Posted 4 December 2023

How many people don’t know how a thermostat work?

I can’t believe how many people at work have no idea how a thermostat works. I have realised recently due to my staff trying to constantly pump the thermostat up when it’s already set to 20 thinking it will speed the process up. They think a higher temperate means the room will heat quicker. They think I’m being tight when I don’t let them up it to like 25 and don’t understand why it won’t make any difference to the time it takes to reach 20. Also we have a room that we might use for an hour or so at a time so need a quick blast of the heating and they will set it to 25 even though it wouldn’t reach 25 if it was on all day! Anyone noticed this with others?
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  1. fgy's avatar
    Never underestimate people's stupidity.
    I live my whole life having to make allowances for this reality.
  2. Roger_Irrelevant's avatar
    They need to teach "basic life skills" as a GCSE subject unfortunately, cos a high proportion of people would appear to be as thick as 🐷 .

    Other modules could be:

    Compound Interest, and why it is important.
    Centrifugal Force: or Why not drive @ 50mph round a tight bend.
    Basic manners.
    slimy31's avatar
    I would say that 'basic manners' should be a parent taught subject rather than GCSE (or maybe it is and that is how people are actually taught!!), but I entirely agree with the whole idea of basic life skills.
  3. HellRazer's avatar
    I mean the comments on HUKD should've prepared you for the folks in work?
    TristanDeCoonha's avatar
    Do you have a link for that?
  4. Moss.b's avatar
    Lol I think I found this out maybe 10 years ago. My brother has no clue. Always see the heating set to 25+. Ours doesn't even reach 22 and struggles to reach 21 on very cold days.
    Payyyyy's avatar
    Mine doesn’t reach 18 unless left on for 4/5 hours!!
  5. AndyRoyd's avatar
    42.
  6. GoodAsGold's avatar
    Traditionally this is true. However, in the age of “smart” boilers using OpenTherm or whatever, the boiler can vary heat output based on how close the room is to the target temperature in order to avoid overshooting the mark. So presumably setting a higher temperature on the thermostat could technically work to heat the place very slightly more quickly in that specific scenario
    HellRazer's avatar
    You're giving people too much credit for even knowing / being aware of this.
  7. bob-mk2's avatar
  8. DealJester's avatar
    Lol
  9. TristanDeCoonha's avatar
    They need to increase the temperature of the water in the boiler if they want the place to warm up quicker. So go check that the settings on that are appropriate, and put a lock on the door
    howarth3's avatar
    Author
    Yes I am aware of this. My point is the amount of people that don’t know
  10. Misslovely's avatar
    On hive it works .
    howarth3's avatar
    Author
    What works?
  11. Willy_Wonka's avatar
    Depends where your thermostat is
  12. aLV426's avatar
    Splendid
  13. slimy31's avatar
    I had a think about this, I wonder whether it's because the only other 'thermostat' they're exposed to is in their own car? As an example in my Skoda if I turn the temperature up further, the air flow increases to get to the requested temperature quicker. If the temperature is only one or two degrees off then it often goes to it's lowest speed.
    Gj9382's avatar
    An identical principle with the car - set it to 20, you get 20. Set it to 25 and it will get to 20 at the same speed as when you set it to 20. It doesn't get to the temperature any quicker unless the car can defy the basic laws of physics (ie, it uses wasted heat from the engine to warm a heater matrix up which a fan then blows air over).

    The amount of friends cars I have been in when they stick the climate on 25 or "Hi" thinking it makes it heat up quicker. It doesn't.
  14. gravy_davey's avatar
    I think a lot of it is psychological. I've worked with people who installed thermostats and would often complain about office workers turning up the thermostat (or TVR's) to then call them out complaining its too hot. However I've then seen them do the same same dang thing!
  15. plebbygiraffe's avatar
    They wouldn't touch it if they weren't cold. Sounds like you need to set it to come on earlier so that the space is to temperature at the start of the day.
    howarth3's avatar
    Author
    The heating comes on 1 hour before my staff arrive and 2 hours before we open to the public. By the time the staff arrive it’s usually 18+ depending on outside temp but they can’t help wanting to increase the thermostat thinking it will speed the heating process up
  16. King65's avatar
    My nephews wife turns their thermostat up and then he turns it down on his mobile app!
  17. Somersett's avatar
    I don't think I've ever read anything so stupid. IF the heating system is capable and efficient, of course setting it to 25c will cause it to reach 20c faster than if the dial is set to 20c. I mean, you'd literally need a room temperature IQ not to understand this.

    If, on the other hand, the heating system is not capable, then it's anyone's guess how it will; behave- or actually one would need to experiment with it to discover its actual capabilities.

    Why would setting to 25 work better for rapid 20 temps? Because of overshoot. A modern heating system will attempt a heating curve without overshoot. So setting initially to 25 will have a more linear heating graph to 20, since the overshoot tail off will occur for 25. Simple maths. Now setting to 25, and switching the thermostat back to 20 once 20 is reached will have initial overshoot over 20, of course, but the happy peeps will prefer an over temp gradually reducing to 20 than an under temp gradually increasing to 20.

    Problem is, too many people in this country are thick as a brick, yet think they understand everything- thanks to a lousy education system.
    jon81uk's avatar
    Only modern digital thermostats do that. Older mechanical ones are either on or off and turning it up higher won't make it heat any quicker.
  18. themachman's avatar
    Common sense is severely lacking these days I'm afraid
    sykoactiv8d's avatar
    Sense isn't common
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