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Old 09-05-2012, 11:00 PM   #1
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Digital to Analog Thermostat Mod

Change from Digital to Analog Thermostat.
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Old 08-09-2013, 05:15 PM   #2
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I would also like to change to a digital stat, but there appears to be a lot of confusion as to where the fan and ground wires go.I have looked on this site and on U tube and some say to connect the red wire (7.5V input) to the jumper RhRc terminal while others put the green ground to this terminal.Also the wire colour codes appear to have changed a little over the years. I guess I will have to spend the extra and purchase a stat that is for RV only.
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Old 08-09-2013, 05:32 PM   #3
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I replaced the analog thermostat in my previous 5th-wheel (Jayco Designer) with a digital one I purchased for about $20 at Walmart. The thermostat itself was powered by its own batteries (2 AA cells if I remember well). I just followed the directions and it all worked fine for controlling both the furnace and AC. The only issue I remember is that since the new thermostat had no switch for fan speed, you had to pick the speed you liked and that was always the speed used. Before doing this, I was told by a Camping World guy that you had to use a special thermostat and that there might be mods required to the AC unit itself. He wanted well over $200 to do the job.

Maybe I was just lucky, but it's food for thought!
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Old 08-10-2013, 02:56 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinmiles View Post
I replaced the analog thermostat in my previous 5th-wheel (Jayco Designer) with a digital one I purchased for about $20 at Walmart. The thermostat itself was powered by its own batteries (2 AA cells if I remember well). I just followed the directions and it all worked fine for controlling both the furnace and AC. The only issue I remember is that since the new thermostat had no switch for fan speed, you had to pick the speed you liked and that was always the speed used. Before doing this, I was told by a Camping World guy that you had to use a special thermostat and that there might be mods required to the AC unit itself. He wanted well over $200 to do the job.

Maybe I was just lucky, but it's food for thought!
So you're saying the new thermostat is wired the same as the RVs wiring system? Pretty much like a residential home is set up? Interesting. You might have been lucky. There really isn't that much demand for this change, so it'll be next to impossible to know how this mod would play out on other rigs.

Food for thought.
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Old 08-10-2013, 12:28 PM   #5
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You could be right, but for about $20 it might be worth trying. Also, Walmart is very good at refunding if your purchase doesn't work for you. In my case you could pretty much tell if the wiring set-up was going to work just by comparing the wires attached to the old thermostat to the connections on the new one. Good luck if you decide to try it!
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Old 08-10-2013, 02:24 PM   #6
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I'll have to check on the Dometic unit. If it works ok, I'll probably leave it alone. But if I find a reason to upgrade, yea buddy, I'll be looking into something fancier, faster, more efficient. sleeker, more polished, higher tech, and certainly more excellent. If such a thing exists.

How about an old analog unit with a dial much like the old rotary phones? That would be pretty cool, right?
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Old 08-10-2013, 02:50 PM   #7
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The voltage on the Honeywell stats are 24V The feed wire on the Dometic is 7.5V, and of course the RV is only 12 V when running on battery.Even the new Dometic Digital say they are 12V, I wonder if this is a separate feed back to the stat from the Furnace and A/C ?
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Old 08-10-2013, 03:00 PM   #8
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Direct current is very interesting. Many devices designed to operate on DC have operating ranges, depending on the sensitivity of the electronics. Maybe that 7.5V feed wire rated at that because it's the minimum voltage required for operation.

As voltage drops under load, many systems would shut off completely if they would only work at 12 volts. Yet they continue to operate as voltage declines, to a certain point. Motors turn more slowly, for example. Of course they don't have electronic circuits, but motors can be controlled by electronic controllers that are affected by voltage and current.

I find all of this electricity and electronic stuff very fascinating.
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Old 08-10-2013, 07:54 PM   #9
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..... all true, but note that the thermostat I installed was powered by its own batteries and hence was independent of any feed from the RV. I wish I could remember what make it was. All I can say is that it was bought at Walmart and you could have either a programmable or non-programmable version. Mine was the non-programmable one.
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Old 08-10-2013, 08:03 PM   #10
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All the battery does is power the digital display, thats why they last so long.The furnace reduces the voltage and feeds it back to the thermostat.
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Old 05-17-2014, 03:04 PM   #11
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Finally solved this puzzle, I was able to find a Hunter stat, The wiring goes this way.Brown to g terminal, white to white, yellow to yellow, Green to RH, Jump RH to RC. There is only one fan speed, but what a difference! No more waking up hot or cold at night.
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