# $250 hotel incidental charge for "unauthorized" tampering with HVAC controls

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 15, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863 "2025-07-15T03:53:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 75

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### Author: ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/75 "2025-07-16T00:20:55Z")

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> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> It is unclear to me how “hacking” a thermostat could possibly damage it.

It’s unclear to me too, but I’m no thermostat expert: I was just quoting the article I linked that mentioned hotel management complaining about damage caused by thermostat hackers.

While I don’t discount the possibility that hotel management may well be lying about that, I also found [this explanation](https://www.quora.com/Do-hotels-use-recalibrated-thermostats-I-turn-the-A-C-set-temp-into-the-upper-60s-to-be-comfortable-when-I-prefer-an-air-temp-in-the-mid-70s) of potential hazards of setting a thermostat too low in an AC system:

> [@](#):
>
> If you set the room temperature abnormally low, which 64.4°F certainly is, you run two risks that I can think of.
> 
> 1 - The AC will work a little too well and drop the evaporator coil to a temperature well below freezing. Water vapor will then condense on it and freeze (frost) slowly build up and choke off the air flow. I have seen this happen several times.
> 
> 2 - The AC will not be able to keep up with demand and will run excessively. Usually the condenser fan will go out first, then the compressor.
> 
> If you set the room temperature abnormally high, ~80°F or higher, the AC can run under loaded out of range of proper operation for the freon pressure/temperature curves.

[ETA: Oh, Johnny\_Bravo and filmore already mentioned these issues.]

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