Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat
Customer Review: Beats the Zoo-Med Hygrotherm!
Summary: 4 Stars
I made an extension for the sensor using pure copper LAN cable, LOW WATT iron, lead free solder, and 100MPH tape. I did not have to open it to access enough wire between unit and sensor to make the solder extension for the 2 wire sensor. The signal drops off after about 5 ft, but that was more than enough. I think it is actually more sensitive now and it keeps my temps well within range. You might get better signal with thermostat wire, but the low voltage around water is safer, so it's worth it to have a $40 remote thermostat for your duct fan. It is better if you program it within +/-10 degrees of where you want to be, because it's so accurate that it will turn on and off every 5 minutes if your fan works well.Customer Review: Best outlet thermostat I have ever used!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have purchased and tested a number of outlet thermostats and none have functioned as well as the WIN100. It works just as advertised and it is quiet during the on/off switching. One thing I would have added is a LED to indicate when the unit is turned 'ON'.Customer Review: Bought a 2nd One - Keeps the Kid's Rooms Comfy
Summary: 4 Stars
In my house in winter, we save money with programmable thermostats to keep the whole house cold while using space heaters to keep the children warm. Our space heaters are DeLonghi HHP1500 Mica Panel Radiators; I have two and in general I've been happy with them in terms of rapidity of heating and more importantly in being quiet. However, it's hard keeping track of what setting to use for a comfortable room; and oftentimes I'll come into a child's room and it is either really cold or really hot. Obviously, I could take more care in selecting a dial setting, but that's a lot of futzing I'd rather not have under manual control.
Thus my purchase of this device. I set it up to keep the bedroom a nice moderate temperature during sleeping hours and just keep the room from getting icy all other times. It has markedly improved the comfort level of the bedroom; whenever I go in there at night, it's a nice comfy 73°F. I don't have to worry about turning off the space heater in the morning; I don't have to worry about my child dehydrating like it was summer in Phoenix. The device handles it for me.
Setup was easy, although I did miss the on-off switch on the side of the device resulting in a pretty cool fall night for my son. Controls are large and I like the big mode setting dial which makes it obvious what is being configured. If you want to override a temperature temporarily, you can use the arrow buttons to set the thermostat until the next scheduled temperature change.
Not that it is perfect. Its shape is awkward for keeping on a table with the extension cord coming out one end and the space heater cord coming out the other. And if you mount it at a receptacle, it's difficult to not block the other socket.
Customer Review: Buy this! It makes the room temperature very stable!
Summary: 5 Stars
I installed 2 of these in bedrooms and plugged in electric heaters. They maintain the room temperature +- 1 degree even though I lower the central heating temperature to save money. Previously I used the thermostats built into Delongi oil filled electric radiators to control the room temperature. The best I could get was maybe +- 3 degrees. The WIN100 completely solved the temperature stability and targeting problems I was having!
The thermocouple and electronic thermostat in the WIN100 is much more accurate than the built in bi-metalic mechanical thermostats in most portable electric heaters. The bi-metalic thermostats had a scale of 1-6 and I had to set each heater to a different number to get the right room temperature. Also I had to bump the set point up and down depending on how cold it was outside. Probably something to do with varying thermal gradient inside the heater housing... anyway, inherent problem when the temperature sensor is next to the heater.
After installing the WIN100, the room temperature was completely stable!
Programming is straight forward. Typical for an electronic thermostat.
Heater set up suggestions:
1) Use oil filled radiator heaters for bedrooms. They are SAFE, QUIET and don't make drafts.
2) Set your heater for medium power, not high. Long, low heat input keeps the room temperature more stable. Lower power reduces the chance of overheating and fire if you have a slightly damaged wall receptacle. (If your receptacle is very warm to the touch, replace it with a new spec grade receptacle.)
3) Place the WIN100 on an outside wall. This is opposite what the user manual says, but it will give you a more stable room temperature. The apparent temperature for a person is a function of the air temperature (conduction & convection heating) and the wall temperature (thermal radiation heating). When it is really cold outside, the walls get colder and you need to bump up the air temperature to keep the room "feeling" the same temperature. Putting the temperature sensor on the cold wall gives you an automatic bump in air temperature as needed.
4) Put the heater away from the WIN100 temperature sensor. Put your hand by the WIN100. If you can feel the heat of the heater, it is too close.
5) Put the heater under a window. That's where most of the cold comes into the room.
Customer Review: Cheaply made
Summary: 3 Stars
Well I bought this to control a 400W IR heater that I placed up high in my sons room so he could not get to it. The relay in this thing welded shut the very first time it turned on. I am an electrical engineer so I just fixed it myself. The relay is a bit too small in my opinion, but it should not have had any problem with a 400W heater. I installed a larger relay and it has been working great ever since. The control part works really well but I suspect the relay will eventually go out even on one that works right.