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97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack
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DenverB
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:46 pm    Post subject: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

Trying to contribute to the EVC knowledge here, figured I'd start here.

Furnace was blowing cold air the other day in the camper, despite the exterior exhaust vent on the rear driver's side blowing normally-hot air. After some troubleshooting, the original thermostat on the cabin wall above the sink was determined to be the issue (it kept clicking on and off and on and off). I tossed it before getting a pic, but it was your general 90s tan-colored manual device like the one below.
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There's camper versions online, but after calling around to a few RV shops I was told that any unit off the shelf from HD/Lowes would do so I went and snagged another simple manual job that sat flush on the wall (instead of an in-wall unit that would require cutting of the panel)
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Connecting it was simple (no thanks to Winnebago which used the same purple wiring for both connections). It fit right in place and keeping heat wire (connection W) separate from the fan wire (R ). Thing is, after installing it I realized I screwed up and the van needs a unit with a dedicated "OFF" switch. Even with this unit cranked all the way to the left, it would still come on at around 35 degrees (this unit is designed for radiator units that keep a house from ever reaching freezing).So back to the HD I went to get a digital unit thinking it would be hunky-dory. It was, but only after some skilled hacking (literally).

Grabbed a digital Honeywell unit is cheap, simple and has the shut off) runs heat and AC but you only need the heat to turn on. Snagged a carbon monoxide detector too, you should have one too.
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The back is much more complicated, however and there are eight little connectors. For this, though, you still only need the "W" and "R" wires:
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Simple enough and if you happen to find a unit that works in the space without further hackery, then you can stop here. But if, like me, you realize that the unit you bought hangs off the edge of the cabinet AND would require you to cut a new wire access hole in the cabinet AND prevents the hob lid from opening all the way then read on…

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Hanging off the edge
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won't sit flush with the wires behind the left side of the panel.

Now, get out the hack saw and start working - careful to avoid the pre-molded screw hole placement in the back plate (though, lets be real - If you're still reading at this point you have no problem drilling a new one, either).
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Had to keep cutting to create a 'channel' for the wires to go through since this piece normally sits flush with the faceplate. It also allows you to raise it above the oven/sink lid opening without drilling an all new hole for the wire access into the panel.
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Once everything fits, drill a pilot hole and screw it into place. Pop on the face and finally, get it tested ( and crank the heat - set a temp let the thermo shut of the unit. Smile. turn it to 'off' and call it a day.
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(got it up to 54 from 30 in five minutes)
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'88 Vanagon GL Westfalia (Frankie Says - Wolfram Gray)
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RollingDutchman
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah! Another a Eurovan post Very Happy I'm thinking I will need to do similar upgrade soon as the cover on my T-stat falls off at the slightest nudge Sad I like the idea of a digital that gives you inside temperature, but am worried about the constant battery draw required for the LED screen or is it powered by its own battery? I also thought it might be nice to have an inline switch rather than an internal one, then you can just reach up in the early morning, toggle a switch, and the heat would come on and you wouldn't have to open your eyes Cool I found a couple of slimmer versions on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RTH5100B-Deluxe-Ma...mp;sr=1-23

but you would still need to mount it high enough to allow the sink stove cover to open! It sure seems you could pack the thermostat electronics in much speaker package than the big things for homes! Even the original has a lot of empty space...
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DenverB
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The thermo is battery powered (two AAA batteries) - no drain on the RV battery and I bet it lasts all winter (the one in my house lasts a year)

I also debated the toggle switch after hot-wiring the system to double-check it was the thermostat that was causing the initial error.

I also debated a a timer switch, but in the end the thermo make the most sense for me. It keeps the van warm enough when I'm up skiing and keeps me from having to get out of my comfy sleeping bag at night.

In the end, I think the battery thermo will be just the right upgrade -- though I could have gone fancier and got a programmable one. LMK what you end up with - us EVC folks have to stick together here Cool
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'77 Transporter/camper (Bussy - Reef Blue/Pastel White)
'67 bug (Santos - VW Blue)
'84 Vanagon Westfalia (Pink Flamingo - Pastel White/Pink)
'88 Vanagon GL Westfalia (Frankie Says - Wolfram Gray)
'02 Eurovan Weekender (Green Apple)
'95-'03 Eurovan full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'84 -'91 Vanagon full campers and weekenders (rental fleet)
'72 Porsche 914 (Greta - RIP)

www.RockyMountainCampervans.com
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1961tbird
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2020 5:46 am    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

My old furnace thermostat was short cycling so I decided to replace it with a new Suburban thermostat. Maybe I received a defective one but mine too would stay on below 35 F (the contact stayed connected) even though it had an Off switch when set to the far left.

Rather than trying another one or getting a digital one (above posts), my eye caught this mechanical White Rodgers Model M100C which has a dedicated on/off switch and is compatible for heat only application.

Works great.


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sagavan
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PostPosted: Thu May 07, 2020 7:52 pm    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

Looks great and a nice modern upgrade. I was considering doing the same, but then realized I’ll have to carry around some spare AAAs with me.

Here is a “heat only” digital thermostat that shouldn’t have to be modified. I’ve used this one before on my home for a radiant heat boiler and it works great. It also has an off switch.

Honeywell TH1100

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell-TH1100DV1000...gKcbPD_BwE
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dazey77
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PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 6:58 am    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

Another option, I fitted a Tado thermostat to mine. It runs off 2xAAA batteries and lasts a year or so with that.
It connects via a small USB powered UHF RF to ethernet dongle, when its at home, it reaches 30m from my house to where the van is parked in the parking lot. I can remotely control the heater from the app to warm it up.
When I travel, can either use it as a manual thermostat or bring the ethernet dongle which plugs into my van router.
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The thermostat clips into a backbox that went onto the old suburban wiring
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EVC1999
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 2:30 pm    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

sagavan wrote:

Here is a “heat only” digital thermostat that shouldn’t have to be modified. I’ve used this one before on my home for a radiant heat boiler and it works great. It also has an off switch.

Honeywell TH1100

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Honeywell-TH1100DV1000...gKcbPD_BwE


I went with this one and installation was easy. The two mounting holes from the original thermostat lined up perfectly. The holes in the back plate needed only a little enlargement with a file to allow the original screws to fit through.
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MrPulldown
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:00 pm    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

How low can you set the thermostat to. The stock one is about 50 degrees. Sometimes I would like to have it set lower. Just enough to keep things from freezing. Let's say 40 degrees to account for some margin of error. Side of the van colder than middle where TS is located.
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EVC1999
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:13 pm    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

It can be set as low as 40 degrees.
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kourt
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2023 8:18 am    Post subject: Re: 97 Eurovan EVC Furnace digital thermo upgrade/hack Reply with quote

I put the Emerson 1E78-140 Non-Programmable Heat Only Thermostat in my van. You can see it in the left side of the photo below.

The controls are dead simple. HEAT or OFF.

Whether on or off, it always displays the ambient temperature in the van. When on, it also displays the set thermostat temperature, which can be adjusted with the up/down buttons.

It has worked very well. I have given some thought to permanently wiring it to the DC circuit with a voltage reducer, but for now it's fine running on batteries.

This thermostat can be set as low as 45 degrees F.

kourt

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