Showing posts with label aprilaire thermostats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aprilaire thermostats. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Best Homewerks Radio Thermostat CT-80-H-K1 Wireless Thermostat Deals

Homewerks Radio Thermostat CT-80-H-K1 Wireless Thermostat with Wi-Fi Module, Dual Wireless Inputs and Large Touch Screen
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $299.95
Sale Price: $226.64
Today's Bonus: 24% Off
Buy Now

I've been looking at Internet accessible thermostats for almost a year and this one provides the best remote interface for multiple thermostats that I've seen. Had problems getting first thermostat to connect to my network. Took three support calls before we discovered the tstats I received had older firmware. Once I uploaded new firmware they connected immediately.

Quality of the thermostat is poor. But not worse than my Honeywell that I replaced. This is the reason I didn't give it a full star rating.

UPDATE

We're been traveling for two months and I have appreciated being able to check the indoor temp of my Arizona home and adjust as needed. TStats have worked much better then my on again/off again security system run by a major home security company. I now plan to add one of these TStats to my second home.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I have three of these, All three have the same problem, on power loss, the wireless card does not restart. I fixed this by using a small computer UPS in the basement. Now it never fails. Great features. And very best part is it supports a rest protocol so you can write code and control it with a computer on the same network. I wrote code to display the outside temperature and the overnight low at the bottom of the screen. I do love this thermostat.

Best Deals on Homewerks Radio Thermostat CT-80-H-K1 Wireless Thermostat

I had some trouble getting this hooked up initially, but that was not the fault of the product, just an insanely complicated 12+ heating and cooling wiring schematic for my Lennox heat pump. Getting the WiFi connnected and operating was a pain too, but once you figure it out, and I did after several tries, I never had problems after that. The WiFi feature is superb. I can control the temp using my phone (works with android and i-phone), and it works perfectly. So worth it since my bedroom is on the third floor and thermostat is on 2nd. Also nice to be able to turn the temp up or down while I am away from the house. Excellent product, and the customer service was great too when I called to double-check my wiring plan just prior to install. I had to call at least three times and they were very responsive and helpful each time. Don't waste money with a monthly service or other units that cost twice the price. This one works great, and I am happy with the purchase.

Honest reviews on Homewerks Radio Thermostat CT-80-H-K1 Wireless Thermostat

I was initially shooting for a Nest, but then I learned how closed it was to anything but their stuff controlling it. My interest in a wireless thermostat is specifically so I can do two things. Integrate it with my current Home Automation stuff, mostly Insteon devices run by a computer with the PowerHome software. The second being the ability to access the thermostat remotely. Programming was a nice upgrade from my old thermostat as well, it was a dumb one with just a slider. Didn't even tell you the current temperature, so it's nice to look at the wall and see the temp now.

I've not done a lot with the API yet. Did some setting changes for fun and pulled some data with PowerShell using the Invoke-WebRequest Cmdlet, which requires PowerShell 3.0. I intend to set up functions and such on PowerHome to do things like set Away mode when we leave the house and hit the away button on my Insteon keypad.

The most important thing starting out of course was getting it installed and getting it configured and running before we melted. I think it took me about an hour and that includes hooking up the C wire using a spare that wasn't hooked into the old thermostat. This is considering I'm not very handy and not electrically inclined. I managed to get it all hooked up and had no issues at all. I was easily able to link to it after it powered on and connect it to my network, then do a firmware update. After that I set a schedule. We changed the schedule a day or two later because the first one was awful and it was all easy to do with the iPhone app.

I've seen others say it's poor quality and stuff, I'm not sure what they mean, it seems nice to me. I mean, it's plastic, but I've never seen a non-plastic thermostat before. I guess I don't know what a good "quality" thermostat is, but I'm very satisfied with the appearance of this one. Obviously I'd love if they would add a model that's more shiny, like the Nest is, but really, in the end, it's just a thermostat.

