I'm not sure that I wrote about the following subject before. At the time that it all occurred, I wasn't very pleased with myself concerning this whole affair. That is most likely the reason I left it out.
I have a ceramic wall heater in the bathroom. That is the main source of heat since I removed the radiator. I wanted to connect the heater to a programmable digital thermostat. In that way, I could have the heat come on in the morning automatically and have the room nice and toasty when we go in for a shower.
So I went to "The Depot" and bought the heater and the thermostat. I followed the instructions and got it all wired up. I hit the breaker to turn on the power and went upstairs. I immediately noticed this burning smell before I even entered the bathroom. I knelt down to the heater and couldn't see any problems there. I stood up and caught a glimpse of smoke streaming from the thermostat.
I tore down to the basement as fast as I could to shut off the breaker but by then, the damage was done. The thermostat was FRIED!
What bothers me most about this incident is that I should have figured it out before I ruined a $50.00 thermostat. I knew in the back of my head that I was putting too much voltage through it. That information never managed to make it to the front of my head.
Anyway, yesterday I returned to "The Depot" and scrutinized the collection of thermostats they had on hand. I finally found one that would take the 120 volts. I found it, bought it, wired it, and with trepidation, powered it up.
Fortunately for my checkbook, it worked.
So another hurdle has been crossed as we continue toward the far off finish line of completing the upstairs bathroom.
Just as a reminder, we started the bathroom remodel on July 10th. Today is October 10th. That's three months...or a month and a half longer than I was hoping. But of course, I am not surprised.
I have a ceramic wall heater in the bathroom. That is the main source of heat since I removed the radiator. I wanted to connect the heater to a programmable digital thermostat. In that way, I could have the heat come on in the morning automatically and have the room nice and toasty when we go in for a shower.
So I went to "The Depot" and bought the heater and the thermostat. I followed the instructions and got it all wired up. I hit the breaker to turn on the power and went upstairs. I immediately noticed this burning smell before I even entered the bathroom. I knelt down to the heater and couldn't see any problems there. I stood up and caught a glimpse of smoke streaming from the thermostat.
I tore down to the basement as fast as I could to shut off the breaker but by then, the damage was done. The thermostat was FRIED!
What bothers me most about this incident is that I should have figured it out before I ruined a $50.00 thermostat. I knew in the back of my head that I was putting too much voltage through it. That information never managed to make it to the front of my head.
Anyway, yesterday I returned to "The Depot" and scrutinized the collection of thermostats they had on hand. I finally found one that would take the 120 volts. I found it, bought it, wired it, and with trepidation, powered it up.
Fortunately for my checkbook, it worked.
So another hurdle has been crossed as we continue toward the far off finish line of completing the upstairs bathroom.Just as a reminder, we started the bathroom remodel on July 10th. Today is October 10th. That's three months...or a month and a half longer than I was hoping. But of course, I am not surprised.
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