T87 Thermostats

These are all from Winland Electronics...

EA-200 - Can be used for both high and low temperature without any additional sensors and is programmable for the high and low temp limit and NO/NC I believe. Doesn't look bad on a wall either, even if it does stick out 1.25" off the wall. The programming is fairly intuitive although you'll want to have a manual on hand for your first one, and then perhaps afterwards since you won't remember how to unlock it again later.

TA-40 - Not sure what's inside one of these units, but being the size of a surface contact it can pretty much be mounted anywhere. Not programmable at all, doesn't need power.

TA-1 - Basically a thermometer with a contact on either side of it. Very ugly on a wall but very easy to use and seemingly the most reliable way to go. There's also the TA-2HL for 2 separate zones and "custom graphics" although I don't think I've ever seen one in use.

Perhaps there's no more mercury in thermostats because it's all needed to make CFL bulbs that we're supposed to believe are saving the planet? That is... until one breaks at least.

- Chris

Winland also has the MTA-1 which is really just a smaller TA-1 but in a much more attractive case. Good enough that is can be out in the open without making the living room look like a factory floor.

Thanks for the suggestion, but.....

I recently bought this one, reluctantly, and after examing it, I found that it was just a smaller model of a larger one I bought 15 or more years ago. The larger one is the one that would not trip the alarm panel when the rod reached and touched the contact point.

Though I installed the smaller unit, I subsequently removed it because of my lack of faith in the rod and contact point mechanism. Additionally there is no easy way to test the unit on the job, without taking the unit off the wall, and undoing the locknut. The design and reliability of the T87 is (was) much superior to the Winland.

Somebody out there must know of a better solution.

There isn't a better solution than Winland. You got one bad unit. That happens to every manufacturer. I've used Winland's products on my own installations for many years and never had one fail. I've also sold literally thousands of their temperature monitors online and have yet to get a single one back.

I like the Winland bi-metallic method. I've used them in convience store coolers a lot. I've had to replace one because it got filled up with water, but no failures other than that one.