Just a note, the only issue we had was the app I installed on my wife's Windows Phone 8 device, whoever wrote it has/had a bug, existing as of 6/23/2013, that caused the heat to cut on randomly. Like we'd have the air on, but it would switch it to heat. I'm not sure what the problem is, they have a nearly identical app in the Windows 8 app store that doesn't seem to cause the same issue when I use it on my SurfaceRT.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Homewerks Radio Thermostat CT-80-H-K1 Wireless Thermostat

I have owned 2 of the 50's for over 1.5 years. I have one in winter area and one in Hawaii. I installed myself. I have variable speed forced air and electric air in winter home. I had some challenge getting it all running. Also have on Droid phone. The connecting of thermostat was easy as long as you follow directions. WIfi instructions with Apple were the most difficult to interpret. But thermostat worked manually until I figured out wifi with some phone help. Call back time will vary but useful. I get notified when thermostat goes off line because of power outages (which will also affect furnace and air). I check (all for free) online for house temperature to make sure all is well and no frozen pipes due to outage. In Hawaii I have heat pump with both air and ( I don't know why) heat. Old regular thermostat would revert to heat after power outage (They say because all thermostats made for mainland default to heat to prevent frozen pipes Like autos come to Hawaii with heated seats and useless Serius radio due to no satellite signal this far south. ). Anyway after paying heating bill during summer in Hawaii I changed to the 50. All works well. The only hitch was I have 2 stage fan and 50 was only available and the later released 80 will handle the 2 stage fan. But I have had zero problems with the 3M 50 products and I can monitor both homes and change both temps from my devices from one free site. I turn up heat or air when I fly into airport so all is comfortable when I arrive. Even though set up can take some patience they are well worth the pursuit.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Friday, July 25, 2014

EdgeStar Full Size Dual Tap Kegerator & Draft Beer Dispenser - Black Reviews

EdgeStar Full Size Dual Tap Kegerator & Draft Beer Dispenser - Black
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
Buy Now
Update two years later: I still LOVE my EdgeStar Kegerator. It still keeps my beer ice cold. I recently bought an AcuRite Deluxe Wireless Weather Center (atomic clock) at Costco (for about $30). The reason I bought it is that it has an outside transmitter that sends the outside temperature to the unit so you can tell what the temp is outside as well as inside. This unit also measures humidity and some other stuff I wasn't interested in. I wanted to monitor my beer temperature without having to open the fridge door. I simply put the outside transmitter inside the kegerator on top of my keg. It works GREAT! In fact, the unit I bought not only tells you the current temp (inside and outside) but it also registers the high and low for the day. It resets itself at midnight each night. So now, with the outside transmitter sitting on top of my keg inside the kegerator, I not only know the exact temperature of my beer at the time I'm pouring it, but also the range that my EdgeStar has kept my beer for the past day. Knowing the current temp was my target. Getting a 24 hour high and low is a real bonus. As said before, I like my beer near freezing. Several times I came up with frozen lines and had to let them thaw. Now, I can see the temperature range for the past 24 hours and monitor the low to make sure I don't freeze again. Still a very happy beer drinker.

Original Review: I did a lot of research on kegerators before deciding to buy this one by EdgeStar. I have wanted a kegerator for years to replace the system I had in an old refridgerator in the garage. What prompted me to actually pull the trigger is that I saw one at Costco for under $400. I came home and began researching that unit online. What a rip! Breaking down.....poor customer service....beer not getting above 40 degrees. Yuck!! Then I stumbled on this unit from EdgeStar. While there were no reviews for this dual tap model in Amazon, I was able to find plenty of written reviews on their single tap models. I called Edgestar to verify that the dual and single units were, in fact, the same fridge and they are. Several of the reviewers mentioned that they couldn't get the unit below 40 degrees (much like most of the other manufacturers I researched) but that just one call to EdgeStar customer service resulted in very detailed instructions on how to adjust the thermostat to get the unit to go lower. I put mine together in a matter of 30 minutes and had it plugged in and cooling down. I didn't put a keg into it for maybe 5 days wanting to see if it would be cold enough. Sure enough, mine got to 40 degrees and stopped there. I like my beer very cold......I mean near frozen.....so I wanted to get this new unit down to maybe 33 or 34 degrees. I emailed EdgeStar customer service one evening around midnight. When I got up in the morning I had an email response with an explanation of various factors that could prevent it from getting cold enough. For example, having it outside or building it in so there isn't enough space around the unit for the cooling system to operate efficiently. Mine is free standing so I didn't have any of the issues that would have prevented it from getting cold enough. The email went on to provice very detailed instructions on how to reset the thermostat to get it to cool down more. They even provide pictures showing the procedure step by step. The final step was to tighten the little set screw in "finger tight" then back it off 2 full turns. After reassembling the thermostat it suggests letting it work for 24 hours. I did and MAN! did it work a lot better. In fact, the instructions state that if it gets too cold you need to repeat the last step and back the set screw off 3 full turns instead of 2. Since my unit got to 30 degrees overnight (and froze the beer lines that lead to the tap tower) I repeated Step 5 and backed it back 3 full turns. Now, two days later, my beer comes flowing freely at 33 or 34 degrees. JUST AS I LIKE IT!!

