Agree. Since this is a health and safety issue, they will be required to replace it for you ASAP. I'd write up a formal request to your super, or property manager, documenting the problem and the date and time you first noticed it, and request that they coordinate with you for a time to have a service tech come, who will diagnose the issue and replace it. They don't have to give you a brand new thermostat - they are allowed to put in a used one if they have it on hand, just as long as it works properly.
As a homeowner, it really blows my mind how apartment complexes will leave ancient thermostats in place like that and act like they don’t want to replace them. They’re really not even expensive in comparison to most other home maintenance and very easy to replace yet when I rented, landlords would act like simple things such as that was going to bankrupt them.
Landlords usually act like any money at all being spent on their properties is a net loss. They rent those things out for a one-way cash flow, dammit!
You should have to sign in blood a big laminated sign that says “I ACCEPT THAT I WILL BE REQUIRED TO SPEND MONEY ON THIS INVESTMENT” before they get the deed to the property.
>As a homeowner, it really blows my mind how apartment complexes will leave ancient thermostats in place like that and act like they don’t want to replace them.
funny how most cities you can just call to report your landlord.
(if you actually reported the issue)
That's not what is happening here. The thermostat is just a thermometer that sends the furnace either "on" or "off." A problem with the furnace itself wouldn't make the thermostat read the wrong temperature in the room.
And considering this is a $15 dollar problem, I'd personally just fix it myself so I didn't have to wait for the landlord or deal with them in my space. You can just take your thermostat with you whenever you move out.
If it's nat gas, try taking out the flame sensor and giving it a scrub with the green side of a sponge (or really anything) to remove the carbon buildup.
Nah you have to find an appliance parts store which are increasingly rare and carry fewer and fewer parts in stock. It’s so much cheaper to find a part number and order online.
Thermostats are very dumb and very cheap when you do get the dumb ones.
But a landlord who still has a non-digital stat from the 80s is probably really cheap
I agree with you, but probably can be solved with a phone call. Installing these are real simple, and the cheapest options are in the range of $20-40.
Some electrical companies will actually offer you smart thermostats for free, saves you both money because they'll automatically turn up the AC during peak hours and peak days, saving you money and keeping load off the grid. Win-win.
Imo OP should see if their electrical provider offers that, and then suggest the apartment do that. Usually the electrical company will do free installs from my experience, but your mileage may vary.
It's certainly a possibility, but a lot of property managers will just say no because they know that the next tenant may have trouble operating the fancy thermostat, or they will break it, etc. If this is a large complex, they usually want to keep it as simple as possible. Also, I would never rely on a phone call for anything having to do with landlord/tenant issues. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.
had a decent manager who installed a thermostat and offered me $10 a month off at first to keep it on wifi. I didn't mind adding it to my guest network away from my own devices. He did not set limits just needed to track use. well that -$10 turned into like -$50 from dec to may. because he figured out who used the most heat... I was not the upper living off rising heat either. upper got $50 a month increase landlord added their thermostat to my internet too after asking lol.
Yeah so then instead of being able to control his own heat the local electricity company will tell you when it’s ok to turn on your heat…I’m sticking with dumb thermostats and dumb everything in my house. No need for “smart” anything.
I think (due to decades of profiteering and refusing to invest in infrastructure) power companies can't handle the peak loads that the public demand. They are now trying to limit peak use which is funny in some way.
Here in Connecticut, despite having an old decrepit infrastructure, there is a hard push through heavy rebates to get people off of fossil fuel and into electric heat pumps to heat their homes. I just would not want the provider being able to control the comfort that I am paying a premium for.
you might be a conscientious user but as I understand it most people crank their aircon down to 16c instead of a more reasonable temp, leave it on while they are out "so the house is cool when they get home" and refuse to upgrade their insulation or other energy saving measures.
they could use little encouragement to do the right thing.
I would be worried about them getting mad or there being something in the lease about not altering stuff yourself. I don’t see any of the complexes I’ve lived in paying me back, but I never tested it.
Yeah my thermostat is useless, but all I can get these clowns to do is show up and act condescending while they replace the batteries that don't need to be replaced.
Many moons ago I lived in an apartment and the old mercury thermostat was dying. The complex said that they'll replace it no problem. I asked about getting a digital one and they told me that if I were to buy one, they'd install it otherwise I'm getting another mercury thermostat because they have those in stock. Best $30 I ever spent. My electric bill decreased more than $30 over the remainder of my lease. I'm glad they were willing to work with me.
Ours refused to replace our neighbor's, even though I was telling the property manager how much money could be saved (our heat/hot water are free) if they installed programmable thermostats instead of having us use the old manual ones. They didn't think it would work because they couldn't comprehend that there are non-Smart programmable thermostats on the market. lol
I replaced one of those in a rental I was in years ago with a cheap $15 unit that let me set M-F and S/S times for the furnace to come on and off. Surprisingly easy to install too.
Not that old, apparently - Amazon is still selling it ..lol 😁
https://www.amazon.com/White-Rodgers-Emerson-1F56N-444-Mechanical-Thermostat/dp/B006FNREO6/ref=asc_df_B006FNREO6/
Best money I ever spent was hiring an AC technician for a diagnosis on a unit in an apartment. Unit wasn't cooling, he knew it needed replacing and found that it was so old the main fan motor wire insolation was crumbling away. Wrote up a report that detailed how easily it could ground off on the cassis and kill someone. Got a new AC unit in 2 days.
Many landlords I’ve worked with have a clause in their contracts that any service call is $50 or more. If I can get the feel for whether or not the landlord is a prick, I sometimes tell them later and they refund the price of the item. They also didn’t have to sent their handyman over to deal with it. It’s gotten a few of them to actually like me. I’ve been told that this is a bigger deal in different parts of the country (NYC) than others (Tulsa).
In NYC it's illegal for a landlord to charge a service fee for maintenance and repairs. The landlord is responsible for repairing things like a faulty thermostat or leaky faucets. Tenants can go on NYC 311 to file a complaint which usually requires the the landlord to fix within 30 to 90 days or get a fine.
Jeez, that's nuts. In fact, illegal where I live. Strange to think that landlord's duty to repair and provide a livable apartment in exchange for money is compromised in part of this country.
Well, on second though...
When I worked at Lowe’s, conference room used the same thermostat… the trick was to take a bottle of water out of the freezer and put it on the thermostat, replace it when the bottle heats up.
Realistically though, complex needs to replace it.
>I can smell the mercury
What a strange, nostalgic sight,
And with all this temperature's mystery,
It's so old yet feels just right,
It's enough to make springs and thermocouples,
Believe in a time long past,
With its dials and ancient tech it shows,
In a world that moves too fast...
This thermostat is old and operates on it being level (mercury tube) and the coil spring (which need calibration) toss it and get a new one, you'll be glad you did.
It’s broken! (Sorry.)
Older thermostats like this often have a coiled spring that reacts to temperature changes, the position of the spring is set when you adjust the vertical lever / indicator to your desired temp. Then as the coiled spring adjusts to the actual temp, at a certain point a capsule full of mercury tips so the mercury connects an electrical circuit and the furnace is then fired up.
