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Thermostats
Lowes is selling a Honnywell baseboard heater thermostat that per Honnywell is designed for 240v systems but is a two wire unit breaking only one of the two lines. Model number RLV210A. They have others that do this also.
I see this per table E4101.5 of the IRC. It reads as follows;
Thermostats with a marked OFF position that directly open all ungrounded
conductors, which when manually placed in the OFF position are designed so
that the circuit cannot be energized automatically and that are located within
sight of the equipment controlled.Anyone know why this unit would pass code? Have you run in to this?
The thermostat you have described is for controlling the heat only. What is described in 4101.5 is when a thermostat is being used as the unit disconnect.
Most all stats are used as a disconnect so your reasoning would require an additional in site of disconnect to be compliant. Someone buying this unit as a replacement will not have that in their house and being a home owner may not be aware of this mistake. He/she may also buy this unit for a new installation not knowing of their mistake and the inspector will likely not remove the unit to see the mistake. I realize Lowes is not forbidden to sell this unit but should be made clear that this should not be sold as a replacement unit if the original is a 4 wire stat.
FYI, I am the original poster of this thread.
240 should have a double pole stat with a T1 and T2 line break. The 240 stat might be an option for this item item in the fine print.
Check these stats on their web site. Then let us know what you think.
Is there a particular reason that you feel the need to control the business practices of a multi-national company?
Nope. Just seeing stat that could be a code issue. You dont think it is?
As I have said before the single line thermostat is for controlling the heat only.
The requirement for a disconnect is another requirement all together. There are multiple ways to provide a disconnect for the baseboard heat. It is your choice as the installer to make a decision on how you would like to acheive that requirement. The choices are listed in table E4101.5.
The fact that a homeowner comes in later and buys the wrong thermostat or removes the lockout that has been provide in the panel are different problems and issues. the single pole line voltage thermostat is not allowed to be a disconnecting means for a 240 volt circuit but is a legal piece of equipment even for 240 volt systems.
A good way to look at the t-stat is to look at it as the same as a dimer swich. It turns of the heater and regulates the amount of current , but is it a true means of disconnect”no”. I would not trust a dimmer switch to work on a light fixture , I would use the breaker.same with a baseboard heater, but as the old saying goes “you cant save everybody from themselves”
I disagree with the original post, that most thermostats are designed to be used as a means of disconnect. You should ask a qualified electrical contractor.
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