If you are considering a new kegerator, EdgeStar units are GREAT!! Their customer service is lightning fast and very easy to deal with. Also, while you are spending $450 to $499 for a single tap unit, go ahead and get the two tap unit. It's only about $50 more and gives you plenty of options as to what beers you can enjoy. Two of the 1/6th barrel tall skinny kegs fit perfectly in there. There are lots of beers available in 1/6th kegs so you can be the King of the Keg in your neighborhood by having the only duel tap in your Man Cave!! Besides, you also have the option of putting a half or quarter barrel in there too. They all fit!!

So, don't just sit there reading and researching. Buy this unit and start enjoying an ICE COLD BEER!!!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

If you are a fan of craft beer (aka the good stuff), then this kegerator is perfect. Many of the negative reviews about this unit claim that it does not drop to a low enough temperature. I have mine set at 3 (the middle setting) and my beer pours at around 38*F (the optimal serving temp. for most beer types). The individuals making the claim that this kegerator does not get cold enough have generally indicated that they are specifically using it for Bud/Miller/Coors. The lower a beer's temperature, the less flavor/taste you will be able to perceive. With Bud/Miller/Coors, you want them virtually freezing because they taste awful.

One VERY IMPORTANT thing to remember when setting up the kegerator is to make sure you use the provided rubber gaskets when connecting the couplers to the beer lines. It's not explicitly stated in the set-up instructions, but if you do not do this, the lines will not be water tight and beer will drip down everywhere as soon as the kegs are tapped.

Lastly, if you will be using this unit for craft beer, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing two low profile couplers: Low Profile US Sankey Keg Coupler D System

While the unit comes with two regular couplers, many craft breweries use rubber-handle sixtels which are too tall to fit in the unit when tapped with the provided couplers.

Best Deals on EdgeStar Full Size Dual Tap Kegerator & Draft Beer Dispenser - Black

I am new to kegerators. I did lots of research.. on lots of websites... on lots of different products. This product seemed to have the best reviews. I decided to go with this unit. One common complaint that I found in all of the reviews on this unit is that the temperature doesn't get cold enough. Edgestar claims that this unit will get to anywhere from 37-41 degrees. For the most part, this is accurate. If you're like me, though, you want COLD beer (I mean real COLD). This unit is capable of getting colder. You just have to call Edgestar's customer service department, and they will email you instructions on how to make this unit colder (you can also find these same instructions in other beer forums if you search for them on google). Right now my kegerator is about 36-37 degrees. I would definitely recommend upgrading to a Dual gauge CO2 regulator as well as a better drip tray. Overall, I'm pleased with this product. I've had to learn a few things along the way as far as regulating the CO2 correctly, fixing CO2 leaks, etc; but I've been happy with this unit. I've learned everything through internet videos and forums. You just can't beat two beers on tap any time you want. If you're considering buying a kegerator or not, GET ONE! You'll thank yourself for it, and your friends will thank you as well. Whether or not you buy this unit or not... do your own research. Find a unit that's best for you and that fits your budget. I'll be happy to answer any questions, although I'm not the expert by any means at this point.

Honest reviews on EdgeStar Full Size Dual Tap Kegerator & Draft Beer Dispenser - Black

Directions stink... But set up is still simple. Big enough for two five gallon kegs and co2 in the fridge. Looks nice, no problems with to much foam or head which is a common cheap kegerator problem. Downside is it is loud... If going in a pantry I

Or garage it is perfect.... Would not want to have near my dinning table but it is party perfect

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for EdgeStar Full Size Dual Tap Kegerator & Draft Beer Dispenser - Black

So i've had this bad boy for a few months now and here are my pro's and cons.

Pros:

Cold beer on tap = happy me

Wasn't that difficult to set up

Got me to start brewing my own beer again.

Cons:

The regulator they shipped me had a hairline crack in it which burned through $40 of CO2 and ruined 2 corny kegs ($200+) worth of beer. My gut told me it was the regulator but instead I followed the advice of the air gas guy and replaced all my hosing.

