2011 Scamp 16 Standard Thermostat

[JALEE]

Hello all,
Can I replace my factory scamp thermostat with a Honeywell round thermostat like the one shown below without any issues?
Has anyone relocated the thermostat so it's not in kicking distance of one's feet? If so, where did you put it?
Thanks for your input.
Josh



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[steve dunham]

The thermostat in your pictures appears to be a Honeywell T 87 F .The thermostat will work electrically but it uses mercury in a sealed vial as the switching device. The thermostat needs to be level to work properly .If the thermostat is only slightly out of level ,the set point and the actual room temperature will differ . I have seen as much as a ten point variance when the thermostat is out of level .You will also need to set the anticipator properly to get accuracy . The Honeywell T87F if properly installed is accurate to +- 1 1/2 Deg F
The factory Tstat is bimettalic and is not sensitive to being out of level

[Eddie Longest]

I has a Scamp where the PO had mounted the T-stat half way up the spiral metal support rods. He had taped the wires to one of the rods but shrink wrap would work better. The furnace functioned much better and with the T-stat in that location and it didn't get kicked around at night.
Eddie

[mary and bob]

I just had my T87 replaced with a digital thermostat when I installed a new boiler in my house. Not a programmable one. What about something like that Steve?? I have a few of the T87's in my parts stash, use one for my shop furnace. The T87 was what we commonly used back when I did home heating service 25 plus years ago.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Problem, Kicking thermostat.. Simple solution, sleep with head near thermostat instead of feet. Gain ability to reach over and turn the thermostat up without getting out bed, and no more kicking the poor thermostat.

[Ken in Pa]

Josh, That is one of the first things I did to our trailer moving the T-stat. I even called the factory and asked why at your feet. Just takes a little wire to move. I placed ours beside the outlet next to the sink on the refrigerator cabinet. Easy to move. Hardest thing to do was drill a hole in the oak cabinet.
Ken

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Ken in Pa

Josh, That is one of the first things I did to our trailer moving the T-stat. I even called the factory and asked why at your feet.

it all depends which way you sleep in the trailer as to wether or not its at your feet. Its actually near my head and I like it there as its an easy reach to turn on without leaving the bed.

[Darral T.]

I would go a digital thermostat that you can pick up for about $20. I did for my Coleman A/C unit with heat strip. I can sleep more comfortable (temp wise) in my Scamp now that I can my home! Here's a couple of pics. The original idea came from the Casita forum.

Here's the thermostat pic with it mounted:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50351683@N08/5818617881/

Here's the wiring diagram I made up for MY installation. Rather elaborate and involved but it works BEAUTIFULLY. Again, you may not need this for a furnace only:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50351683@N08/5819196700/

[Perry J]

The best investment I made in my16' Scamp was a programmable thermostat that I set to come about 30 minutes before I got out of bed.

Great when your camping in the winter.

[CampyTime]

Hi Josh! It's Wendy. You have received some nice ideas here, but after our chat on Friday and the feeling of privacy with your kiddos, I would think moving Tstat makes sense if using a mercury device poses problems when out of level.

Our layout is different with my 13 and I know we talked about height issues since heat rises I don't know where you'd put it to resolve that. The one suggestion to put on spiral supports seems closest, but then shrink wrapped wires might not be appealing. Remember though I told you about my PO using 1/2 inch PVC to carry wires for 12v connector? Neat and out of way. I'll see now if I have a pic...nope. Nothing that shows it well enough.

If you can wait till spring for project I'll show you the PVC. He used elbows for turns and it looks quite nice. As I said Friday, I'd probably stick with suburban Tstat, move it or put a cage around it like they do in public buildings. Mod it so you can still get your fingers in there to adjust temp.

Report cards await; so excited!


