I'm brand new to this site and to the Geothermal world. I moved into my new home on July 28th, 2017 and I have four WaterFurnace units installed from 2006. Luck would have it...one unit is shot. I have it being installed as I type this. I purchased a 5 Series (3ton) unit and the associated air handler. My question is...coming from the HVAC world I have been using Nest Thermostats which I loved. I have read that they do not play well with GEO units. I have read that some Honeywell Wifi thermostat would be a great alternative. Do you? Or, do I install the Symphony? If I install the Symphony does that mean I need to install it on each unit (4)?? I hope not. Would it even be compatible with 2006 units? I love the technology but truth be told, I just want to make sure I can monitor the thermostats remotely or my wife and kids will put me in the poor house adjusting them all day. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.
I have series 5 with the Honeywell Wi-Fi TH6320WF and I can monitor them from my iPhone. They work great.
Nick - take a look at Welserver.com. I was coached into it and am happy I was. It has a lot of support here. I do not know much about Symphony's capabilities, but I think you should at least have a second option. WEL is very hands on, but that's fine by me. As for the thermostats...try to set them and forget them I had a wifi stat for a while which was replaced with a non-wifi one, and I don't miss it at all. Come to an agreement with the family if you can... "Happy wife, happy life"?
The nice thing about the Wi-Fi thermostats is that you will receive an alert if the unit stops working, which is nice if you happen to be out of the area.
Nick Nest thermostats can work well with geothermal if configured properly. The complaints that I have heard mostly involve how backup heat is controlled. Intimate knowledge of your system and Nest setup options is required to setup properly. Honeywell WiFi thermostats will work well with Geo for remote access. Also consider Honeywell thermostats with Redlink. I try to use the TH8321R1001 exclusively. This model model has many IAQ options and can control humidity- https://forwardthinking.honeywell.com/new/68-0312.pdf They will require the Honeywell RedLink Internet Gateway (one will connect up to 4 thermostats) for internet access but are more versatile with many wireless accessory options available. Your 2006 era Waterfurnace units will not work with the Symphony system. They do not have the Aurora control board required to work with Symphony. So, if you prefer one system for all your units I would skip Symphony. If you decide to go with Symphony for your new 5Series unit only, you will need a Waterfurnace communicating thermostat and the Aurora Web Link (AWL) to connect to the Internet. You do not mention if any of your units have zone panels. If you do, things are a bit more complex than described above.
Thank you Deuce! I was looking at this Honeywell...I'm happy to hear it does the job. I appreciate the feedback!
Thank you Stickman. I appreciate the option and will be doing my research before pulling the trigger. Thank you for the link...
Thank you Geoxne! I think I may skip on the Symphony for the time being. As you described, I wan to control all four units and obviously the 2006 units cannot be connected to the Symphony. If I'm understanding you correctly if I go with the Honeywell you refer to, I can purchase this Redlink and connect all four units. If I'm understanding correctly, that is the option I'm looking for. Also sounds more cost effective. Thank you for the link, I will be sure to research it. The unit is installed and all four are working now. I just need to get this part squared away. Thank you again! Of course any additional knowledge would be greatly appreciated. As for the zones, forgive me for my lack of knowledge. My last home had two HVAC units...one upstairs and one down. This home has automatic dampers on two of the units. Not sure if that's what you meant. Thank you again!