Smelt heavily of tobacco when I first got it kind of like this thing was stored in a cigarette bar and uses as an ashtray in its previous live.

I found out after buying the EdgeStar, that a "sixtel" (a 1/6th) keg of beer costs a lot of freaking money. It is actually cheaper for me to just buy an equivalent amount of six packs from my local beverage depot than it is to buy a sixtel. A sixtel (which has about 52 12oz beers) in it costs me around $90-110. Comparatively a half barrel (full keg) contains 165 12oz beers at about 100-135. So if you're doing this for a cost savings consider opting for the single line. Hell even running two single line edge stars are more cost effective than 1 dual tap.

I've spoken to the manager of my beer spot about this and he's putting together a list for me of beers that come in sixtels that don't break the bank. This is something to seriously consider when consider dual tapping vs single tap.

Now i've posted a lot of negatives, but why did I still give it 5 stars? Because edgestar made a great product and it works exactly how I expected it to. Over all its pretty quiet (quiet enough to sit in my living room) and because of my cost analysis I've gotten back into kegging my own beer.

Now I brew one keg myself which costs about 30 bucks (after I got all the equipment) and I have one line of commercial beer flowing at any given time. So I'm a happy camper.

One other thing is when researching this product I found that some people said the beer wasn't coming out cold enough and I found this to be true too I contacted customer service and they gave me a guide (with a big old warning saying it will void my warranty) on how to drop the temp of my kegerator. Worth it.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Discount SEI AMZ8669E Lowery Electric Fireplace, Espresso

SEI AMZ8669E Lowery Electric Fireplace, Espresso
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $749.99
Sale Price: $599.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
Buy Now

This item was easy to put together, didn't break a sweat or a nail. Looks amazing and functions perfect. Thanks!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This is really amazing for the price. I was expecting something meh but the wood is a beautiful color and the fire part looks very real. I love that it is also a heater as some of the choices are for looks only. This was one of my best Amazon purchases to date!

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Grand Aspirations Fireplace Stove BESKG-1500 Reviews

Grand Aspirations Fireplace Stove BESKG-1500
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $149.95
Sale Price: $134.99
Today's Bonus: 10% Off
Buy Now

I absolutely love this fireplace. It's a great accent to my living room and makes it very cozy. Also, heats up the entire room. Highly recommended!!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Realistic flames and logs as far as electric fireplaces go; has fan that sends heat outward but can operate without fan. Quick warmup. I use it on my 100 sq foot glass side/roofed sunroom in winter (makes entire room toasty despite all the glass) and then got a second as supplemental heat source and ambiance for a 900 sq foot basement/entertainment room. Heats much better than the heater buried in my ceiling fan in the sunroom. Supposedly covers 400 sq feet but I think it does much better. No remote but that's one less thing to go wrong in my book. If you are sensitive to smells, note it has a moderate smell of newness burning at first but it lessens after about five uses. Lots of compliments and requests as to where I got it.

Best Deals on Grand Aspirations Fireplace Stove BESKG-1500

This fireplace is great and it looks pretty realistic. I had a problem with mine, but it had nothing to do with the fireplace iteself and the seller was more than helpful in helping me work it out.

Honest reviews on Grand Aspirations Fireplace Stove BESKG-1500

This is the second product of this type I have purchased in the last year or so. I originally wanted a unit for my 3-seasons room which has no built-in source of heat in the winter time. Unfortunately, the first unit a bought (not this make or model) sat low to the ground. Since my room is carpeted, I just wasn't comfortable with clearance between the heater and the floor. The fire hazard made me move that unit to my basement where I have bare floors. I saw this model and noticed it appeared to sit up higher than other units and sure enough it does! It is easy to operate and is very attractive. The only feature it doesn't have that I miss from the first unit I purchased is a built-in thermostat. This kicks out continuous heat at a level you choose. It has a high and low setting, and you can turn off the "flames" if you just want heat without the light show. Mine runs all the time on the low setting with medium heat intensity, and so far it seems pretty efficient since my electric bill hasn't significantly increased. Because of the lack of a thermostat, I give this product 4 stars. If you have plush carpeting, this unit is definitely worth your consideration.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Best Lasko #2155A Electrically Reversible Window Fan, 16 Inches Deals

Lasko #2155A Electrically Reversible Window Fan, 16 Inches
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $162.36
Sale Price: $69.99
Today's Bonus: 57% Off
Buy Now

SUMMARY: 5/5 stars glad I bought it, would enthusiastically recommend it to friends, and would not hesitate to buy one again

-----

This Lasko model 2155A window fan also sold as the Air King model 9155 is a real blessing for me. I live in the deep South (Georgia) where the oppressive summer heat index (high heat + near-100%-humidity) often reaches into the 130s and above and I don't have air conditioning. For me, a large whole-house window fan like this one makes all the difference between comfort and living hell when July and August roll around (it's July 27th as I write this, and I'm sitting right next to the window with the fan in it).