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[JALEE]

I ended up buying a programmable digital honeywell that was on sale for $18.00. It is far more hearty than the suburban. I couldn't find another location that I was not able to find fault in so I used some left over heavy duty Velcro to mount it so I could move it down the road if I want to without having to drill more holes (the new holes don't match the old).
As for the level thing, I am pretty meticulous about leveling the Scamp otherwise the fridge gets wacky. Besides it takes about 5 minutes to turn that camper into a sauna when the furnace is on so I end up having to manually turn it on and off anyway.
The reason I don't sleep the other way around is because the side dinette seat back wall blocks our view of the rest of the camper and affords us with the illusion of privacy. Whatever gives me a more restful night is worth sticking with.
Good advice all. Always nice sharing a beer with you Wendy!


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[JALEE]

Someday I'd like to figure out how to connect it to the AC Darryl. Not that skilled yet!


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[frankcfx]

All the motor homes and trailers I've had had a thermostat that when you put the temp setting all the way down there was a small further adjustment that disconnected the thermostat. This prevents the the thermostat from going on when the temp is very cold. For example if you have the trailer connected to AC power a regular thermostat could turn on the heater when the temp is cold.

[JALEE]

Frank, The thermostat I bought has a switch to go from heat to AC. Would that alleviate that possible issue?


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[Darral T.]

JALEE
My particular hook-up was not that difficult. Coleman NOW makes a retrofitted unit that converts EVERYTHING on their roof units to digital and the thermostat fully controls the unit instead of just totally cutting the unit off/on like mine does. But mine still works WONDERFULLY.

FRANK
They have the digital thermostats like we're speaking of that will automatically "switch over" when the temperature changes. This wouldnt work with my set up but it would with the newer aforementioned Coleman full-digital system. In our 13', heat/cold can happen so quickly when returning from an excursion while Scamping that we dont leave ours running when we leave the campground.

THERMOSTATS- Food for thought
Here's the quote I'm basing the following thoughts on, ".....about 5 minutes to turn that camper into a sauna when the furnace is on so I end up having to manually turn it on and off anyway."

This is a VERY common problem that I've noticed with others ever since I've been FG'ing. It also happened with us in our 13' even with the Heat unit on our Coleman A/C. It's either TOO warm or gets TOO cool before it kicks on again and this makes for a VERY uncomfortable sleeping night-- at least for me. (But this thermostat is on the unit on the ceiling)

When I first installed my Hunter digital, I located it at the end of the cabinet where all the other thermostats (Scamp furnaces) are mounted. It did the SAME thing. I was stunned! The temp was climbing fast in the Scamp (testing heat unit) and I could prove this by a special digital temp gauge I had laying out in the middle of the cushions. I KNEW my Hunter was working but NOT working....why???? Finally, after studying on it... I decided to remove the Hunter (it snaps off the base) and laid it on the cushions. PRESTO!!! Its temperature readings immediately started changing! Then it hit me, there's no air circulating through the thermostat where it was (and MANY thermos are) located at the end of the kitchen cabinet!!
To bring this story to a landing, I mounted a 1" square micro 12v fan internally and baffled the thermostat (many hours of testing). It now will keep the Scamp within 1 deg (or more if you use the "Span" option on the Hunter). It simply pulls and circulates the Scamp's air through the thermostat. And I personally feel this is and has been the problem with the furnace getting too hot then too cold before it kicks on/off again for other Scampers. In other words, it's not the thermostat that's necessarily the problem, but the lack of air movement at the end of the counter where they're located!! I posted a link to my Flickr photos showing my digi AC thermostat mod and it shows this fan along with the wiring. Again, just something to think about....especially if you're a "light" sleeper like myself.

Originally Posted by JALEE

Someday I'd like to figure out how to connect it to the AC Darryl. Not that skilled yet!


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[JALEE]

Wow. Excellent info. Thanks Darral.


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[steve dunham]

The minimum setting for the thermostat pictured is approximately 45 deg F .
You can purchase a subbase for the pictured thermostat with a off / heat switch and a fan switch with off / on / auto. The furnace in an RV does not have the necessary relay to make the fan switch function properly. RV thermostats have a detent so the furnace does not turn on in cold weather storage or when traveling. The only problem with some programmable thermostats is that there is a phantom load to power the internal circuit board or charge the internal battery