Nest thermostat

Hi,
Has anyone used one of those new Nest learning thermostats with their stove? It looks like a great idea, but I just wonder how it works with coal..
Here's the link..
http://www.nest.com/

They basically look like an overly expensive programmable thermostat. I think you can buy a $50 thermostat at a local big box store and it will give you the same functionality. In terms of it working, it should since most coal stokers respond to a 24 V thermostat.

My opinion - if you are going to spend that much for a thermostat, go with a coal-trol, which is specifically made to work with coal stoves.

Almost like Coal-trol, but Coal-trol lacks the control of temperature from anywhere by your cell phone.

I'm game, I ordered one today and will post my experience with it over the winter. I like how it keeps logs of your usage and the automatic sensing features. Also I will be able to control it with my smartphone. I'm a sucker for electronic gadgets so this is right up my alley lol.

I had recently asked if anyone had any experience with a wifi thermostat and member Sting mentioned he had just installed a Nest. I don't believe he is burning solid fuel anymore, but at least he has install experience with it. You may want to PM him and ask if there were any "gotcha's".

My Nest will be delivered this coming Monday. According to the online compatibility test it will work with my stove based on the wiring. It is also returnable if it doesn't. I decided to buy this over the Coal Trol, mainly because of it being more rich in features and cheaper. I'm not trying to bash CoalTrol, I'm sure it's a great product also. The Nest just seems to be more what i'm looking for.

There doesn't seem to be any info on this site yet about it since it's so new so like I said, I will post my experiences and as much info as I can once I fire up for the season.

Comparing to the Coal Trol is apples to oranges comparison because it's specifically designed to deal with the peculiarities of coal and small stokers.

Hope it works for you, but the features you are looking at (I am assuming the set backs and the remote access control of the unit) are the ones that kind of make a coal stove inefficient. Most experienced users here would agree that temp set backs tend to waste more coal than just setting it at one temp and leaving it.

WNYRob wrote:Hope it works for you, but the features you are looking at (I am assuming the set backs and the remote access control of the unit) are the ones that kind of make a coal stove inefficient. Most experienced users here would agree that temp set backs tend to waste more coal than just setting it at one temp and leaving it.

Hmm good point, I hadn't thought of the time it takes to heat up.

Ok, the Nest arrived this morning and I have it hooked up. Installation was painless. After powering up and turning the dial it does control the stove feeder. I don't have the stove fired up yet for the season so I can't offer much info at this time about the actual heat control of the unit.

Here are my observations from the setup of the device...

1)it does have the ability to learn how long it takes to reach the higher set temp after a setback and get the house to that temp by the scheduled time.(True radiant setting)
2)Coal is not officially listed in the heat source setup, but it appears the "Radiator" or "Radiant heat" settings should work just as well.
3)The wifi control from my iPhone works great, the app has nice controls and gives lots of info. I have only tried controlling it from within the house over wifi so I'll need to test the control when i'm out and about and not on wifi.
4)The MAX setback temp is 70(or less), which could potentially cause big temp swings if you like it really warm. The "true radiant setting" is supposed to eliminate temp swings/overshoots. Others have stated not to setback more than 2 degrees or you get big temp overshoots. I will report my findings on this issue once I fire up for the season.

Issues could be changed or tweaked in time through software updates I would think. I have read many reviews of the nest and it appears the people who developed it and the software do listen to customer feedback at least somewhat, so any issues I have I will be reporting to them in hopes of getting features that may benefit coal systems.

This is my update for now....

Boy you spent alot of money so you can play with your t-stat with your phone. Thermostat on a coal stove is normally a set it and forget it kind of thing. Hope you get enjoyment out of it.

Certainly be fun if you had kids, set it at 50 from work if they are giving you a hard time about something.

Having said that it does more than that, I've read little about it. This takes the guess work out of programming it.

WNYRob wrote:Most experienced users here would agree that temp set backs tend to waste more coal than just setting it at one temp and leaving it.

That is a little too broad of a statement for my taste -- It really depends on the load -- and the loss -- regardless of the fuel choice

titleist1 wrote: Sting mentioned he had just installed a Nest. I don't believe he is burning solid fuel anymore, .

Not TRUE I bought a bag of stove coal today 50lbs for $9.50

I suppose Ill even have to burn it -- but that's for the Halloween party - you know the bubbling pot on the witches stove -- I really cannot resist a bargain - I may have to go back for another bag - Just to be safe

Just an FWI, I decided to return the thermostat and opt for a non programmable digital round Honeywell instead. I figured keeping it at a constant temp was going to work best for me since the stove is downstairs. So, if anyone else has a Nest and wants to hijack this thread feel free to post your experiences with it in regards to a coal stoker.

Peace!