This is truly a WHOLE-HOUSE window fan, and it costs so much less to operate than an air conditioner. Compared with central A/C, I'm saving over a hundred dollars a month, which is over $600 a year EVERY YEAR. That's money better spent elsewhere! With this high-volume fan, I get my whole house cooled, without the $150+ monthly electricity usage of central A/C. This fan paid for itself in the first month.

Also, I've found that as I've gotten used to not having A/C, I enjoy the summers more and I'm not nearly as lethargic and short-tempered when I'm in a place without air conditioning, anywhere from the supermarket parking lot to a cookout. It all makes me wonder, WHY would I pay $150+ per month and end up so dependent on air conditioning that I can't be happy enjoying the great outdoors in the summer?! It's all a question of what your body gets acclimated to.

For the hottest summer nights, you can run a little window A/C unit in your bedroom, and still save a bundle because you can use this fan for the rest of the house instead of having to pay the skyrocketing electrical cost of central A/C.

PROS:

* Cost-efficient to operate this fan moves 2470 CFM (cubic feet of air per minute) on only 90 watts compare that with the larger 20" model (Air King model #9166) which moves 3560 CFM on 170 watts an 89% power increase for just a 44% airflow increase...makes sense to just buy two of these 16" Lasko 2155A/Air King 9155 units instead...you get twice the airflow, not 44% more and you get it for only ten watts more

* Moves a LOT of air more than a 20" box fan, more than anything sold at Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, True Value, the drugstore, or anywhere else I looked

* Fused 3-prong grounded safety plug

* Versatile installation options

* 3 speeds instead of 2 or just on/off

* Electrically reversible for intake and exhaust a big plus, since I want to be able to exhaust hot air during the day and then reverse it to bring in cool air at night...without having to de-install it and manually flip the whole unit around like you do with some other' brands fans (AHEM!)

* Quieter compared to the old metal-bladed fans from years past, which sounded like airplane propellers

* Made in the USA by our friends and neighbors and fellow countrymen, not in some Chinese sweatshop

NEUTRALS:

* Construction feels a bit flimsy...everything is plastic, except the interior side's safety grille BUT, this is basically irrelevant, because after it's in the window, it just sits there, and plastic does just as good a job of sitting in a window as metal. And, on the bright side, it's more lightweight than a metal fan would be, making it easier to install and to store in the attic or basement at the end of the season

* Don't expect it to be silent on the highest speed, there is some wind noise...but that's not the fault of the fan, and there's nothing anyone can do about it...moving large volumes of air at a high rate of speed DOES entail noise, no matter what, so you can't fault the fan or the manufacturer for that

* Pricey for nearly-all-plastic construction, and only a 50% (maximum) airflow improvement over an $18 Wal-Mart box fan, I felt that the cost of $50-$100 was a bit high...would rather see it around $35-$40 BUT, in the end, it DOES move more air than the $18 box fan, and has some features that make it worth the cost (electrically reversible intake/exhaust, less noise, expanding side panels to give it a perfect fit with any size window, fused safety plug, Storm Guard feature, etc.) and given that there's basically no competition in the field any more due to the prevalence of air conditioning, I can't expect pricing to be at super-low highly-competitive rates

CONS:

* Switch knob kept popping off...had to tighten up the screws under it and then put a dab of Krazy Glue on it (but that solved it)

* Not widely available in stores because air conditioners' prices have come down so much in the last 15-20 years, the demand for genuine whole-house window fans has gone way down, meaning that this fan is usually a special-order or online-only item, either of which generally entail waiting times and shipping costs (though your local Grainger branch may have one of the ones relabeled Air King in stock)

-----

All in all, I am being really unfairly picky here, and I think this is a fabulous product that I sincerely hope doesn't get discontinued. It's the right unit for the job, it looks good, and it does a better (and quieter) job that the all-metal models from years past. It's also very energy-efficient. Of what's available on the market in 2009, it is the best of the best, hands down, nothing else even comes close. I have ZERO "buyer's remorse" about this purchase, and would champion its virtues to anyone considering buying one. A great product!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I've had a lot of window fans before but none have cooled nearly as well as the Lasko 16" window fan. The fan is solidly constructed with sturdy plastic side panels and a easy to turn on/off speed selection knob.Particularly nice is the exhaust feature on this fan,which cleared a smokey kitchen in mere seconds.