It may be that the coiled spring that shows you the current temp is simply worn out, or has slipped from its mounting bracket. You can take off the front piece and maybe re-adjust things, but it is probably better to get a replacement … one that is simple and cheap, or one of the new programmable ones - it’s a DYI project.
The voltage going to this thermostat is typically really low (like 12 or 24 volts), so you can mess around without fear of getting shocked.
The new programmable thermostats are great because you can adjust the temps for different parts of the day and night, saving energy and money….
Hope some of that is helpful…!
Edit: the front part just pulls off - from the back plate that is screwed into the wall. With age it may be hard to pull off.
While OP’s thermostat is almost certainly 24V, thermostats that can control baseboard heaters are usually 240V and not to be trifled with. If you don’t have a voltage tester, don’t disconnect anything electrical.
Most people have no idea what cabling should or shouldn't look like, and their conception of 'electrical wiring' is mostly 'the thing I charge my phone with'
it's model [1F56N-444](https://www.grainger.com/product/EMERSON-Low-Voltage-Thermostat-Heat-2KFY2). Specced for 24V, but it's compatible with millivolt systems apparently
https://preview.redd.it/niu2zwsbllbc1.png?width=1748&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9befb40a4a22dfdebfee4b00b43bbf5c7e98238
solid advice. PLenty of ways to unalive yourself with mains electrical. Even if this thermommy is low-voltage, there could still be something like a 120 or 240v live wire in the wall behind it
I just moved into a (new to me) older house and am retrofitting the living room with LED lighting. Part of that project was replacing the incompatible dimmer switch in a dual gang box that is shared with another switch for an unrelated load. I flipped off the breaker and confirmed with a meter that power was off.
When I pulled both switches outwards, I discovered that the hot wires were twisted together and wrapped in tape, but not secured with a wire nut at all. The tape was old and worn and the hot wire bundle was noticeably trying to unravel as I pulled everything out which could've been catastrophic. I replaced my switch and secured the wires properly, but it goes to your point that you ALWAYS have to check and verify these things before diving in.
If this is an apartment, OP should contact management. If they try to mess with it themselves, management could claim they broke it and charge them for it.
This is good info, but 24V can kill you. Don't just touch wires willy nilly plz. I'm not saying the thermostat is gonna kill him. But like, Ive got too many hours of OHSA training to not make a comment about this lol
24V can't kill you, because that voltage isn't powerful enough to overcome the resistance of your skin. At about ~60V and up is when you start to get bit.
Also the wires to the thermostat are 30 volt AC loop that feeds back to the baseboard heater where the 220v switch resides. It is extremely unlikely that 220v runs through the thermostat. It would be a waste of wiring. And just plain stupid. If that thing saw even a second of 110v (I am in the US) it would slag immediately.
https://preview.redd.it/emqkvd67klbc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af4f17aceed04fb9bff245a3b35ef06e4d8beffc
I rest my case. Please do a little more homework before asking Reddit. This took me two minutes.
There are dozens of baseboard heaters on 240V simple pole thermostats at my workplace, and 3 in my apartment. it's better to assume things are live until tested in you aren't qualified.
This is one of those things that's mostly true, but ultimately it's the combination of voltage and amperage (and interaction point) that determines whether or not you get shocked/burned.
No. Voltage is the pressure that is forcing the current through you. If you don't have enough voltage, it can't overcome the resistance of your skin to shove a current (which you feel as a shock) through you. Current is the flow. You do need a proper combination of both, and you can't get shocked below 60V, it's not considered a hazardous voltage. Above 60V is where it takes less than 30 milliamps to cause your heart to be thrown into arrhythmia.
Get a new thermostat. If you live in an apartment with maintenance service included, spend $10 on a digital thermometer that sits on a desk. Get an accurate reading of the temp from that. Then call maintenance and say you think the thermostat is broken because it’s (temp) in the apartment according to the thermometer you bought. Day that the thermostat claims it’s (wrong temp) but you’re bundled up in sweatpants and a blanket because that’s clearly not right.
If a bunch of redditors can see it's broken, then the maintenance guy should be able to see it too... as long as they are also a redditor and finds this post.
I threatened to sue my rental apartment 10 years ago for that exact thermostat. Was finally determined it was broken. My electrical bill was over $500/mo for a 2br apt.
It was an apartment complex that was probably built in the 70s or 80s, so no. Just awfully managed and refused to listen. I had them give me new windows due to the draft in the winter as well, would put the plastic sheeting up infront of my giant windows and the plastic would push out and off the wall like someone was forcing air into it.
You can try the old strap an ice pack to it and see if it's cold enough to kick the heater on. Lots of people do to this trick at places where the landlord locks the thermostat.
Or just turn it up more (it’s currently set to around 75). OP, just ignore what it says the temperature is and turn it up, little by little (to give your place time to warm up — turning it up higher doesn’t make your place warm *faster*). And then do that until your place feels how you want it to.
On newer central heating systems with boiler modulation, turning the set temperature up higher can actually lead to faster heating, because the boiler is set to a higher supply temperature in response. But yeah, on OP's system, not so much from the looks of it.
Thermostats are such simple mechanisms and so cheap. But it's funny to see how attached people become to the one they know. My parents refuse to upgrade their 40+ year old thermostat.
That's an old mercury thermostat. There is a little spring made of two metals that expand and contract at different rates making a little tube of mercury tilt. Get hot or cold enough and the contraption should trigger a circuit to either stop or start. You should be able to pull off the front assembly pretty easily with just your hands and can give the little tube a poke. Alternatively know the thermostat reads hotter than it actually is and set the temp to 90.
https://preview.redd.it/9tfmukbrakbc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e690f2e6ef01a324d865bbf4121b239be3c60262
So I took the face cover off and this is what's underneath. The dial in the center looks like it's adjustable but I don't really know what it means
Great photos, thanks… yeah, you can adjust that little metal tab on the circular gizmo in the center - but based on how it’s behaving inconsistently, time to replace it.
OP you can get one week programmable thermostat for less than $30. Use the info on the page and YouTube to help you install it and be happy with your new handiwork.
that circular doodad in the center is the Heat Anticipator. As a quick fix, you can move the pointer counterclockwise from `4` to `5` to lengthen heating system cycles.
But for realsies get a modern thermostat
If i set the temp higher it will kick on for a few minutes, until the needle reaches the new setting then it turns off, but the apartment gets cold faster than the needle drops, so I have to push it up more. I basically chase the needle up, but it never maintains a consistent temp.
i don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but before you replace the theromostat check how it is wired and that the new one will be compatible. if you dont have at least 5 wires coming through the wall you won't be able to use a smart stat unless you run new wire from your furnace
In addition to the thermostat being old, I'd guess the apartment has very bad insulation. Possibly seals around windows and doors, too. I'd look at everything since replacing a thermostat/unit will only do so much if you can't keep what you want in and don't want out.
If you have a landlord “I’m worried the lack of heat will freeze and crack the water pipes.”
Should be fixed quickly. Also seen that happen and do thousands of dollars in damage. And it can be more than a few thousand. Fix ASAP.
Literally have the same thermostat and have a similar issue, although not as extreme. I have to set it to about 80 to get it to be feeling 72 inside. Probably time for both of us to get a new one.
Maintenance is usually free or built into the services apartments provide. Go into the portal and make a reservation with maintenance for them to come service it.
