When it comes to electric heaters, there are two main options for your thermostat. You can have a thermostat that's built into the heater, or you can have a wall thermostat. Sometimes lightning strikes twice and you find yourself with a built-in thermostat when you already have (or are ready to upgrade to) a wall thermostat. If this happens, controlling the heat in your room may get confusing. Luckily we can walk you through what to do. Let’s get something out of the way first because it will help explain how things work later on. Thermostats control when your heater is on or off based on your desired room temperature. They do not change the amount of heat a heater puts out. Now, let's talk about what to do when you have two thermostats and one heater.
The easy option: Turn your built-in thermostat all the way up
The simplest fix is to turn your heater's built-in thermostat all they way up -- and leave it there. Seriously, don't touch it. This gives the wall thermostat full control of your heater and means the built-in thermostat is no longer running the show.
How it works:
Because you have the built-in thermostat cranked all the way up, it is always telling the heater it can be on and provide heat. This gives the wall thermostat the final say on whether the heater is turned on or off. The wall thermostat gauges the room's temperature. Once that temperature dips below what is set, the heater will do what it does best and start producing heat. And as long as no one messes with the built-in thermostat, this works just fine. If you don't want to mess with wiring, this is your quick fix. If you are more comfortable working with electricity, consider a more permanent thermostat solution.
The not-quite-as-easy option: Uninstall the built-in thermostat
Built-in thermostats are easy to remove if you have a Com-Pak or Com-Pak Twin heater, but you're going to need to take the heater off the wall and cut a few wires. So if you're going to take this route, be sure that you're comfortable working with electricity. Before you do anything else with the heater, remember to turn off the power. It's definitely not the most complicated task in the world, but if you do something wrong, you could get seriously hurt. From here, go ahead and refer to our handy how-to video for step-by-step instructions on how to remove the thermostat, and check your owner's guide for more information on working with electricity. Hopefully these solutions help you out! As always, if you need more help after reading this blog and watching the YouTube video, our tech support team is happy to assist you.
