Thermostat - Automated Humidity Settings in Cold Climate

Wishlist Probably Not
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1

It would be great to be able to automatically adjust the thermostat humidity setting based on outside temp. This would minimize the amount of inside condensation on windows during the winter months as well as maximize comfort level. It would be an easy automated feature to add based on recommended winter humidity settings, for example:

  • If outside temperature is greater than 20 degrees, humidity setting indoors should be set to 35 percent
  • If outside temperature is 10 to 20 degrees, humidity setting indoors should be be set to 30 percent
  • If outside temperature is 0 to 10 degrees, humidity setting indoors should be set to 25 percent
  • If outside temperature is 10-below to 0, humidity setting indoors should be set to 20 percent
  • If outside temperature is 20-below to 10-below, humidity setting indoors should be set to 15 percent
  • If outdoor temperature is lower than 20-below, inside humidity setting should be set to 10 percent

[Mod Note]: This request is similar to Outdoor dewpoint tracking&testing against cooling setpoints. Set low limit to cooling, but fundamentally different in that the feature is based on outdoor ambient temperature vs outdoor dew point.

2

I donā€™t live in a cold environment (if it EVER got to +20 we would all think that the sun had failed) so kinda wondering how you are controlling indoor humidity? I have never seen a thermostat that had any sort of humidity setting, nor any HVAC system that any ability to affect dew point (other than of course an AC will remove moisture as a side effect of how they work - whether you want it to or not), and I would not think you are running an AC when it is 20 belowā€¦

3

In cold climates, the air gets very dry. For example in Chicago, it is 28 degrees outside and the dew point is 21 degreesā€¦and thatā€™s just the beginning as temperatures lower. There are either standalone humidifiers (which is a #whishlist request) or there is a ā€˜whole homeā€™ humidifier option attached to your HVAC. The whole home option is controlled either manually at the unit as air passes through the duct, or by the Wyze thermostat - and again manually adjusted. If the level of humidity in the house is too high, then the windows develop frozen condensation and can damage window frames. If itā€™s too dry, it will cause uncomfortable static in the house and can dry out hardwood floors warping them. So keeping the proper humidity level is very helpful for many reasons. It would be nice to automate this a bit.

4

I have a whole house humidifier installed on my HVAC system. I havenā€™t yet tied it into my Wyze Thermostat, but it can be done and the Wyze Thermostat does have a Humidifier setup when installing.

From what I have been reading, there isnā€™t much documentation so I am unsure what controls it provides.

This project is in the next spring\summer to do list when the weather is more hospitable.

5

Unfortunately, the Wyze thermostat lacks the S, S1 or S2 terminals and internal brains for measurement of outdoor temps. If they did develop this, it would have to integrate that by using weather data reported online for your local area which might not be very accurate.

6

I have one and it is hooked up. You set it up just like the Nest T-Stat.

I can let you know in the morning.

1 Like
7

Thanks! No rush. Wiring and setup really isnā€™t an issue for me as I have already researched that.

Iā€™m just curious how much \ what kind of control the T-stat offers for humidity levels. Are the remote sensors used like they are for temp?

8

No remote sensor control of humidity however the remote sensors do measure humidity so itā€™s possible. RE: online weather temp, itā€™s good enough. This feature doesnā€™t require precision.

1 Like
9

This is a good idea and I would add that it should be able to work for both humidification and dehumidification. In my case, I have the opposite problem in that I have too much humidity in the house in the winter (newer house that is well sealed). So I have a HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) that basically exchanges dryer air from the outside to lower the humidity and have to manually adjust it based on outside air temp to eliminate condensation on windows.

10

The thermostat already supports additional, remote room sensors. Canā€™t one of those be adapted for outdoor purposes? Then, worst case, if the thermostat doesnā€™t have ā€œthe brainsā€ for adjusting itself based on what the outdoor sensor we could setup an automation that triggers off of outdoor temperature adjustments.

Before digging into the automation stuff, Iā€™d prefer to see the thermostat work like the sprinkler controller in that it could query local weather and adjust based on that. It might not be accurate but itā€™d be closer than what we have right now.

Ideally, at a minimum, weā€™d be able to schedule humidity changes like we schedule temperature changes. Like, make humidity a first-class citizen instead of relegating it to the settings :frowning:

In short: Iā€™m super happy the thermostat supports some humidity control but Iā€™d (virtually) kill for additional functionality here.