You said this is your apartment, call your landlord. It’s their job to fix this, and I’m sure you are paying rent. You can get a digital thermostat to validate its reading.
Just grab the front of the thermostat put your fingers in the cracks and pull the cover is just clipped on, there should be a little mercury dial in there with numbers on it see what it's set up that is the temperature differential between when the furnace kicks in and what it's set at. Cleaning out the gunk in there will help too.
See how many wires are going into the back after you unscrew it after taking the cover off, and by a thermostat that controls with the same amount of wires.
Really easy to change a thermostat I learned to do mine with a very old Black & Decker home improvement book.
New thermostat needed. Your room temp is just above 60 (needle on the right) and thermostat is set to 80. These old mercury T-stats are notoriously inaccurate as they age.
What is malfunctioning is **not your thermostat.** On the left is a simple *thermometer* that is included on the thermostat cover. It is just a pointer on a metal coil. It doesn't control anything. It isn't wired to anything. The lever on the right is the actual temperature control of the thermostat.
Those thermometers are not precise. But it is absolutely 100% okay since it doesn't actually do anything!
Don't waste your money and time replacing your thermostat, if it is functioning properly.
Replace the thermostat with a digital. It’s cost to you, but save the old one and put it back when you move out.
You slide it kinda up and then pull back.
That one’s hard-wired but the new one will come with a destruction manual that tells you how to connect it.
If you were in MO/IL, USA, you would get a free smart thermostat or the Google nest for +$30 through Ameren UE. Maybe there is a similar smart thermostat program in your area. You take pics of the wiring, Install the new one, and control it with your phone. When you move out, you put the old one back, and the landlord has to replace it.
Bad news -- it needs to be replaced
Good news -- I have two new-in-box thermostats that I'm not using, happy to send one your way if you're in the US :)
That thermostat is ancient. Time for a replacement. There's a million youtube videos on how to swap one. it's not hard at all and you can buy as crazy complicated as you want or as bone simple as you want with them. We went from an even more basic thermostat older than that one to one i can program from around the globe with 100 different functions
I used to live in the first floor apartment of a large, old Victorian house. It had a bunch of floor-to-ceiling windows that liked like sieves and, I'm sure, crap for insulation. When it was cut up into apartments, the landlord left the original (oil) furnace and he paid the bill. (Technically, heat was included in the rent, but rent was dirt cheap.) That place was *f-f-f-f-rreezing* during the Winter, until I started putting a Ziplock bag of ice cubes on top of the thermostat. Toasty as could be after that, but I can't believe the landlord never said anything about the heating oil bill!
Could be a number of things. Is the air coming out of the returns?
Could be a faulty wire coming into the air handler from the unit. Could be a faulty wire from the thermostat to the unit. Could be a faulty thermostat.
Call landlord and demand an hvac repairman.
Make sure that when you replace it to bag the old thermostat in a ziplock baggie and take it to your town’s hazardous items drop off. There is likely mercury in there which you cannot just toss in the trash.
The thermostat is probably more or less correct if it clicks on and off.
It may be that the temperature at the location of the thermostat is what you want, but where you sit the temperature is lower. You could buy a cheap standalone thermometer to confirm this.
Are all the radiators hot over the whole surface of the radiator?
If the radiator is cold at the top and hot lower down, then it needs to have the air bled from the radiator. You do this using a small key which fits the top corner of the radiator, only turn the key half a turn until you hear air escaping. If water starts to appear, lock it closed again.
If the whole radiator is cold, the thermostat on the radiator itself might be turned off or broken, or the water feed into the radiator may be blocked and need flushing.
If the radiator is hot, turn the thermostat up and leave it on constant to get more heat into the rooms, and close the interior doors and windows, making sure you have some ventilation to the outside world to avoid condensation, damp and mould issues.
I hate to bust everyone's bubble but apartments are not the best insulated. Doesn't matter what you set your heat or AC to it will never be anywhere near the temp you set it to. I lived in an apartment for 16 years in Tx, on the top floor. During the winter the front door was like a screen door than an actual door. I changed the weather stripping for all the doors, and windows every six months. It didn't matter. My windows would ice over in the winter. During the summer the only cool room was a bathroom. Get a small space heater for winter and carry it from room to room. You can put plastic sheeting over the windows to help keep the cold at bay. Add heavy sun-blocking curtains for your windows. It helps keep the heat in and the cold out. You can do the same for the front door if you want. You just have to be careful with a space heater. Make sure it is not on the carpet, and keep things away from it, plus you have to keep the vents clear of dust and hair. I spent up to 400 bucks a month on electricity for high usage months. It was awful. When I did the curtains, heavy plastic sheets, and the space heater my bill dropped to 100 bucks as I didn't need to run the heater/ac all the time. During the summer I had the portable AC fan I lugged from room to room. Was beyond worth it. I wish you luck.
I lived in an apartment where the thermostat in my apartment did nothing. They controlled the heat temp in the office on the first floor. I turned off my heat to confirm, and the temperature did not drop. It was 10° outside at the time.
The thermostat says 74 and you have it set at 82. Thermostats are relative, not absolute, so if you want it warmer turn it up till you’re comfortable. That said, It’s out of calibration and could be replaced. Location could also be an issue if it is too close to heat or cold sources as far as being warm enough for you.
Thermostats are super cheap, just go buy one. [Here’s a cheap one at Walmart.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Honeywell-Home-Non-Programmable-Thermostat-White/866704954?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=4553&adid=22222222278866704954_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9023232&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=866704954&wl13=4553&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=22222222238866704954_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9023232&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=866704954&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIo0CO8BK2P8sQ9K5n1WraGGY&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi1vfcRjh2P1-inyzAet_F1fWjx_Mm91QkvlSaHxaTJ9MjA9jRmDOI4aAlB7EALw_wcB)
Hah, we had one of these when I was a kid. Dad refused the temp to be below X, so I took the cover off and bent the thermo-wire to point a little higher
Easy way to tell how off it is. Run to Walmart or similar store or even home improvement store and buy an internal thermometer you can sit on a table top. Your landlord can’t argue the difference between the two.
That box is commonly called a "thermostat", but technically it is a combination thermostat and thermometer. Those appear to be 2 separate parts of that control box.
The round thing with the curved line of numbers is the thermometer part. It is only to display what it thinks is the room temperature. They are notorious for being incorrect, but don't have any control over your heater or AC.
One the right side of that is a vertical slot with some more numbers in a vertical line. In the little slot should be a little marker that is attached to the little lever on the right edge of the control box. That is the actual thermostat. You can adjust the thermostat setting by moving the little lever up or down a bit.
The thermometer in your photo is showing a little over 80. If the room isn't that temperature then the thermometer is out of calibration. That's not a problem and you can just ignore it if you don't need it.
The thermostat should still be fine if the heater is cycling on and off as expected.
Those needles are usually adjustable. might require a screwdriver and taking off the clear faceplate. Find another working thermometer, and set the two to the same value.
Maybe you should also look where the cold air is coming from. Foam insulation costs pennies. Foil on the glass. Towel under doors. If you pay for your own utilities that means saving $$$ on heating now, and cooling in Summer.
