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How do I add a thermostat to a gas stove?


PNWguy
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I replaced the 70's oil-burning furnace in my little house with a like-new Quadra Fire Castille natural gas stove that I bought off of Craigslist for $315.  It was used as supplemental heat in the previous owner's master bedroom, so it didn't have a blower or thermostat.

It heats my 1400sq ft home up just fine, but, I have to manually turn it on and off and have been using a metal fan in front of it to circulate heat throughout the house.  

Any idea how to wire in a thermostat to it?  How about a blower kit?

I was hoping to replace it with a new one before Winter, but my upcoming Japan trip has canceled that purchase.  

IMG_20151104_174034274_zpsal5klleb.thumb.jpg.f4a034bd4d461afc92205f625e1aab15.jpg

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Is the switch 120 volt? Milliamp DC? 24ac? If it's Milliamp DC or 24ac you can add wires in parallel to the switch and wire in a battery powered stat.

 

If it's 120v AC, wiring it up would cause you to burn your house down. You would need a transformer, a relay and a couple other things.

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I'm not even up to that level...

I have no idea if there are wires, what they would look like, where they would come out of and how they work.

I just know that now I have to flip a rocker switch to get the stove to turn on and I want it to be connected to a thermostat.

 

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Quote

 

https://www.zoro.com/peco-line-volt-mechanical-tstat-24-to-277vac-tf115-001/i/G3075134/

 

I have one just like this that I added to my garage gas heater.  It has a switch contacts that you connect to the wires of the switch you have now.

It's also 110 VAC so you just plug it into the wall outlet.  Mine is going on 40+ years old.

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4 hours ago, PNWguy said:

I'm not even up to that level...

I have no idea if there are wires, what they would look like, where they would come out of and how they work.

I just know that now I have to flip a rocker switch to get the stove to turn on and I want it to be connected to a thermostat.

 

If you aren't up to that level, don't attempt to modify it.

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3 hours ago, DWARREN123 said:

You would use a thermostat to regulate the gas valve. May be more trouble than worth. I would talk to a gas heater specialist about it.

May have to get a new gas valve and wiring with thermostat. Whatever else would depend on many things.

This^^^

It's possible that all you have to do is replace the switch with a thermostat that matches the voltage, depending on where it's located (you don't want it too close or too far away). That being said, get a professional to at least look at it. You are playing with fire after all.

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You'll have to take a look at the gas valve on that unit to see if it uses a thermopile (2 wires coming from the pilot assembly) or thermocouple (one small copper tube from the pilot).

If it uses a thermopile, the gas valve may have a third terminal for a thermostat.  If it is a thermocouple system, it will cost more to retrofit than it is worth.

If it plugs into the wall and has an electric ignition, then it will have an ignition module that controls the gas valve.  Power from the ignition module to the gas valve can be broken by a thermostat.  But an electric system would/ should already have a thermostat.

So, I'll assume that this is a millivolt system.  If you're lucky enough to have the unit with the thermopile (2 wires) then the gas valve may have 3 or 4 wire terminals.  If 4, it will have 2 labelled TP (thermopile) and 2 TH (thermostat.)  If there is no thermostat in the unit, the TH terminals will have a jumper between them. That is where the thermostat leads go after the jumper is removed.  If only 3 terminals on the valve, they will be TH, TH/TP, and TP.  Obviously the thermostat and thermopile will share a terminal.  If gas valve has 2 terminals only, you're screwed.

I don't know if any of this is helpful or made any sense.  I am unfamiliar with that type of heater.  I am basing this off of my knowledge of gas furnaces, boilers, and cooking equipment.  

 

Edit:

I just reread the thread. If it has a switch, then it will be easy to retrofit.  The thermostat will become the switch.  You just need to know if it's 120v, 24v, 12v, or millivolts. 

Edited by Oneshotonepill
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