ST compatible 2-wire heater thermostat with an "OFF" setting - does it not exist?


#1

Hello -

We have a sun porch I’d like to be able to monitor the temperature of and pre-heat sometimes. It’s heated by baseboard heaters with a 2-wire 240V manual knob control on the wall. This knob is your typical old-style thermostat that can be turned all the way counter-clockwise to an “OFF” position. In the winter time this room can match the outside in rural PA so it can get down to in the 20’s or teens.

In the rest of my house I’m running Stelpro STZW402WB+ - z-wave 2-wire 240V units. These are nice because when I’m not there for long periods of time (I split time between PA and NYC) I can set them down to 45ºF as a backup for my mini-split to keep the pipes from bursting.

The problem with the STZW402WB+ is there is no OFF setting, and the minimum temp is 41º. This means I can’t install one on the porch unless I want to either turn off the breaker when I leave (which defeats the purpose of being able to pre-heat it) or heat the thing to 41º all the time (which would cost a FORTUNE).

Does anyone know of another SmartThings / z-wave / zigbee compatible solution to be able to control this heater? Basically I need something with an OFF setting.

Thanks!

Edit: I’ve also looked at the Sinope devices which suffer from the same problem.


#2

I’ve never used any type of heater so i am just shooting blind here…

I wonder if a smart outlet would help you…
Powering the whole unit ON or OFF

I know some electronics can handle power on/off and some can’t…


#3

Unfortunately these units are hard wired into a breaker and not on an outlet.


#4

Got it… thank you for pointing that I just didn’t know.
My electrician said he believes you can add a smart switch but now we are talking about cutting the wall:))))))