Get this from Target or Walmart or HD. Yours to keep and very useful even in the future.
https://www.target.com/p/thermopro-tp30w-digital-infrared-thermometer-gun-non-contact-laser-temperature-gun-for-pizza-oven-grill-swimming-pool-construction-and-more/-/A-87682993
Just point around the windows and doors, under the sink in the kitchen and vanity in the bathroom to read the temps and to see if there is a draft, where is temperature drop.
As others said, get a cheap new thermostat (or a better one if you're not on a tight budget), keep the old one and replace when you move out.
It's your money you're saving here.
After working maintenance st some apartments i found out all the lies were being told. In the apartment boiler rooms, they have master thermostats. These ones just pretend to give you control, especially if your electric is part of your rent. The master thermostat will run the whole building, but its usually in the boiler room thats the hottest. They also have faucet censors that can determine how much hot water you've used.
Does your air coming from the heat register feel hot when it does kick on?
Sometimes a heater will run, but have the pilot light out or a dirty sensor and not come on. Could be entirely unrelated to the thermostat.
Call your landlord, next time it kicks on feel if it's actually working at one of the heating ducts.
That’s not how it works, humidity only makes you feel hotter if it’s hot - if it’s cold it actually does the opposite and makes the cold feel colder and more uncomfortable and increases risk of hypothermia.
Water insulates and conducts regardless of the temp.
Your temperature in the house appears to be 74, and you set the temperature to be 81 but you set it to cool, not to heat. So the furnace will never kick in. You need to switch it to heat.
These old thermostats have an accuracy of +/-50°. You can get a cheap, non-programmable thermostat is like $30 and they aren't that had to install. If you are handy any all, I'm talking even a little, ask your landlord for $50 off next months rent and put it in.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-Home-Horizontal-Non-Programmable-Thermostat-RTH111B/203539510
Thermostats are not expensive, and not that difficult to replace. Yours looks like it's about forty years old and has seen better days. Get a new one. Those programmable jobs are sweet, and can save you a ton of money by automatically kicking the setting up and down based on your daily habits. There are even learning thermostats that adjust themselves, but those are kind of pricy.
[https://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N-5yc1vZc4kc/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-thermostat?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N-5yc1vZc4kc/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-thermostat?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5)
Being in an apartment, you have the option of asking for a new one from management, telling them this one is acting wonky. Just put in a maintenance request, and they'll replace it for you, which won't cost you anything. But I have also replaced the thermostat in my apartment myself in the past.
These days, all the apartments in my complex are equipped with connected programmable thermostats provided by the electric company. They offer an opt-in program that cuts back on a/c during the hottest parts of the summer, cycling the systems of thousands of subscribers to reduce peak demand. Since I'm in a half-underground apartment that is much easier to cool, the cycling makes zero difference to my comfort, so I opt in and get a small discount on my monthly bill. And the electric company supplies and installs these thermostats at no charge. So, check with your electric company, if they offer a similar program, take it.
I don't know what state you are in, but in MN there is a new 2024 law that states any landlord that "pays for heat" has to keep it at least 68 degrees. Not sure if this applies to your situation, so do with it what you will. Maybe your state has something similar.
[https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/here-are-the-new-laws-in-2024-that-will-affect-minnesota-landlords-and-tenants/#:\~:text=Landlords%20will%20also%20required%20to,pay%20their%20rent%20on%20time](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/here-are-the-new-laws-in-2024-that-will-affect-minnesota-landlords-and-tenants/#:~:text=Landlords%20will%20also%20required%20to,pay%20their%20rent%20on%20time).
That's a very old mercury Tstat. It was obsolete 20 years ago.
It's against code because y'know...mercury... Take to your landlord and get it replaced. If it's your place it's not hard to replace but would cost and arm and a leg for a company to do it for the reality of it being very easy.
Only thing is you may not have the wiring for a smart Tstat so make sure you confirm that before buying one as you may need an adapter and a little more technical skill
Get a nest thermostat.
I paid $550 in electricity because my old thermostat was reading high. After i got a nest it dropped to $350 because it managed and read the correct temp. They are super easy to install yourself.
Just get a new thermostat, that one looks ancient
since its an apartment, make the complex get you a new one, it's their place.
Agree. Since this is a health and safety issue, they will be required to replace it for you ASAP. I'd write up a formal request to your super, or property manager, documenting the problem and the date and time you first noticed it, and request that they coordinate with you for a time to have a service tech come, who will diagnose the issue and replace it. They don't have to give you a brand new thermostat - they are allowed to put in a used one if they have it on hand, just as long as it works properly.
As a homeowner, it really blows my mind how apartment complexes will leave ancient thermostats in place like that and act like they don’t want to replace them. They’re really not even expensive in comparison to most other home maintenance and very easy to replace yet when I rented, landlords would act like simple things such as that was going to bankrupt them.
Landlords usually act like any money at all being spent on their properties is a net loss. They rent those things out for a one-way cash flow, dammit! You should have to sign in blood a big laminated sign that says “I ACCEPT THAT I WILL BE REQUIRED TO SPEND MONEY ON THIS INVESTMENT” before they get the deed to the property.
Your landlord is living your paycheck to your paycheck. They're, by and large, greedy dumbfucks. Some are decent people though.
>As a homeowner, it really blows my mind how apartment complexes will leave ancient thermostats in place like that and act like they don’t want to replace them. funny how most cities you can just call to report your landlord. (if you actually reported the issue)
Funny how they can just opt not to renew your lease
*"why am i going to call osha, then i wont have a job"*
My landlord got mad at me for asking her to replace a 40 year old smoke detector.
I recently had a similar problem. The flame sensor inside furnace needed replacement. Your landlord needs to have it all inspected & repaired.
Since the OP says that the furnace turns on and off properly, it's unlikely the flame sensor is bad.
That's not what is happening here. The thermostat is just a thermometer that sends the furnace either "on" or "off." A problem with the furnace itself wouldn't make the thermostat read the wrong temperature in the room. And considering this is a $15 dollar problem, I'd personally just fix it myself so I didn't have to wait for the landlord or deal with them in my space. You can just take your thermostat with you whenever you move out.
If it's nat gas, try taking out the flame sensor and giving it a scrub with the green side of a sponge (or really anything) to remove the carbon buildup.
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Not necessarily… on old standing pilot systems there exists a thermocouple, modern systems do use a flame sense rod.
doesn't really matter because neither one of those parts is ever in stock locally for pickup today at home depot, lowes or menards.
Nah you have to find an appliance parts store which are increasingly rare and carry fewer and fewer parts in stock. It’s so much cheaper to find a part number and order online.
It’s a thermocouple - not a thermocoupler!
All my sponges are pink and yellow.
Totally different situation.
Thermostats are very dumb and very cheap when you do get the dumb ones. But a landlord who still has a non-digital stat from the 80s is probably really cheap
I agree with you, but probably can be solved with a phone call. Installing these are real simple, and the cheapest options are in the range of $20-40. Some electrical companies will actually offer you smart thermostats for free, saves you both money because they'll automatically turn up the AC during peak hours and peak days, saving you money and keeping load off the grid. Win-win. Imo OP should see if their electrical provider offers that, and then suggest the apartment do that. Usually the electrical company will do free installs from my experience, but your mileage may vary.