Best Deals on Lasko #2155A Electrically Reversible Window Fan, 16 Inches

I've had two of these fans for 4 years now. One upstairs, one downstairs, both set to exhaust. I'd have more of these if I had another window in the house small enough to accept the fan.

Just in case you haven't thought about this subject before, it's a lot easier to suck hot air out of a room with an exhaust fan than it is to push cool air in to the room. Using an exhaust fan works much better than just opening a window wide and hoping cool air will blow in eventually.

For summer evenings, as soon as it's cooler outside than inside, exhaust fans are the bomb.

Place this fan properly in a window, so that the fan and its casing cover the entire open window area. Then open another nearby window just a few inches, and feel the cool breeeze blowing in. When I have both fans going and the patio sliding door open 6 inches you can feel the breeze 6 feet inside. It takes only about 2 hours from jump to cool my 2500 sq ft house to outside levels with both fans going. I've had to put them on timers to stop at 2am or it gets too cold.

So why is this a great exhaust fan?

It's not the Rolls Royce of fans. It's a good fan at a great price. You can pay 3x what this one usually costs ($50 to $80) for only marginal improvements in performance. True, it's not built like a Sherman tank but it's built plenty well enough to do its job. (I like that--you know what they say, An engineer is someone who knows how to build a bridge that barely stands, but it does stand.)

Some notes:

If your window opens side to side, the height of the window on the inside ledge should be at least 26.5 inches and less than 34 inches. You need to be able to open the window at least 18 inches wide, preferably 20. They say this is a 16 inch fan, but that's the blade width. The basket is a little over 18 inches. You can screw the fan into the window, if your wife will let you. For some reason wives seem to object more to screw heads sticking out in the horizontal plane of a window than the vertical. It will work just fine to wedge the fan by turning it 90 degrees and extending the side panels appropriately. The side panels can be precisely set--they have two screws on each side. You may want to put some foam rubber or other soft material along the edge of the panels to reduce vibration--I didn't find it necessary.

If your window opens top to bottom, then the width of the inside window ledge should be at least 26.5 inches and less than 34 inches, and you should be able to open the window in such a way that the height of the opening is no more than 21 inches, 22 at the most. You can wedge the fan in this kind of window too, if screws still don't pass the wife test.

If you use screws, use the template included with the fan, and try hard to be precise, leaving about 1/16 of an inch of space at the bottom when the fan is set in. The fan has a clever keyhole scheme for hanging it in the window, similar to the keyhole opening you use when hanging a picture on a single nail. Take the keyhole length into account when using the template or be ready to put paper towels or felt/foam rubber under the fan to stop rattle.

At highest speed the fan isn't annoying--you can sleep with it in the same room if you're not a person who's bugged by white noise. At low speed, it's very quiet.

It moves a lot of air. My biggest challenge is getting my wife to buy into the idea that opening one window 6 inches will cool the room faster than opening it all the way. The idea is to get a breeze sucked into the house, instead of having cool air just mill around at window boundaries.

My fans have been going now for 4 years with no signs of quitting. But I did just buy another one as a backup. No reflection on the fan, I'm just one of Those Guys.

Be careful with the wings that extend to fit the window. They're not unduly flimsy, but they are a little flimsy. I broke one already. Another commenter worried about getting out of a window in case of a fire if the fans were screwed in. My take is that an adrenaline-charged 6 year old would have no problem flinging this fan across the room when screwed in. If you're worried, wedge.

Despite what I've said about noise and vibration, the fan is nicely balanced and not prone to excess vibration. You have to do some work mounting it correctly, but it's simple work for anyone if you relax and do it right. Get a level and a glass of wine, and you'll be fine.

You will have to clean your window screens. Kind of like replacing your furnace filters. Depending on how dusty your area is, you may have to do it more than once a year.

It is nice to be able to shut the window without moving the fan. Ours stay in the windows year round.

