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Hey phabib, I didn’t notice it was you. I’m your neighbor across the street (have met your wife and sons but not you yet). I’m pretty sure the Honeywell unit you got will be perfect, and that the button cell battery is only for powerfail backup.
I bought the Honeywell RTH6580WF which has no battery but relies on the C wire from the thermostat for power.
I believe, though I may be wrong, that the 8580 ALSO uses the C wire for power, and that the battery is only for backup in case of power failure. So I would guess that the 8580 is better than the 6580 that I installed.
Today, I set it up to email me when the cabin temp drops below 40. While doing that, I also saw that I can allow others to view the thermostat settings (i.e. the rental company that helps manage things) if I wish.
Regarding everik’s post about the Ecobee allowing you to set a password. I DO have to log into the Honeywell website to monitor and control the thermostat with a password. Now that I’ve changed the settings so the thermostat is ‘dumb’, I do not believe anyone can change them on the thermostat itself, unless they read the User’s Manual and know the special ‘secret’ multiple-button-push and code settings to re-set it.
The Ecobee controller allows you to set a password so that someone can’t change the settings. Maybe the Honeywell has the same.
Which model did you get? I got a Honeywell Wifi which I’m planning to install on my next trip up, but I think it uses a button cell battery for something and if I can avoid a battery to replace I’d be that much happier.
Thanks.
Couple of more things about the thermostat that I discovered…
You can change the settings to use all or some of the features. One of the problems I had with the old thermostat was that guests would (purposely or accidentally) put it in program mode or change settings that I didn’t want. So I set the new thermostat up to be very ‘dumb’ and a lot of the setting choices disappeared from the screen! So now, you can only turn the heat on and off, and lower or raise the temperature setting by using the arrow keys. They cannot mess up the fan setting or hold setting. So although it’s a very fancy thermostat, it currently is limited in what it can do, which is perfect.
We use Don Dozier at the Rec Center. He’s got a listing on our web site at http://www.bigtreesvillage.org in Resources under the Community Info tab.
FedEx has a shipping method called “SmartPost” and UPS has a similar method called “UPS Basic.” They ship the package to your local post office and USPS takes it from there. Both methods are slow. I have Amazon Prime and get free two day delivery on most items. Most come via UPS but some are via FedEx to my front door.
I don’t think you need to be up here for a substantial part of the year to get a PO box, but keep in mind someone should check your PO box occasionally for junk mail. We had a PO box before we were full time to register our vehicles up here.
On a number of occasions I have had Amazon ship via fedex and fedex dropped the package at the Arnold post office. Apparently fedex and USPS have some sort of deal for last-leg delivery. I’d guess that would fail if you didn’t have a P.O. box on your zip.
Allen, I do not believe P.O. boxes are available to people who do not live up here for a substantial part of the year.
So I was the one who originally posted, thanks for everyone’s input. Thought I’d post my results.
I decided on a Wi-Fi thermostat instead of a phone line one. If power’s out, the furnace is not going to be turning on anyway. I liked the feature of being notified via email if the temperature is more than x or less than y.
I ended up getting a Honeywell, mainly because it was recommended by Mike at EPG. I got the RTH6580WF at Home Depot for $120 and installed it today while I was up visiting. It was not as easy as I had hoped, since the original thermostat did not have a C wire hooked up. So I had to squat down under the cabin to strip and hook up an extra wire in the furnace. A couple of hiccups along the way, but eventually everything worked. Not bad for a 59 yr old lady!
This model does not use batteries, power comes from the C wire. The lowest setting is 40 degrees. Wi-fi hookup and registration was very easy. The control panel on the web browser is clear and simple to use. It shows the current temperature setting, the inside temperature, and the outside temperature (from a weather source), and you can control/change everything from the browser.
I feel so much better now, knowing that I can check on the temperature and furnace from home, after the guests or cleaners leave, to make sure they set it correctly, or if not, re-set it from home!
BTW, I order almost everything from Amazon. Never had a problem. Sometimes other websites INSIST you live in Arnold because of the ZIP code. Just click OK. You’ll get it anyway.
You need to get a PO Box or have it delivered to:
Grandmother
c/o Whoever
PO Box Whatever (Whoever’s PO box)
Camp Connell, CA.PO Boxes are free if you own a place up here.
As for the Camp Connell store deliveries, check your tracking number and if it says signed for by D Manning, that’s Donna at the CC store.
I think UPS and FedEx have some temporary drivers for the holiday season. They’ve never driven in snow or ice. Our regular UPS or FedEx delivery guy almost never misses a delivery to our house.
mtndad – we don’t have a PObox, thus the potential issue if Amazon sends via USPS.
Joe – when comcast mailed our first bills to CampConnell, Paula simply sent them back as undeliverable, which was fine with us – we’d told comcast to ebill us, anyway 🙂
Maybe Gramma needs to shop somewhere where she can pick shipping method… or should turn back time and plan ahead a little better 🙂 bah humbug
