You Can Do It - Leveling Your Thermostat

Al Carrell: If your heating system is controlled by a thermostat, that thermostat can help you to save energy dollars. But what if your thermostat is lying to you? What if it's not very accurate? You ought to check it. And what you want to do is to take an accurate thermometer and tape it to the wall on about the same level that the thermostat is, and give it about fifteen minutes to stabilize and then come back and check the reading on the thermometer against the reading on the thermometer on your thermostat. If it's more than about three degrees off, then you ought to either get a new thermostat, compensate in your own mind for the difference or have it recalibrated, some of them can do that. Also, you want to keep the thermostat clean.

Now this particular kind (square) is a very popular kind. It has a this little mercury vial in here. And if you have dust on the top of that mercury vial, it can actually effect the readings. So you want to clean it off. Another thing, it has to be level.

Now, if you have a thermostat that's like this (square), you know how to put a level on top of that and find out if that's level. But, like this (round), how do you put the level up there? Well I'm going to show you what you need to do. First, you need to take this plate off. Here's how we level a round thermostat. You see this arrow right down here, and this notch right up here. If you take a plumb-bob and hang it down from the notch, when it quits moving around it should cut right through the center of the arrow, if it's level. If it's not level, you loosen the screws that hold the unit to the wall and adjust it until you do get it level.

Making sure that your thermostat is level is going to increase it's accuracy. If you'll take care of your thermostat, it will take car of you all winter long.

Episode 014 1995 - 96 Season

| Standard Trim | Driveway Oil Spots | Custom Trim | Instant Concrete | Christmas Decorating | Leveling Thermostat | Credit: What is Acceptable? | LIST |

To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #014.