Thermostat

Local150

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
798
Location
prophetstown
Can a " smart thermostat " be put in my 5th wheel ? I have one at home and love it. No doubt it wouldn't get used as much as the 1 at home, love it I can watch temp in my home and run it up or down etc. Just curios
 
Can a " smart thermostat " be put in my 5th wheel ? I have one at home and love it. No doubt it wouldn't get used as much as the 1 at home, love it I can watch temp in my home and run it up or down etc. Just curios

For a direct replacement, the biggest issue is finding a 12v “smart thermostat”…. and even then it would depend on multiple issues:

- how many a/c units does your rig have?

- do any of them also have built-in heat strips?

- if you have multiple units, do you want them zoned for each area?

- is your rig permanently situated (mobile home use), or do you travel with it?

- do you have constant, reliable WiFi?​

…and probably a few other things I haven’t mentioned.

The thermostat in you house is powered by 110ac… whereas the one in your RV is 12v dc, so you can use it on the road. And although there are what I’ll call ‘smarter thermostats’ for RVs, they usually don’t have WiFi capability to be able to adjust them from remote locations. At least, not yet.

Of course, if you only use your RV as a mobile home… and it’s permanently set up in one place… I’m sure some smart electrician or HVAC tech could probably install a household model, and/or modify the necessary wiring to support it. Just depends on how much money you wanna spend.
 
…The thermostat in you house is powered by 110ac… whereas the one in your RV is 12v dc, so you can use it on the road...

I’ve been notified that my statement here may not be entirely correct in re 110ac… as I guess there are other voltages and/or currents that may be used.

What I meant to imply is that most of the ones I’m familiar with run off of AC power in your home… and most of those I’ve seen used in RVs are run via DC power.
 
Most (keyword most) home thermostats are powered by 24 volts DC. A common exception is electric baseboard heaters that are 110 volts AC. All your other points about multiple units and heat strips are well taken. RV heating and cooling controls are very different from residential controls.
 
Most (keyword most) home thermostats are powered by 24 volts DC. A common exception is electric baseboard heaters that are 110 volts AC. All your other points about multiple units and heat strips are well taken. RV heating and cooling controls are very different from residential controls.

Paul! Where you been? ;-helo-:

Haven’t seen you post in ages, and was wondering if you still had your rig. Glad to see you’re still around.
 
Paul! Where you been? ;-helo-:

Haven’t seen you post in ages, and was wondering if you still had your rig. Glad to see you’re still around.

Hi Tom, Still have our rig. Spending the winter up north, at home base. Go figure. Will head out to FL in the spring.

I don't spend a lot of time in online forums anymore, they tend to become a time suck. I happened to see your post in an email summary so I checked in.

Hope all is well with you.
Paul
 
Yep, doing good. I’m spending the winter “up north” too, here in Wyoming.

Ended my full-time RV life at the end of last summer. Still got my rig too, but I’ve settled into a house up here in Cody… with a nice size garage that I’m in the process of turning into a decent motorcycle workshop. Since the closest BMW dealer is over 7 hours away in South Dakota, I’ve got my table-lift, No-Mar tire changer, and most of the other shop tools needed to do most maintenance and/or repair jobs for anyone who comes to ride Yellowstone, the Beartooth, or the new Wyoming BDR that’s being introduced next month.

752DC554-9B40-4A21-896A-9C6555E25C89.jpg

Sure miss riding with you & the other Backroads gang. Maybe you can convince Brian & Shira to bring one of their rallies out here. :)

Ok, guess this is way off-topic, so I’d better stop. C’mon back out here if you get a chance!
 
I’ve been notified that my statement here may not be entirely correct in re 110ac… as I guess there are other voltages and/or currents that may be used.

What I meant to imply is that most of the ones I’m familiar with run off of AC power in your home… and most of those I’ve seen used in RVs are run via DC power.

Household thermostats don't run off 110V AC, they are all run off a low volt DC tap from the HVAC, mostly 5volts.
 
One incorrect word Tom, just one word.

Hey, I’ve said it before… I’m no electrician. :LOL: I’m far more mechanically inclined than electrically.

The problem is that I know just enough to be dangerous… and sometimes, even what I thought I knew turns out to be wrong. :-sad-
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top