Thermostat

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This article is about the temperature regulating device. For the French cooking oven temperature
scale, see Gas Mark#Other cooking temperature scales.
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Honeywell's iconic "The Round" model T87 thermostat, one of which is in the Smithsonian.

Next Generation Lux Products TX9600TS Universal 7-Day Programmable Touch Screen Thermostat.

A Honeywell electronic thermostat in a retail store

A thermostat is a component of which senses the temperature of a system so that the system's
temperature is maintained near a desiredsetpoint. The thermostat does this by switching heating
or cooling devices on or off, or regulating the flow of a heat transfer fluid as needed, to maintain
the correct temperature. Thermostats are used in any device or system that heats or cools to a
setpoint temperature, examples include building heating, central heating, air

conditioner, HVAC system, as well as kitchen equipment including ovens andrefrigerators and
medical and scientific incubators.
A thermostat is often the main control unit for a heating or cooling system, through setting the
target temperature. Thermostats can be constructed in many ways and may use a variety
of sensors to measure the temperature, commonly a thermistor or bimetallic strip. The output of
the sensor then controls the heating or cooling apparatus. A thermostat is most often an instance
of a "bang-bang controller" as the heating or cooling equipment interface is not typically
controlled in a proportional manner to the difference between actual temperature and the
temperature setpoint. Instead, the heating or cooling equipment runs at full capacity until the set
temperature is reached, then shuts off. Increasing the difference between the thermostat setting
and the desired temperature therefore does not shorten the time to achieve the desired
temperature. A thermostat may have a maximum switching frequency, or switch heating and
cooling equipment on and off at temperatures either side of the setpoint. This reduces the risk of
equipment damage from frequent switching.
The term thermostat is derived from the Greek words thermos, "hot" and statos,
"standing, stationary".
Contents
[hide]

1Sensor types

2History

3Mechanical thermostats
o

3.1Bimetal

3.2Wax pellet

3.2.1Automotive

3.2.2Shower and other hot water controls

3.3Gas expansion

3.4Pneumatic thermostats

4Electrical and analog electronic thermostats

o

4.1Bimetallic switching thermostats

4.2Simple two wire thermostats

4.2.1Millivolt thermostats

4.2.224 volt thermostats

4.2.3Line voltage thermostats

5Digital electronic thermostats

6Thermostats and HVAC operation

o

6.1Ignition sequences in modern conventional systems

6.2Combination heating/cooling regulation

6.3Heat pump regulation

6.4Thermostat location

6.5Dummy thermostats

7See also

8References

9External links

Sensor types[edit]
Early technologies included mercury thermometers with electrodes inserted directly through the
glass, so that when a certain (fixed) temperature was reached the contacts would be closed by
the mercury. These were accurate to within a degree of temperature.
Common sensor technologies in use today include:

Bimetallic mechanical or electrical sensors.

Expanding wax pellets

Electronic thermistors and semiconductor devices

Electrical thermocouples

These may then control the heating or cooling apparatus using:

Direct mechanical control

Electrical signals

Pneumatic signals