Bottom line: if it gets cool enough at night in the summer where you live that you wish you could sleep outside because the house stays hot, this fan is for you, if you have windows that can fit it.

Honest reviews on Lasko #2155A Electrically Reversible Window Fan, 16 Inches

I thought I would try this fan as a replacement for my Lakewood 18-inch window fan, which looks almost exactly the same in the ads. I have gone through three of the Lakewood fans over the last 18 years, and they were great for drawing cool air through my entire house. Unfortunately, the Lasko fan is less than half as powerful (0.83 amps vs. 2.0 amps). The high speed on this fan produces about as much wind as the low speed on the Lakewood fan. I will be returning this fan.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lasko #2155A Electrically Reversible Window Fan, 16 Inches

I bought an Air King 20" (same manufacturer of the Lasko) whole house fan a couple of years ago and it proved to be too much fan for my < 2000 sq. ft. condo. I went for this 16" and it does the job just as quietly as the 20". Very easy to install within the window frame and no vibration. I only wish that the side extenders were metal like they are on the Air King. The grill on the front of the fan is metal. I am very happy with this purchase and that's why it gets FIVE STARS. These are both excellent, high quality fans and I would not hesitate to purchase again.

Buy Fom Amazon Now

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Best Filtrete Wi-fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat Deals

Filtrete Wi-fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
Buy Now
Wow. Just wow.

I got this to replace a thermostat I really loved, a nice honeywell touchscreen. But I'm a techie, and the idea of doing things via computer, iphone, and ipad was too much.

Got it at my local brick and mortar, and less than 15 minutes from opening the box until the old one was out, this was in, ipad and iphone had app and were communicating, and I had set up multiple programs via my computer on the website and uploaded.

It has the normal R, W, Y, G wires, but also needs the 24v C wire for power. Most thermostats don't have that one, so check your wires coming up to it. I was fortunate, my home builder in 2005 ran a bundle, so I had several unused ones. Just picked one at the furnace, wired it into the C terminal on the board, and had it up top here for the thermostat.

Setup is very easy, and they give you the link to go online for a nice color webpage for how to get your iphone or computer connected to this. It has a built in wifi hotspot that you connect to with another device, then use your web browser to connect to the control page of the thermostat. From there, you enter info for your wireless network to get it joined, then it talks to the mothership out on the internet, and you can then access it and program it from anywhere.

I've gone through three thermostats before this, trying to find something I liked, but as I said, I saw this in the store, and couldn't pass. And having gone through several here as well as my last house, I know how much of a pain programming can be if you have a complex need. My weeks alternate, and I've never done anything this easy before. It's far more flexible than any other one I had, because not only can you do a whole week, with four points per day, but you can, from the website, make a bunch of programs, and each program has different set points for those days. Then you just select one and say "make active" and viola, your thermostat is following that program now.

As my son loves to say, easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I haven't found a way to change from one program to another via the app on the iphone though but it does let you switch modes, fan, heat, temp and hold, etc, even turn it off. Very slick.

Without a doubt, the very best and most flexible thermostat I've ever had. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

Edit Jan 2012 they've changed the website they back end this from, so it's no longer possible to have multiple schedules. Since that was the ONE thing besides the wireless that set this apart from all the rest, I've dropped my rating from 5 to 4 since the wireless is still nice, but that multiple schedule option was for me the best thing there was... Now I'm back to having to edit it every week when custody of my son changes, so it's just as annoying as all the others... Wireless still works and the iPhone / iPad / web access still works, just not as awesome now.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

The concept is pretty simple and I'm sure has crossed your mind. It's early morning and you wake up, cozy in bed while the temperature of the house has dropped down to a chilly 50 degrees. You know how difficult it is to get out from those warm blankets and get the day started. If there was a way to turn on the heat first, it would be great. The Filtrete Wi-Fi thermostat makes this possibleyou just have to remember to go to bed with your wireless device within arm's reach.

We have an iPad so we found this product seemed like the best quality, coming from respectable 3M, at a good price. Other wireless thermostats can be twice as expensive. The packaging says "easy installation," so we decided to go for it.

