My basement is heated by an electric wall heater that is controlled by a dial knob. It doesn’t have a thermostat and is just a standalone heater. I’m looking for a way to make it smart. Maybe there’s a smart knob replacement or a way to wire in a smart device? I’ve tried searching for ‘smart knob’ but only found knobs for controlling other devices, not ones that can be controlled. Or should I consider replacing the entire heater with a smart one?
Does the heater plug into a wall socket or is it directly wired? If it plugs in, you could easily use a smart plug combined with a smart thermostat.
Ned said:
Does the heater plug into a wall socket or is it directly wired? If it plugs in, you could easily use a smart plug combined with a smart thermostat.
Unfortunately, it’s hardwired, not plugged in, so I can’t use a smart plug.
I installed a smart thermostat from Mysa in a friend’s ski condo that works with wall heaters. Make sure it matches your system’s voltage. Here’s the link: Mysa LITE Smart Thermostat for Baseboard Heaters | Electric Heat
@Kirk
I checked and it seems these need to replace an existing wall thermostat, which I don’t have. Is there another way to use this?
@Kirk
I just bought several of these on a discount from my electric company. They were only $30 each.
Robbie said:
@Kirk
I just bought several of these on a discount from my electric company. They were only $30 each.
They’re very straightforward to use and have significantly reduced utility costs at my friend’s AirBnB.
@Kirk
Aren’t these intended for baseboard heaters rather than wall heaters?
Bill said:
@Kirk
Aren’t these intended for baseboard heaters rather than wall heaters?
Actually, we’ve been using them on wall heaters for about two years now with no issues.
Bill said:
@Kirk
Aren’t these intended for baseboard heaters rather than wall heaters?
Actually, we’ve been using them on wall heaters for about two years now with no issues.
That’s interesting. We’ve only used them with baseboard heaters. Could you show how you’ve set it up?
@Bill
Sure, they are older THERMADOR Model NLW302A heaters. Originally, they had knob thermostats, which we upgraded to Mysa thermostats for remote control.
Kirk said:
@Bill
Sure, they are older THERMADOR Model NLW302A heaters. Originally, they had knob thermostats, which we upgraded to Mysa thermostats for remote control.
So the Mysa thermostats directly replace the old knobs?
@Bill
Exactly, we first changed to digital thermostats and later to Mysa for remote operations.
Kirk said:
@Bill
Exactly, we first changed to digital thermostats and later to Mysa for remote operations.
Our wall heaters have integrated knobs, that’s the difference. Maybe I need to check for a remote thermostat option.
@Bill
You might need to customize the setup, possibly with some soldering involved to connect a remote thermostat.
If your heater has a knob, you might need to replace the wall thermostat or rig the terminals to a smart thermostat.
Kirk said:
If your heater has a knob, you might need to replace the wall thermostat or rig the terminals to a smart thermostat.
That’s right, it’s just a knob on the unit. I haven’t found an easy solution to integrate it with a smart system.
@Ike
If you’re comfortable with some DIY, you could try incorporating a smart thermostat by altering the internal wiring. Here’s a generic smart thermostat that could work if you reroute the heater’s power through it and set the heater’s knob to high: DIGITEN Wireless Thermostat Plug in Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Programmable Thermostat with Build-in Temperature Sensor Remote Control Greenhouse Thermostat Outlet Plug for Heater - Amazon.com
@Kirk
That seems like a feasible solution. I’ll consider installing an outlet to keep everything neat.