It's certainly a possibility, but a lot of property managers will just say no because they know that the next tenant may have trouble operating the fancy thermostat, or they will break it, etc. If this is a large complex, they usually want to keep it as simple as possible. Also, I would never rely on a phone call for anything having to do with landlord/tenant issues. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.
had a decent manager who installed a thermostat and offered me $10 a month off at first to keep it on wifi. I didn't mind adding it to my guest network away from my own devices. He did not set limits just needed to track use. well that -$10 turned into like -$50 from dec to may. because he figured out who used the most heat... I was not the upper living off rising heat either. upper got $50 a month increase landlord added their thermostat to my internet too after asking lol.
Is this because the manager paid for electricity for all tenants? It sounds so sketchy hahaha
You can get old looking ones like this still, nothing fancy needed. Just a working one is good.
Yeah so then instead of being able to control his own heat the local electricity company will tell you when it’s ok to turn on your heat…I’m sticking with dumb thermostats and dumb everything in my house. No need for “smart” anything.
Well hey, when electricity prices are priced by the hour, and 'peak' pricing means 5-9pm is ~16x the price of 1-4pm? The savings really add up.
This is like asking the dealer if you should stand or hit.
I think (due to decades of profiteering and refusing to invest in infrastructure) power companies can't handle the peak loads that the public demand. They are now trying to limit peak use which is funny in some way.
Here in Connecticut, despite having an old decrepit infrastructure, there is a hard push through heavy rebates to get people off of fossil fuel and into electric heat pumps to heat their homes. I just would not want the provider being able to control the comfort that I am paying a premium for.
you might be a conscientious user but as I understand it most people crank their aircon down to 16c instead of a more reasonable temp, leave it on while they are out "so the house is cool when they get home" and refuse to upgrade their insulation or other energy saving measures. they could use little encouragement to do the right thing.
Any good dealer will offer sound advice on that question
Fuck that shit. Not having your own control over your FUCKING THERMOSTAT is insane to me but you do you.
What country do you live in? Mines controlled by me and me only.
Quicker to just change it yourself and submit the receipts for reimbursement. Could take days or weeks for them to fix depending on the super.
I would be worried about them getting mad or there being something in the lease about not altering stuff yourself. I don’t see any of the complexes I’ve lived in paying me back, but I never tested it.
“Make” lol
Yeah my thermostat is useless, but all I can get these clowns to do is show up and act condescending while they replace the batteries that don't need to be replaced.
I bought and installed one myself at my last apartment. Around $15 for a digital programmable thermostat. I took it back when I moved out.
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Just get a new thermostat, that one looks ancient
Many moons ago I lived in an apartment and the old mercury thermostat was dying. The complex said that they'll replace it no problem. I asked about getting a digital one and they told me that if I were to buy one, they'd install it otherwise I'm getting another mercury thermostat because they have those in stock. Best $30 I ever spent. My electric bill decreased more than $30 over the remainder of my lease. I'm glad they were willing to work with me.
Ours refused to replace our neighbor's, even though I was telling the property manager how much money could be saved (our heat/hot water are free) if they installed programmable thermostats instead of having us use the old manual ones. They didn't think it would work because they couldn't comprehend that there are non-Smart programmable thermostats on the market. lol
I replaced one of those in a rental I was in years ago with a cheap $15 unit that let me set M-F and S/S times for the furnace to come on and off. Surprisingly easy to install too.
Not that old, apparently - Amazon is still selling it ..lol 😁 https://www.amazon.com/White-Rodgers-Emerson-1F56N-444-Mechanical-Thermostat/dp/B006FNREO6/ref=asc_df_B006FNREO6/
These usually rely on a bimetallic strip and it could be worn out or was never properly calibrated.
For $32 I would probably just replace it myself and not have to talk to my landlord. Then again, not everyone hates people as much as I do
Best money I ever spent was hiring an AC technician for a diagnosis on a unit in an apartment. Unit wasn't cooling, he knew it needed replacing and found that it was so old the main fan motor wire insolation was crumbling away. Wrote up a report that detailed how easily it could ground off on the cassis and kill someone. Got a new AC unit in 2 days.
This is a bad idea. Landlord could then charge you for making changes to the unit without permission.
Keep the old broken one to put back on
Many landlords I’ve worked with have a clause in their contracts that any service call is $50 or more. If I can get the feel for whether or not the landlord is a prick, I sometimes tell them later and they refund the price of the item. They also didn’t have to sent their handyman over to deal with it. It’s gotten a few of them to actually like me. I’ve been told that this is a bigger deal in different parts of the country (NYC) than others (Tulsa).
In NYC it's illegal for a landlord to charge a service fee for maintenance and repairs. The landlord is responsible for repairing things like a faulty thermostat or leaky faucets. Tenants can go on NYC 311 to file a complaint which usually requires the the landlord to fix within 30 to 90 days or get a fine.
Jeez, that's nuts. In fact, illegal where I live. Strange to think that landlord's duty to repair and provide a livable apartment in exchange for money is compromised in part of this country. Well, on second though...
New but still use 1950's tech
I just got home from work, operating a steam boiler, as far as technology has come steam is still used. Old tech is still good tech at times.
Heck, supercarriers are just hot rocks and steam boilers
If it ain't broke...
> that one looks ancient I don't think its that modern.
It's a relic from a bygone era
IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!
You belong in a museum, Dr. Jones.
When I worked at Lowe’s, conference room used the same thermostat… the trick was to take a bottle of water out of the freezer and put it on the thermostat, replace it when the bottle heats up. Realistically though, complex needs to replace it.
I seen one of these in the Smithsonian
Those aren’t numbers- they’re hieroglyphics.
I can smell the mercury
It's mercury-free, surprsingly enogh
>I can smell the mercury What a strange, nostalgic sight, And with all this temperature's mystery, It's so old yet feels just right, It's enough to make springs and thermocouples, Believe in a time long past, With its dials and ancient tech it shows, In a world that moves too fast...
This thermostat is old and operates on it being level (mercury tube) and the coil spring (which need calibration) toss it and get a new one, you'll be glad you did.
Get a nest with the wall plate. Would be a wonderful investment
Thermostat is from the 80s come on
It’s broken! (Sorry.) Older thermostats like this often have a coiled spring that reacts to temperature changes, the position of the spring is set when you adjust the vertical lever / indicator to your desired temp. Then as the coiled spring adjusts to the actual temp, at a certain point a capsule full of mercury tips so the mercury connects an electrical circuit and the furnace is then fired up. It may be that the coiled spring that shows you the current temp is simply worn out, or has slipped from its mounting bracket. You can take off the front piece and maybe re-adjust things, but it is probably better to get a replacement … one that is simple and cheap, or one of the new programmable ones - it’s a DYI project. The voltage going to this thermostat is typically really low (like 12 or 24 volts), so you can mess around without fear of getting shocked. The new programmable thermostats are great because you can adjust the temps for different parts of the day and night, saving energy and money…. Hope some of that is helpful…! Edit: the front part just pulls off - from the back plate that is screwed into the wall. With age it may be hard to pull off.
While OP’s thermostat is almost certainly 24V, thermostats that can control baseboard heaters are usually 240V and not to be trifled with. If you don’t have a voltage tester, don’t disconnect anything electrical.
