Hi everyone,
I recently installed a boiler in our basement. The boiler is plugged into the wall (i.e., it uses AC power) and can be controlled by a thermostat. The thermostat connectors on the boiler create a very simple circuit: when the circuit is closed, the boiler turns on and starts heating water. When the circuit is open, the boiler is off. Using a multimeter, I have determined that the circuit runs at very near to 5 volts.
I would like to install a Nest thermostat to use with the boiler. Most Nest thermostats use the power delivered by the heating unit to charge the thermostat's battery. The catch is that the Nest thermostat needs at least 24 volts to charge; when I hook it up to the two wires coming from the boiler, the Nest's battery slowly dies and the unit powers off. I have purchased a wall-mounted power converter that delivers 300mA at 24 volts. When I hook the converter up to the Nest Thermostat, the unit powers on, charges, and runs great. There are also two wires coming out of the Nest thermostat that are supposed to go to the boiler: when the thermostat senses that the room is too cold, it completes a 24 volt-circuit that runs through those two wires (i.e., it sends 24v of power through two wires coming out of the Nest thermostat).
Is it possible to make my boiler and thermostat work together? To simplify things even further: I have a 24-volt circuit and a 5-volt circuit. Every time the 24-volt circuit turns on, I need the 5-volt circuit to turn on, and every time the 24-volt circuit turns off, I need the 5-volt circuit to turn off. Is there a converter or switch of some kind that will accomplish this for me? If you need more information, please feel free to ask and I will get the additional information for you.
I really appreciate it.
-Sam
I recently installed a boiler in our basement. The boiler is plugged into the wall (i.e., it uses AC power) and can be controlled by a thermostat. The thermostat connectors on the boiler create a very simple circuit: when the circuit is closed, the boiler turns on and starts heating water. When the circuit is open, the boiler is off. Using a multimeter, I have determined that the circuit runs at very near to 5 volts.
I would like to install a Nest thermostat to use with the boiler. Most Nest thermostats use the power delivered by the heating unit to charge the thermostat's battery. The catch is that the Nest thermostat needs at least 24 volts to charge; when I hook it up to the two wires coming from the boiler, the Nest's battery slowly dies and the unit powers off. I have purchased a wall-mounted power converter that delivers 300mA at 24 volts. When I hook the converter up to the Nest Thermostat, the unit powers on, charges, and runs great. There are also two wires coming out of the Nest thermostat that are supposed to go to the boiler: when the thermostat senses that the room is too cold, it completes a 24 volt-circuit that runs through those two wires (i.e., it sends 24v of power through two wires coming out of the Nest thermostat).
Is it possible to make my boiler and thermostat work together? To simplify things even further: I have a 24-volt circuit and a 5-volt circuit. Every time the 24-volt circuit turns on, I need the 5-volt circuit to turn on, and every time the 24-volt circuit turns off, I need the 5-volt circuit to turn off. Is there a converter or switch of some kind that will accomplish this for me? If you need more information, please feel free to ask and I will get the additional information for you.
I really appreciate it.
-Sam