I have an update.
Well, when I plugged my bamboo fan in after the big cover up this fall, it didn’t turn on. I spun the temperature control dial of my thermostat all the way up to 90 and it did turn on……which it shouldn’t. Since I started using it maybe 10 years ago, it’s been set up for cooling mode. It normally turns ON whenever the ambient temperature is ABOVE the setpoint, so higher dial settings should turn it off. The transition point is way off from the actual temp. so I decided the thermostat must be toast. I just plugged the fan directly into power, and have been constantly blowing air (hot or cold) down through the tube and out from under the plastic, since Thanksgiving weekend.
This week I finally had some time to address this issue, and ordered a replacement thermostat. I found the company (K-Kontrol) of the old unit still exists, but it has been bought out by a larger outfit, and production has been moved from original Utah, to Altoona Wisconsin. Okay, well, at least production is still in the USA, and Wisconsin has a good reputation for manufacturing quality, so I decided to stick with the brand. Best fit, and most similar to the past unit, seems to be model KP16110-A-M, which is “Line Voltage Thermostat – Single Stage, Piggyback Plug, 0F to 80F" $56.45 plus 11.04 shipping USPS., which was delivered Yesterday.
Today, I plugged a fan into the “piggyback” plug, and found, it has arrived in heater control mode. It turns on power to the plugged in device when the temperature is below the dial setpoint. I need to reconfigure for cooling mode for my fan.
To test, I set the dial to 45 deg. and plugged it back in, with my fan plugged into the back of the piggyback. The fan turned on. I took a piece of ice and held it to the coil, and after 20 or 30 seconds the fan turned off. A little later as coil warmed to room temp. the fan turned back on.. So, as I’ve configured it, the fan will turn on when the ambient temperature is ABOVE my 45 deg.F setpoint on the dial.
Now, I climb my extension ladder and install the thermostat on my fan at the top of the bamboo, using a couple of zip ties to hold the thermostat up at the top of the old metal milk crate I have the fan in to protect it, and insure easy circulation. I’ve also replaced my old indoor/outdoor remote temperature sensor, and mounted it next to the thermostat. The old one was reading nonsense digits, so I suspect the microprocessor chip at receiving end must have failed. New one will also read humidity, which might be interesting to monitor.
This year I’ve used a lot more of the damaged & unwanted culms I removed before covering, to create more air circulation and insulation space between the plastic and the live bamboo. Last year I tried that a couple places, and it seemed to help, so this year I’ve done this nearly all the way around and over the bamboo. We’ll see what the bamboo looks like when I uncover and loosen up the straps and net the 3rd week of March. (I don’t completely release the straps and remove the net until the risk of heavy spring snow has passed, around 2nd weekend in May)
Bruce