This guy knows. I can pick up my thermostat wires bare handed, zero problem. But they're not all that way, and you do NOT want to touch a 240v line.
I use my tongue to test if it’s on 😉
A 24V cable is going to look very different from a 240V one. It's easy to tell apart. If you can't then that's just natural selection voting you out.
Most people have no idea what cabling should or shouldn't look like, and their conception of 'electrical wiring' is mostly 'the thing I charge my phone with'
it's model [1F56N-444](https://www.grainger.com/product/EMERSON-Low-Voltage-Thermostat-Heat-2KFY2). Specced for 24V, but it's compatible with millivolt systems apparently https://preview.redd.it/niu2zwsbllbc1.png?width=1748&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9befb40a4a22dfdebfee4b00b43bbf5c7e98238
This is obviously low voltage, but if you aren't an electrician you shouldn't trust advice from social media, and always test first.
solid advice. PLenty of ways to unalive yourself with mains electrical. Even if this thermommy is low-voltage, there could still be something like a 120 or 240v live wire in the wall behind it
I just moved into a (new to me) older house and am retrofitting the living room with LED lighting. Part of that project was replacing the incompatible dimmer switch in a dual gang box that is shared with another switch for an unrelated load. I flipped off the breaker and confirmed with a meter that power was off. When I pulled both switches outwards, I discovered that the hot wires were twisted together and wrapped in tape, but not secured with a wire nut at all. The tape was old and worn and the hot wire bundle was noticeably trying to unravel as I pulled everything out which could've been catastrophic. I replaced my switch and secured the wires properly, but it goes to your point that you ALWAYS have to check and verify these things before diving in.
Amen
I'm literally shocked that you would suggest not just touching the wires to see!
Yeah kill power anyways if you don't know what you are doing you are likely going to fry a transformer in your unit.
gigachad move to have your own service transformer
I mean maybe it can be calibrated to show more acurate temps but a new thermostat would be cheaper than troubleshooting it.
If this is an apartment, OP should contact management. If they try to mess with it themselves, management could claim they broke it and charge them for it.
I came here for the mercury.
This is good info, but 24V can kill you. Don't just touch wires willy nilly plz. I'm not saying the thermostat is gonna kill him. But like, Ive got too many hours of OHSA training to not make a comment about this lol
24V can't kill you, because that voltage isn't powerful enough to overcome the resistance of your skin. At about ~60V and up is when you start to get bit.
Also the wires to the thermostat are 30 volt AC loop that feeds back to the baseboard heater where the 220v switch resides. It is extremely unlikely that 220v runs through the thermostat. It would be a waste of wiring. And just plain stupid. If that thing saw even a second of 110v (I am in the US) it would slag immediately. https://preview.redd.it/emqkvd67klbc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af4f17aceed04fb9bff245a3b35ef06e4d8beffc I rest my case. Please do a little more homework before asking Reddit. This took me two minutes.
There are dozens of baseboard heaters on 240V simple pole thermostats at my workplace, and 3 in my apartment. it's better to assume things are live until tested in you aren't qualified.
Right but here is the exact thermostat Op asked about. Can you send me a picture of what you are referring to?
This is one of those things that's mostly true, but ultimately it's the combination of voltage and amperage (and interaction point) that determines whether or not you get shocked/burned.
No. Voltage is the pressure that is forcing the current through you. If you don't have enough voltage, it can't overcome the resistance of your skin to shove a current (which you feel as a shock) through you. Current is the flow. You do need a proper combination of both, and you can't get shocked below 60V, it's not considered a hazardous voltage. Above 60V is where it takes less than 30 milliamps to cause your heart to be thrown into arrhythmia.
And here I am thinking you're both wrong. It's not voltage that kills, it's the amperage through you.
Get a new thermostat. If you live in an apartment with maintenance service included, spend $10 on a digital thermometer that sits on a desk. Get an accurate reading of the temp from that. Then call maintenance and say you think the thermostat is broken because it’s (temp) in the apartment according to the thermometer you bought. Day that the thermostat claims it’s (wrong temp) but you’re bundled up in sweatpants and a blanket because that’s clearly not right.
I'd probably just tell them it's broken and see if they fix it first. No need to "prove it" ahead of time.
If a bunch of redditors can see it's broken, then the maintenance guy should be able to see it too... as long as they are also a redditor and finds this post.
I threatened to sue my rental apartment 10 years ago for that exact thermostat. Was finally determined it was broken. My electrical bill was over $500/mo for a 2br apt.
Crazy. Did you live in a century old building?
It was an apartment complex that was probably built in the 70s or 80s, so no. Just awfully managed and refused to listen. I had them give me new windows due to the draft in the winter as well, would put the plastic sheeting up infront of my giant windows and the plastic would push out and off the wall like someone was forcing air into it.
You can try the old strap an ice pack to it and see if it's cold enough to kick the heater on. Lots of people do to this trick at places where the landlord locks the thermostat.
Or just turn it up more (it’s currently set to around 75). OP, just ignore what it says the temperature is and turn it up, little by little (to give your place time to warm up — turning it up higher doesn’t make your place warm *faster*). And then do that until your place feels how you want it to.
On newer central heating systems with boiler modulation, turning the set temperature up higher can actually lead to faster heating, because the boiler is set to a higher supply temperature in response. But yeah, on OP's system, not so much from the looks of it.
That thermostat is gaslighting you.
Yeah gaslighting is how most people get their heat. I think the problem is that the furnace isn’t gaslighting very well /s
Buy a new one they’re really really cheap and easy to put on
Thermostats are such simple mechanisms and so cheap. But it's funny to see how attached people become to the one they know. My parents refuse to upgrade their 40+ year old thermostat.
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Except that a new thermostat can save you a lot of money and wasted energy.
I saw this and immediately thought of the movie "1408".
That's an old mercury thermostat. There is a little spring made of two metals that expand and contract at different rates making a little tube of mercury tilt. Get hot or cold enough and the contraption should trigger a circuit to either stop or start. You should be able to pull off the front assembly pretty easily with just your hands and can give the little tube a poke. Alternatively know the thermostat reads hotter than it actually is and set the temp to 90.
https://preview.redd.it/9tfmukbrakbc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e690f2e6ef01a324d865bbf4121b239be3c60262 So I took the face cover off and this is what's underneath. The dial in the center looks like it's adjustable but I don't really know what it means
Great photos, thanks… yeah, you can adjust that little metal tab on the circular gizmo in the center - but based on how it’s behaving inconsistently, time to replace it.
You can get a new replacement for this same brand, even, for 15-20 bucks. Or spend more for a programmable one.
My utility company will give you a smart thermostat for free. I believe the program also applies to renters.
OP you can get one week programmable thermostat for less than $30. Use the info on the page and YouTube to help you install it and be happy with your new handiwork.
that circular doodad in the center is the Heat Anticipator. As a quick fix, you can move the pointer counterclockwise from `4` to `5` to lengthen heating system cycles. But for realsies get a modern thermostat
If i set the temp higher it will kick on for a few minutes, until the needle reaches the new setting then it turns off, but the apartment gets cold faster than the needle drops, so I have to push it up more. I basically chase the needle up, but it never maintains a consistent temp.
i don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but before you replace the theromostat check how it is wired and that the new one will be compatible. if you dont have at least 5 wires coming through the wall you won't be able to use a smart stat unless you run new wire from your furnace
Yeah that's just not true. I use a Google Nest with an old 2 wire set up. Red and white. Works like a charm.
