WiFi/smart thermostats in a master/slave set up?


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Old 09-17-19, 11:33 AM
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WiFi/smart thermostats in a master/slave set up?

New to the forum....Need some advice on use/compatibility of smart/WIFI thermostats with master/slave HVAC setup.

I am looking at moving from digital thermostats to wifi/smart/learning. Looking at NEST and Ecobee among others. So our old, large crazy house has a weird 3 HVAC setup and am trying to figure out which products (if any) will work. I want to be able to control all areas from my phone, but have heard that some (if not all) smart stats don’t work for master/slave arrangement.

1) Downstairs – single HVAC/single thermostat. No issue
2) 2 story Addition – an upstairs en-suite, a back staircase down to a mudroom and an office. Single HVAC unit housed in the pulldown attic above the BR. I know for sure this is set up as a master/slave because someone told me (at inspection) with a stat in each room, but the BR has the overall control.

3) Second floor + third story/attic playroom – single HVAC. Used to be a multizonal setup (little mini stats in various rooms, with dampers opening and closing off various rooms) but it was so old and poorly designed, that when we moved in, we kinda had a local guy just take out the zonal control and I think its really just all the second floor is controlled the same way and the attic is separate. IE, all dampers open on second floor at one time (not room by room). But run off the same actual HVAC unit. So there is a thermostat in the attic, and one downstairs. Assume it’s a master/slave with second floor as master, but I don’t really know. I am going to get my HVAC guy to do all the installs here…..just trying to do some upfront research

Have read (amazon and other retail sites) that at least NEST does not allow for master/slave arrangement of which I clearly have at least one of those. Anyone know if that’s true? Would I need to either decouple the floors/rooms that are on same unit (too pricey) or just get it wired so that (for example) there is no longer a stat in the office and it just runs when upstairs bedroom runs? And attic just runs when second floor runs?

Or are there some brands that allow for this? Any other
Any advice is appreacited. Sorry if I stumbled over the HVAC lingo


Brendan

Davidson NC
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  #2  
Old 09-19-19, 07:38 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

Question 2..... if there are two thermostats controlling the system via a damper system..... then you need to locate the damper/zoning system on the side of the equipment and post what it is. With some older zoning systems.... it would need to be replaced with a newer model.

Question 3..... if all the dampers were blocked open..... there should only be one controlling thermostat. If there are multiple ones...... see the answer to question two as that may need to have the damper/zoning board replaced too.
 
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Old 10-10-19, 12:29 PM
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Control Panel follow up

Hey there. Thanks for the reply. Sorry...work has been nuts

So the control panel upstairs in attic by the air handler is a Honeywell HZ311. Seems like that is a fairly modern zone controller/damper controller. Or at least it’s still being sold

I had someone come replace the damper motors recently. I think somehow they all got stuck in closed position. But all motors now replaced so air is flowing again. I may have missed categorized the issue in my original posting. But had something to do with damper motors. And we now should be able to control temp in attic playroom independent from how we set the second floor even though they are on same AC unit

But back to my question. The HVAC guy (who does this on the side admittedly....is a firefighter by day) said to go with Honeywell WIFI TStats if we want to go with WIFI controlled units mainly as they should play nice with the HZ311 and he also he just has had some bad experiences with Nest. That’s just his take. But I looked at them and the Honeywell T5s and newer look nice (important to wife) and capable (don’t need all the learning functions of Nest). So probably go with those.

He said he THINKS there should be no problem having WIFI TStats in this zonal setup and our HZ311 box

Any input is appreciated on Honeywell WIFI stats and use in zone setup

thanks again!
 
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Old 10-10-19, 10:21 PM
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Almost any stat will play well with that newer zoning board.
Yes..... the nests do have their fair share of problems.

The T5 is a good choice.
The Ecobees are good too.
 
 

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