Thermostat

So I'm sitting here watching Tech beat Cincinnati (didn't even know The University of Cincinnati had a football team until today...sad b/c I lived in Cincy from 1987 (age 12) until I went to college and my parents were there another 8 or so years beyond that!) and I'm chilly. Really chilly. Chillier here than I was at Canaan Valley with the snow blowing through the door.

So I go upstairs to investigate. The thermostat is set ay 69. No wonder it's cold. I realized that I have been messing with the thermostat more this winter than ever before. I suspected that there was a problem with programable settings or something.

I touch the "increase temp" button and the thermostat goes into a strange mode - it's got the temp displayed "69" and it says "off" and it's blinking. It has never blinked. The fan and the heat pump are still running. I begin investigating. Of course it's midnight. Why do these things happen at midnight?

Of course I can't find the owners manual. Google to the rescue! I find the owners manual.

Both on the thermostat and in the owners manual I see info on how to replace the batteries. Batteries? This thing works on batteries? Who knew.

It says to replace the batteries yearly. hmmmm...I have had this thermostat since 2005 - March 2005 so almost 4 years - and up until tonight had no idea that it used batteries. Could explain why it hasn't been holding the temp lately.

So I begin to figure out how to replace the batteries. I finally get all the buttons in the right place and pry the cover off. Next task find batteries. I have lots of batteries. Lots of AA batteries, which is what I need. I grab 2 and note that they are dated 2009. uh-oh. It's NOW 2009, these batteries are prob 5 years old, at least.

Oh well I pop them in. Nothing. The thermostat is blank now. Within about a minute the heat pump cuts out and the fan goes off. oh crap. It's 19 degrees outside and already chilly in here. yikes.

I try 2 new batteries. The thermostat comes to life! But the heat pump is still off. Oh no.

Dope slap! I turned it off when I replaced the batteries! It turned it back on it sprang to life!

Phew!

Now I'm going to bed in my hopefully toasty warm house!