Honeywell Large Dial Thermostat, T87N1026
Here is our Honeywell T87N1026 Large Thermostat Review. Now the T87N1026 offers a quick and easy-to-install climate control solution, and we review it here. It’s also simple to learn and operate.
It looks like the vintage Honeywell mercury thermostats in so many homes during the 60s and 70s. But this unit, with its higher visibility and “feel-ability” is popular among those with visual and tactile challenges. Indeed, those who cannot see a standard thermostat really love it.
This unit has a 21st century all electronic control system. Yet it’s case is a classic design. It also holds room temps to within one or at most two degrees of the set point. Thus, gone are the days of chronic temp overshoot, where you feel at first too cold, then too hot.
The old glass bulb mercury switch is no more. They replaced this with a solid state thermistor. This gives faster response to changing indoor temperatures. Plus, it’s safer for the environment.
Low-profile yet large display design.
This makes adjusting up or down by 2° intervals a snap. But more precise control is hard due to these notches.
Adjustable between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
This switch changes the furnace fan between either always on operation. Or a mode in which the fan runs only when heating or cooling is running.
Puts the HVAC system into either heating, cooling mode, or OFF altogether.
High contrast, easy to read, big numbers on the four-inch diameter temperature display. They also raised these numbers on this Honeywell T87N1026 large thermostat for easier seeing AND feeling. So, you can set this thermostat in the dark easily.
This knob also has the notches around its outer edges. This supports easy grasping and turning.
These hidden DIP switches set furnace type (gas, electric, forced air, steam, or hot water). The T87N1026 also controls heat pumps and central air conditioning systems as well.
This thermostat features stay-tight screw terminals. See the photo below for a functioning installation.
This Honeywell thermostat along with its mating wall-mounting plate snap together. You can can easily separate then as well to get quick access to the wiring and furnace type mode switches.
The Honeywell T87N1026 thermostat remembers all settings through power failures via the built-in battery power stealing design. The included lithium metal batteries will likely outlive the thermostat itself.
At under fifty dollars, they indeed priced this thermostat on the cheap side. Given all the types of HVAC systems it can control, the price is quite reasonable.
Vintage Honeywell thermostat models featured a spring-like sensing element and a mercury switch attached to it. But the Honeywell T87N1026 large thermostat gets rid of those 1960s parts. Instead, it regulates room temperature with all the precision of today’s state-of-the-art residential thermostats, with solid state technology. Yes, it truly looks a lot like an old model Honeywell with just the added outer dial. But it’s not that. It’s a 21st century thermostat in a 1960s thermostat case.
We heard no clicking as the unit switched our air conditioner on and off. If there is any noise at all, it’s barely notable.
Your HVAC kicks on but a second or two after you set a different temperature on the scale. No waiting for minutes on end for heating or cooling to start.
Minimal radio interference made during furnace switching.
You make no direct wire connections to the control unit itself. Rather, all wiring connects to the wall mounting plate. Then, once you verify its correctness, you just snap the control unit onto the wall plate. You then make electrical connections via the plug and socket.
Adjust the on-off cycles per hour count to either 1, 3, 5, or 9 turn ons.
Switches up to one amp of furnace control current. This means that it’s high enough capacity for most home HVAC systems.
Clean up the plastic white case with a damp cloth.
You may special order a fancier cover plate as well.
Strictly manual. You cannot thus program this model to change its heating or air conditioning settings unattended. So you must make any adjustments at the time you want them.
It’s hard to see the built-in thermometer in the dark. But you can adjust the tactile set-temperature scale without light.
The thermometer readout appears no larger on this so-called enlarged thermostat, than on older models. A bigger temperature reading scale would help a lot.
Furthermore, the outer set temperature display has large and raised degree divisions. But some blind users deem these little bumps too small read through touching them. So, would love bigger numbers and markings.
Does not support multiple stage (auxiliary) heating and cooling systems. Maximum of one heating stage and one cooling stage.
Cannot directly control line voltage electric baseboard heaters without other supporting equipment.
Relays can be noisy in very quiet rooms. Plus, they’re prone to early failure in humid rooms. So with advances in solid state power switching these days, we prefer the all-electronic switching in this product.
Does not automatically switch over from heating to cooling and vice versa based on room temperature and outside conditions. Instead, the user switches this manually.
The current temperature readout is a mechanical spring thermometer. There is no shield on this thermostat however. So, you can too easily bend the red needle. Plus, you destroy its accuracy. Thus, just avoid touching this needle.
This is a very basic, very reliable, very cost-effective t-stat. Moreover, it’s easy to operate for disabled users. The unit is simple to install and use. Furthermore, it’s easy to find online, and at the various home improvement stores in our area. So, we’d rate this unit at 95 out of 100.
Buy this thermostat at many online places.
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