just where the thermostat is. We use the connectivity of all thermostats. A very handy feature.

Iron Sight Loc: Utah

Make sure the filter on the furnace doesnt need replacing before blaming the thermostat.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I'm sorry you're having a problem with your furnace but what the heck does this have to do with photography and why is it in the main photography forum?

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

Basic thermostats are all the same. Fans are 2 speed high for air, low for furnace a auto function. The color codes are common, Their easy to replace.

Morry Loc: Palm Springs, CA

Good question. My inclination is to once again have a simple manual thermostat . . . that is very easy to use. My 90 year old mind is isn't as good with complicated stuff as it used to be. However my Lennox furnace is a 2 stage and I found is use that I preferred no to use the program mode, but stick to manual. The furnace when new came with a Lennox "state of the art art" thermo that lasted 7 years and I am reading on the web that Lennox thermostats are a nightmare and to stay away from them. I am led to believe by what I read that all the manual thermostats (all seem to be low priced ones) will not work with 2 stage furnaces. I have read on the internet that programmable thermostats in reality (other than what's advertised) really save only an average of about $50. per year. Considering the "possible" additional trouble the thermostats have . . . the question is are they worth the greater expense? Thank you for your input. I am looking at the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced. It is a 2 stage (smart) thermostat that sells for $169.99 at Amazon. However I have not made up my mind yet. By the way . . . I made an effort to stay out ot the photography group in UHH . . . but did not succeed. Again thank you to those that responded to my plea for advice.

BebuLamar

You have a 2 stage furnace you must have a 2 stage thermostat.

OhioJoe Loc: Columbia Station

Make sure you power off the furnace before you start changing the thermostat.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

It may have been in the main photography section when you first saw it. If so, admin may have moved it because it is in the correct section, which is for anything other than photography.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Usually you can go online & get the manuals for your HVAC unit & thermostat if you don't have them. I did that for my neighbor. It will show the wiring options. The other thing to do if you find it is bad is get the exact replacement & take a picture of the wires or mark them with stick on wire markers & just move them to the new unit.

Real Nikon Lover Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Before you buy a new Ecobee or Nest thermostat you need to check the wiring. Our new HVAC unit had the correct number of wires according to the HVAC engineer. Some of the older units do not have the extra wire required for the wireless feature. Or at least that is what I was told. We love ours as we can control the temperature remotely when away from the house. Comes in handy for our dog when she is home alone.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

As others have said there are many things that could be going on. But your issue if you choose to or have replace the thermostat it is not as simple as some are implying. There may be different numbers of wires between the furnace and controller. The battery powered ones are usually a pain in the ass. When we moved into our home that we previously had been renting out to tenants had a immensely complex array of automatic programs. My wife and I could not figure it out. And after a battery failure it was useless. While we were having a lot of other electrical work done by an electrician we had him replace it with a simple old school elctro-mechanical thermostat. Set the temp over the ambient temperature and it turns on, move it back to the far low end and the system shuts off. In between it cycles on and off and fan on and off. We have no AC in the house, only heat.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

Check other stuff first. Lennox is a pretty good brand, and they are normally reliable.