Hitch number one: "easy installation" is pretty vague and certainly not necessarily accurate. The wi-fi feature requires more power than the usual wall thermostat, so additional power is required. Unfortunately, thermostat wiring frequently does not have a wire for power, or "c-wire." If you don't have a powered c-wire, your options become not-so-easy. You must run or connect a c-wire to your HVAC system, or buy a 24v wall plug and strip the wire at the end of that, plugging into the c-wire terminal (this means your once tidy wall thermostat will have a power cord running down to an outlet). If your eyes start to glaze over in technical incompetence at thought of either of these options, you may need a professional to assist. We had a c-wire installed for tidy appearance by a pro for about $50. Installation, not too easy, but it worked.

Hitch number two: Product design. There is a large complicated looking interface screen that does some things, but not all things. There are two buttons on the side with difficult to read labels that control the fan and heat/cooling on off. Why are these buttons not simply put on the front touch display? The front display is a disorganized mess with flashing lights, labels, numbers. High tech looking, but difficult to comprehend and illogical. Don't let this bother you though! The wireless control allows you to forget all about this.

Fortunately, the wireless interface is clean, simple, and renders actually using the messy interface on the thermostat box unnecessary. We are running the app on an iPad. It is very simple to use and almost feels like magic. I'd like to see a more stylish looking app, but it's hardly an issue. A wonderful concept that works great once it all gets set up.

Best Deals on Filtrete Wi-fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat

I just bought this thermostat from Home Depot for $99 and so far I am extremely impressed!! I was ready to spend over $400 on a different IP thermostat, power supply, and sensors, but this one does exactly what I want for a fraction of the price.

You can set this up to use Radio Thermostat's "Cloud Server" if you want simple control from a computer/smartphone inside or outside of your home and don't want to mess around with writing code. However, I do want to write code so I can customize it the way I want and there is already a decent amount of information available on this forum: and this wiki:

I haven't got very far into programming much more than setting temps and stuff but so far it's easy. The API is a simple RESTful architecture. Radio Thermostat has committed to releasing API documentation in Q1 2011.

Honest reviews on Filtrete Wi-fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat

There are 2 big issues that you are likely to encounter using the product.

The first can be investigated before hand, which is the availability of a power wire ("C") from the wall. There are many posts and sites that discuss this item. Understand it first will help you avoid grieve after purchase.

The second is whether the Wifi connection is going to work for you. The comments you read are largely dependent on whether the user got the Wifi working. If it does, you have a shot at benefiting from this technology. If you, then it is a frustrating experience.

However, the worse part of the product is the lack of support.

The forum is not helpful with posts going unanswered for days. Many have problems with no resolution described.

Sending emails to support also yield no respond.

And worse of all, the phone support is a recording that comes on after 2:30 minutes. I know this because I have tried for days at different hours of the day. The literature proudly declares 365 days of support from 8AM 12AM EST. That is a misrepresentation.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Filtrete Wi-fi Touch Screen Programmable Thermostat

I've had this thermostat about six months. Sometimes it works perfectly and sometimes it's on strike. In other words, it's undependable. Initially, mine came with a bad WiFi module, so overall it took about a week to set up. Oh, and even with a good module, setup is far from intuitive. It's one of the most difficult wireless devices I've ever had to wrestle with. Connectivity is iffy at best. While none of my other wireless devices have trouble staying linked to my router (a high end D-Link), the thermostat connects sometimes, and sometimes not, even though it's within a few feet of the router. The odd part is that the thermostat screen will indicate a link, but my iPhone app and the web interface will say it's not connected, and I should check my wireless connection. Hmmm, makes me think the problem is on the web client end. Is the server seriously overloaded and non-responsive sometimes? Can't tell, and this is one of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with the Filtrete thermostat. One is never sure of what exactly is happening when it doesn't work as advertised.

I have worked in manufacturing for a long time, and I suspect this is just another example of a product that works great in the lab and controlled field tests, but just isn't robust enough for the real world. Sometimes a product that falls into this category takes on a life of its own. Too many employees have a vested interest in keeping a lame horse alive to avoid career damage by admitting an expensive mistake. As a result, the product limps along with constant adjustments in the firmware to try and salvage it. All the while, everyone in the organization is secretly longing for the day when the pain mystically fades away. What companies refuse to realize is that products like this are damaging to their reputation. But accountants can't quantify reputation, only monies invested and promised returns on that investment. That's my theory on this item, based on decades of observing the corporate culture from inside. It doesn't make Filtrete evil, but it does speak to its corporate culture and mentality that places internal issues ahead of customers. Watch for this thermostat to fade away in the future, hopefully to be replaced by something that actually works dependably.

Buy Fom Amazon Now