A couple of years ago, our air conditioner went out and we replaced it with a heat pump. Cha. Ching. When it was installed, we also got a new digital thermostat. It was the Mercedes of thermostats and I guess I should have been impressed but I could care less about that kind of stuff.
Two and a half years later on a dang cold, Friday night, our Mercedes didn’t seem to be working right. The temp went up to 70 at night and dropped to 64 during the day. I got out the trusty manual, read all 27 pages and checked the breaker. Big Daddy got involved which meant banging on it, giving it the finger and then walking away and saying, “Don’t worry about it.” I wasn’t worried so much as I was freezing my ass off.
On Sunday, I called Honeywell Customer Service and they walked me through some steps with no results. Finally, the rep said, “Your thermostat has likely become touch sensitive. You need a new one.” Huh? She told me that if you touch it too much it reverts to and locks into a program even though you didn’t schedule it. I’ve worked customer service type jobs for most of my life so I know that being a smart ass is not helpful in resolving a problem but……..it’s a frickin’ thermostat. Its sole purpose is to be adjusted up and down to maintain comfort.
On Monday I called our repairman, they installed a new one and Can I Hear An Amen, it was still under warranty. Now we’ve got a new Mercedes and I touch it far less and very, very lightly so as to not disturb the delicate, nervous, high-strung, prozaced, sensitive nature of it. If it has to be replaced again, it’ll be on us.
I think I was Amish in another life. A dial to turn right or left would suit me just fine.