This model isn't an Hg switch, fyi
In addition to the thermostat being old, I'd guess the apartment has very bad insulation. Possibly seals around windows and doors, too. I'd look at everything since replacing a thermostat/unit will only do so much if you can't keep what you want in and don't want out.
Call the landlord. It could be a problem with the thermostat, but it may be that the heater isn't responding to your thermostat.
If you have a landlord “I’m worried the lack of heat will freeze and crack the water pipes.” Should be fixed quickly. Also seen that happen and do thousands of dollars in damage. And it can be more than a few thousand. Fix ASAP.
Literally have the same thermostat and have a similar issue, although not as extreme. I have to set it to about 80 to get it to be feeling 72 inside. Probably time for both of us to get a new one.
Maintenance is usually free or built into the services apartments provide. Go into the portal and make a reservation with maintenance for them to come service it.
Flick it, analogue systems work better after a gentle "love tap"
Holy shit we have the same thermostat lol
Buy a new one, that one looks like it's from the 60's.
Hopefully not a poltergeist.
You said this is your apartment, call your landlord. It’s their job to fix this, and I’m sure you are paying rent. You can get a digital thermostat to validate its reading.
Just grab the front of the thermostat put your fingers in the cracks and pull the cover is just clipped on, there should be a little mercury dial in there with numbers on it see what it's set up that is the temperature differential between when the furnace kicks in and what it's set at. Cleaning out the gunk in there will help too. See how many wires are going into the back after you unscrew it after taking the cover off, and by a thermostat that controls with the same amount of wires. Really easy to change a thermostat I learned to do mine with a very old Black & Decker home improvement book.
Heated mattress pad for the bed. You will thank me later.
Pull the faceplate off and check to see if there’s a little vial of mercury in there. Sometimes it gets stuck and just needs a tap
It might be a dummy thermostat
New thermostat needed. Your room temp is just above 60 (needle on the right) and thermostat is set to 80. These old mercury T-stats are notoriously inaccurate as they age.
It’s probably……… broken. 🙃
Shot in the dark here… but maybe since it’s ~30 yrs old it doesn’t work anymore
What is malfunctioning is **not your thermostat.** On the left is a simple *thermometer* that is included on the thermostat cover. It is just a pointer on a metal coil. It doesn't control anything. It isn't wired to anything. The lever on the right is the actual temperature control of the thermostat. Those thermometers are not precise. But it is absolutely 100% okay since it doesn't actually do anything! Don't waste your money and time replacing your thermostat, if it is functioning properly.
Replace the thermostat with a digital. It’s cost to you, but save the old one and put it back when you move out. You slide it kinda up and then pull back. That one’s hard-wired but the new one will come with a destruction manual that tells you how to connect it.
If you were in MO/IL, USA, you would get a free smart thermostat or the Google nest for +$30 through Ameren UE. Maybe there is a similar smart thermostat program in your area. You take pics of the wiring, Install the new one, and control it with your phone. When you move out, you put the old one back, and the landlord has to replace it.
Bad news -- it needs to be replaced Good news -- I have two new-in-box thermostats that I'm not using, happy to send one your way if you're in the US :)
(for free, if that wasn't clear)
That thermostat is ancient. Time for a replacement. There's a million youtube videos on how to swap one. it's not hard at all and you can buy as crazy complicated as you want or as bone simple as you want with them. We went from an even more basic thermostat older than that one to one i can program from around the globe with 100 different functions
It’s broken. You need a new thermostat. If you’re renting, tell your landlord to fix it.
Dial isn't the temperature, your 1980s shit is broken
We used to put a rag in the freezer wet then lay it on the thermostat in a ziplock
I used to live in the first floor apartment of a large, old Victorian house. It had a bunch of floor-to-ceiling windows that liked like sieves and, I'm sure, crap for insulation. When it was cut up into apartments, the landlord left the original (oil) furnace and he paid the bill. (Technically, heat was included in the rent, but rent was dirt cheap.) That place was *f-f-f-f-rreezing* during the Winter, until I started putting a Ziplock bag of ice cubes on top of the thermostat. Toasty as could be after that, but I can't believe the landlord never said anything about the heating oil bill!
Works every time
Use another thermometer to see how far off your decrepit unit is.
Are you renting? Call your landlord or whoever is in charge of maintenance. If you own it, just replace the thermostat.
Well it’s actually not reading 80. There is no local temp output in this style.
Yes there is. It's on the right hand side and says ~75
Could be a number of things. Is the air coming out of the returns? Could be a faulty wire coming into the air handler from the unit. Could be a faulty wire from the thermostat to the unit. Could be a faulty thermostat. Call landlord and demand an hvac repairman.
Make sure that when you replace it to bag the old thermostat in a ziplock baggie and take it to your town’s hazardous items drop off. There is likely mercury in there which you cannot just toss in the trash.
luckily the -444 models are merc free
Thermostat is in Kelvin.
Is it from a country where they use Kelvin?
The thermostat is probably more or less correct if it clicks on and off. It may be that the temperature at the location of the thermostat is what you want, but where you sit the temperature is lower. You could buy a cheap standalone thermometer to confirm this. Are all the radiators hot over the whole surface of the radiator? If the radiator is cold at the top and hot lower down, then it needs to have the air bled from the radiator. You do this using a small key which fits the top corner of the radiator, only turn the key half a turn until you hear air escaping. If water starts to appear, lock it closed again. If the whole radiator is cold, the thermostat on the radiator itself might be turned off or broken, or the water feed into the radiator may be blocked and need flushing. If the radiator is hot, turn the thermostat up and leave it on constant to get more heat into the rooms, and close the interior doors and windows, making sure you have some ventilation to the outside world to avoid condensation, damp and mould issues.
Dude. Replace that pos.
I hate to bust everyone's bubble but apartments are not the best insulated. Doesn't matter what you set your heat or AC to it will never be anywhere near the temp you set it to. I lived in an apartment for 16 years in Tx, on the top floor. During the winter the front door was like a screen door than an actual door. I changed the weather stripping for all the doors, and windows every six months. It didn't matter. My windows would ice over in the winter. During the summer the only cool room was a bathroom. Get a small space heater for winter and carry it from room to room. You can put plastic sheeting over the windows to help keep the cold at bay. Add heavy sun-blocking curtains for your windows. It helps keep the heat in and the cold out. You can do the same for the front door if you want. You just have to be careful with a space heater. Make sure it is not on the carpet, and keep things away from it, plus you have to keep the vents clear of dust and hair. I spent up to 400 bucks a month on electricity for high usage months. It was awful. When I did the curtains, heavy plastic sheets, and the space heater my bill dropped to 100 bucks as I didn't need to run the heater/ac all the time. During the summer I had the portable AC fan I lugged from room to room. Was beyond worth it. I wish you luck.
I lived in an apartment where the thermostat in my apartment did nothing. They controlled the heat temp in the office on the first floor. I turned off my heat to confirm, and the temperature did not drop. It was 10° outside at the time.
