Honeywell t6360b room thermostat fault

HUMBUG

I've just experienced the 'Dial' cracking phenomenon that I've read on the internet regarding this thermostat brand.

I must admit that it has lasted 13 years but why would Honeywell design such a rubbish flimsy 'Thermostat' dial ? The tiniest crack in the plastic (either through age or UV degradation) causes the 'grip' at the back of the dial (that fits onto a metal turning knob) to loosen. Therefore you can turn the dial back and forth as much as you like and all its doing is just spinning around the static metal knob.

I took it apart and can't believe how poorly designed it is yet the customer ratings are all 4.5-5 stars on various sites like Amazon and Screwfix. I'm now wondering if all thermostat brands are designed to 'break' after a set number of years because I think they should normally last a lifetime (there is very little that can actually go wrong). I contacted Honeywell customer support and they ignored my question about a design fault and said one can buy the dials in a pack of 20 (great!!) but that most outlets do not stock it (great again!!).

So my options are to replace it 'like for like' with a brand new thermostat (£20 quid) or buy a replacement dial (there is a site that will charge £8 + postage) and push it back on the metal knob and then recalibrate it to the room temperature (will have to buy a thermometer to do that) . All with the knowledge that this flimsy dial will fail again if the slightest crack in the plastic ever happens. If I buy another brand , I'll probably have to reposition the box and wiring (drill holes and adjust spare slack in the wires to connect the live, neutral, earth connections). Not many viable options open to me which is rather frustrating.

Currently , I have taken the dial off and just turning the metal knob with my fingers (ie. rubber gloves on just in case ). The thermostat works okay so a shame to just dump it.

Does anyone know of a better quality room thermostat brand in the £30-50 bracket which don't have any known design faults like this Honeywell type?

paddyandstumpy

HUMBUG wrote: »

I've just experienced the 'Dial' cracking phenomenon that I've read on the internet regarding this thermostat brand.

I must admit that it has lasted 13 years but why would Honeywell design such a rubbish flimsy 'Thermostat' dial ? The tiniest crack in the plastic (either through age or UV degradation) causes the 'grip' at the back of the dial (that fits onto a metal turning knob) to loosen. Therefore you can turn the dial back and forth as much as you like and all its doing is just spinning around the static metal knob.

I took it apart and can't believe how poorly designed it is yet the customer ratings are all 4.5-5 stars on various sites like Amazon and Screwfix. I'm now wondering if all thermostat brands are designed to 'break' after a set number of years because I think they should normally last a lifetime (there is very little that can actually go wrong). I contacted Honeywell customer support and they ignored my question about a design fault and said one can buy the dials in a pack of 20 (great!!) but that most outlets do not stock it (great again!!).

So my options are to replace it 'like for like' with a brand new thermostat (£20 quid) or buy a replacement dial (there is a site that will charge £8 + postage) and push it back on the metal knob and then recalibrate it to the room temperature (will have to buy a thermometer to do that) . All with the knowledge that this flimsy dial will fail again if the slightest crack in the plastic ever happens. If I buy another brand , I'll probably have to reposition the box and wiring (drill holes and adjust spare slack in the wires to connect the live, neutral, earth connections). Not many viable options open to me which is rather frustrating.

Currently , I have taken the dial off and just turning the metal knob with my fingers (ie. rubber gloves on just in case ). The thermostat works okay so a shame to just dump it.

Does anyone know of a better quality room thermostat brand in the £30-50 bracket which don't have any known design faults like this Honeywell type?

This has to be a wind up right? A £20 item which has lasted 13 years has finally broken, and you're complaining its flimsy?

Let's start with price. If it cost £20 new to a consumer it's prob £12 tops to the retailer to then sell on, which means it's prob £6 tops to make.

So, £6 worth of product which has lasted nearly a decade and a half?! I'd say it's had a good innings.

Just go to B&Q and see what's on offer.

Or complain to Honeywell and ask them to replace it as you feel it's not fit for purpose. See where that gets you and let us know how you get on.

benjus

Rather than replacing it like for like for £20, you could spend £30 or so and get a programmable digital thermostat which would allow you to specify different temperatures at different times of day (just set your boiler's timer to always on). I used a Timeguard TRT035 for several years before finally upgrading to a smart thermostat.

HUMBUG

paddyandstumpy wrote: »

This has to be a wind up right? A £20 item which has lasted 13 years has finally broken, and you're complaining its flimsy?

Let's start with price. If it cost £20 new to a consumer it's prob £12 tops to the retailer to then sell on, which means it's prob £6 tops to make.

So, £6 worth of product which has lasted nearly a decade and a half?! I'd say it's had a good innings.

Just go to B&Q and see what's on offer.

Or complain to Honeywell and ask them to replace it as you feel it's not fit for purpose. See where that gets you and let us know how you get on.

The reason it lasted 13 years is out of pure luck because I haven't really moved the dial much. If I was continually moving it, it probably would have cracked quite quickly because it takes an appreciable amount of torque to twist that metal knob underneath. Oh, by the way, it cost me £60 to get it installed by an electrician 13 years ago. So total cost was £80. Aren't there regulations that state you should not mess with DIY electrical work unless you can prove that you are competent? So a brand new room thermostat will cost me over £120 because I live in NW London and the rates here are astronomical.

benjus

HUMBUG wrote: »

Aren't there regulations that state you should not mess with DIY electrical work unless you can prove that you are competent?

Are you talking about the Part P regulations? Replacing a room thermostat would not be covered by those. It's a very simple DIY job.

bris

13 years is nothing to complain about. In fact I'm staggered you are.


You can replace it yourself in literally 3 minutes.

Cornucopia

HUMBUG wrote: »

Aren't there regulations that state you should not mess with DIY electrical work unless you can prove that you are competent?

No - not for this kind of job in a living room.

Only you will know whether you are competent to do the job (which really is very simple - I have done it myself several times). Obviously, don't do it if you're not sure, but you'd have to be quite unfortunate not to know someone who is capable.

HUMBUG

bris wrote: »

13 years is nothing to complain about. In fact I'm staggered you are.


You can replace it yourself in literally 3 minutes.

I suspect I am spoilt with good luck for various devices so when one starts to get faulty , its not the norm for me:

Bosch Washing Machine - 30 years old and not one fault
Glow worm Gas Boiler -28 years old without a fault until it gave up 2 yrs ago
George Foreman Grill - 20 years still going strong
Morphy Richards Toaster - 28 years -gave up the ghost a year ago
Nokia Mobile Phone - 10 years no issues
Toshiba Laptop - 15 years no issues
Panasonic TV - 15 years no issues
Amstrad Satellite Box - Must be over 20 years old - no issues
Gas Cooker - 30 years old - a few minor issues.
Mechanical Timers for lights - 20 years no issues
Phillips Electric Iron - 20 years no issues
Sharp Microwave - 30 years - turntable knackered 15 years ago but it still heats stuff up ok.
Argos brand Blender - 10 years - no faults
Morphy Richards Coffee Machine - 30 years - no faults
Electrolux Hoover - 35 years old - no faults
Hotpoint Fridge - 30 yrs old - no faults

Electrical stuff should last for many many years if there is minimal circuitry and sensitive parts (and if you look after it).