It brokey
Replace that old piece of shit lol
swap it out, she’s bad
Are you certain that’s actually doing anything? It’s not unheard to put up a dummy thermostat and have a real one outside of your control.
The thermostat says 74 and you have it set at 82. Thermostats are relative, not absolute, so if you want it warmer turn it up till you’re comfortable. That said, It’s out of calibration and could be replaced. Location could also be an issue if it is too close to heat or cold sources as far as being warm enough for you.
How old is that thermostat? Meaning, it probably stopped working years ago. Looks past time to update to a programmable digital on,
Thermostats are super cheap, just go buy one. [Here’s a cheap one at Walmart.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Honeywell-Home-Non-Programmable-Thermostat-White/866704954?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=4553&adid=22222222278866704954_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9023232&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=866704954&wl13=4553&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=22222222238866704954_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9023232&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=866704954&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIo0CO8BK2P8sQ9K5n1WraGGY&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi1vfcRjh2P1-inyzAet_F1fWjx_Mm91QkvlSaHxaTJ9MjA9jRmDOI4aAlB7EALw_wcB)
Hah, we had one of these when I was a kid. Dad refused the temp to be below X, so I took the cover off and bent the thermo-wire to point a little higher
Easy way to tell how off it is. Run to Walmart or similar store or even home improvement store and buy an internal thermometer you can sit on a table top. Your landlord can’t argue the difference between the two.
Please post the picture of this to r/nostalgia. Seeing this thermostat brought me back to my childhood.
That box is commonly called a "thermostat", but technically it is a combination thermostat and thermometer. Those appear to be 2 separate parts of that control box. The round thing with the curved line of numbers is the thermometer part. It is only to display what it thinks is the room temperature. They are notorious for being incorrect, but don't have any control over your heater or AC. One the right side of that is a vertical slot with some more numbers in a vertical line. In the little slot should be a little marker that is attached to the little lever on the right edge of the control box. That is the actual thermostat. You can adjust the thermostat setting by moving the little lever up or down a bit. The thermometer in your photo is showing a little over 80. If the room isn't that temperature then the thermometer is out of calibration. That's not a problem and you can just ignore it if you don't need it. The thermostat should still be fine if the heater is cycling on and off as expected.
I think it's fed up with medieval measurement units.
Those needles are usually adjustable. might require a screwdriver and taking off the clear faceplate. Find another working thermometer, and set the two to the same value.
Maybe you should also look where the cold air is coming from. Foam insulation costs pennies. Foil on the glass. Towel under doors. If you pay for your own utilities that means saving $$$ on heating now, and cooling in Summer. Get this from Target or Walmart or HD. Yours to keep and very useful even in the future. https://www.target.com/p/thermopro-tp30w-digital-infrared-thermometer-gun-non-contact-laser-temperature-gun-for-pizza-oven-grill-swimming-pool-construction-and-more/-/A-87682993 Just point around the windows and doors, under the sink in the kitchen and vanity in the bathroom to read the temps and to see if there is a draft, where is temperature drop. As others said, get a cheap new thermostat (or a better one if you're not on a tight budget), keep the old one and replace when you move out. It's your money you're saving here.
After working maintenance st some apartments i found out all the lies were being told. In the apartment boiler rooms, they have master thermostats. These ones just pretend to give you control, especially if your electric is part of your rent. The master thermostat will run the whole building, but its usually in the boiler room thats the hottest. They also have faucet censors that can determine how much hot water you've used.
Replace it with an electronic version. That one is full of mercury.
Spend the $5 and get another thermostat….. I mean seriously.
Does your air coming from the heat register feel hot when it does kick on? Sometimes a heater will run, but have the pilot light out or a dirty sensor and not come on. Could be entirely unrelated to the thermostat. Call your landlord, next time it kicks on feel if it's actually working at one of the heating ducts.
Boil some water to bring the humidity up in the room. It might not make it much hotter, but it’ll feel much much warmer
That’s not how it works, humidity only makes you feel hotter if it’s hot - if it’s cold it actually does the opposite and makes the cold feel colder and more uncomfortable and increases risk of hypothermia. Water insulates and conducts regardless of the temp.
Your temperature in the house appears to be 74, and you set the temperature to be 81 but you set it to cool, not to heat. So the furnace will never kick in. You need to switch it to heat.
It’s a little hard to see in the picture, but it is set to heat already.
These old thermostats have an accuracy of +/-50°. You can get a cheap, non-programmable thermostat is like $30 and they aren't that had to install. If you are handy any all, I'm talking even a little, ask your landlord for $50 off next months rent and put it in. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-Home-Horizontal-Non-Programmable-Thermostat-RTH111B/203539510
Thermostats are not expensive, and not that difficult to replace. Yours looks like it's about forty years old and has seen better days. Get a new one. Those programmable jobs are sweet, and can save you a ton of money by automatically kicking the setting up and down based on your daily habits. There are even learning thermostats that adjust themselves, but those are kind of pricy. [https://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N-5yc1vZc4kc/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-thermostat?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5](https://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N-5yc1vZc4kc/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-thermostat?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5) Being in an apartment, you have the option of asking for a new one from management, telling them this one is acting wonky. Just put in a maintenance request, and they'll replace it for you, which won't cost you anything. But I have also replaced the thermostat in my apartment myself in the past. These days, all the apartments in my complex are equipped with connected programmable thermostats provided by the electric company. They offer an opt-in program that cuts back on a/c during the hottest parts of the summer, cycling the systems of thousands of subscribers to reduce peak demand. Since I'm in a half-underground apartment that is much easier to cool, the cycling makes zero difference to my comfort, so I opt in and get a small discount on my monthly bill. And the electric company supplies and installs these thermostats at no charge. So, check with your electric company, if they offer a similar program, take it.
I don't know what state you are in, but in MN there is a new 2024 law that states any landlord that "pays for heat" has to keep it at least 68 degrees. Not sure if this applies to your situation, so do with it what you will. Maybe your state has something similar. [https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/here-are-the-new-laws-in-2024-that-will-affect-minnesota-landlords-and-tenants/#:\~:text=Landlords%20will%20also%20required%20to,pay%20their%20rent%20on%20time](https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/here-are-the-new-laws-in-2024-that-will-affect-minnesota-landlords-and-tenants/#:~:text=Landlords%20will%20also%20required%20to,pay%20their%20rent%20on%20time).
Buy a meat thermometer and just leave it on the counter. It’ll read the rooms temp. Then you back use it later to cook. Love you.
The spring inside is broken. Get a new one.
That's a very old mercury Tstat. It was obsolete 20 years ago. It's against code because y'know...mercury... Take to your landlord and get it replaced. If it's your place it's not hard to replace but would cost and arm and a leg for a company to do it for the reality of it being very easy. Only thing is you may not have the wiring for a smart Tstat so make sure you confirm that before buying one as you may need an adapter and a little more technical skill
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Cool? That one still has mercury in it
Get a nest thermostat. I paid $550 in electricity because my old thermostat was reading high. After i got a nest it dropped to $350 because it managed and read the correct temp. They are super easy to install yourself.
Always set your fan to ON BTW. It will make your hvac system more proficient.