# Did Honeywell ever make a classic round white thermostat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 14, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229 "2013-10-14T17:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/1 "2013-10-14T17:03:04Z")
About 25 years ago my father thought it would be a good idea to get rid of the classic round thermostat that had been working since the house was built, and put in a programmable one. Since then they’ve been breaking and/or needing new batteries every couple of years. Since I no longer use the programming function I’d like to go back to the battery-less round ones. I know they’re no longer allowed to be made because of the mercury (Honeywell makes new ones in that form factor, but they have a battery that will eventually wear down), so I’ll need to buy a used or NOS one. But most of them seem to be 1960s silver or gold colored. Did Honeywell ever make a white, round thermostat with the mercury switch rather than a battery, and if so what is the specific model number. I know they’re called the T87, but those include newer mercury-less models. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/2 "2013-10-14T18:19:47Z")
According to [this article](http://www.minnpost.com/minnesota-history/2012/12/keeping-temps-just-right-minneapolis-developed-thermostat): [QUOTE=MinnPost article] Minneapolis-Honeywell offered The Round in a variety of colors to match any wall color. In 1960, a day-night version was introduced with a wind-up timer for semi-automatic night setback. In 1966, a new model was introduced that could control both heating and cooling. [/QUOTE] Unfortunately, they don’t tell us what those colors were. The first photo in that article, though, looks like it shows a white or off-white T-86 “Round.” **Fun fact:** We would never have had the iconic round Honeywell thermostat if it weren’t for two men named Butz and Sweatt. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/3 "2013-10-14T18:38:04Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Did Honeywell ever make a white, round thermostat with the mercury switch rather than a battery, Why only those two options? What’s wrong with a mechanical switch thermostat? It has no battery if that is your concern. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/4 "2013-10-14T18:45:24Z")
the plastic is paintable. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/5 "2013-10-14T18:55:58Z")
I guess I’m unaware of a “mechanical switch thermostat”, I thought the old ones with a coil and a tilt switch were the only ones with no battery. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/6 "2013-10-14T19:18:08Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > I guess I’m unaware of a “mechanical switch thermostat”, I thought the old ones with a coil and a tilt switch were the only ones with no battery. Nope. There are plenty of simple thermostats. [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lux-Heat-Only-Snap-Action-Mechanical-Thermostat-BB101141SA-008/204356334](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lux-Heat-Only-Snap-Action-Mechanical-Thermostat-BB101141SA-008/204356334) [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lux-Heat-Cool-Snap-Action-Mechanical-Thermostat-BB101143SA-008/204356338](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lux-Heat-Cool-Snap-Action-Mechanical-Thermostat-BB101143SA-008/204356338) [Heating Only Thermostat](http://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/product-view.ep?pID=L39-043) [Heating Only Thermostat](http://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/product-view.ep?pID=L43-727) [http://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/product-view.ep?pID=L43-729](http://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/product-view.ep?pID=L43-729) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/7 "2013-10-14T19:40:27Z")
If mechanical simplicity is your only goal, then skip this, but if the battery is really the problem, read on… …if you have a “C” wire available behind your thermostat you can install a thermostat that is powered off your heating unit that doesn’t need a battery. And even better, in that situation you can put in a relatively inexpensive wifi-enabled one that lets you bump it up and down from bed using your iPhone. No need for that uber-expensive NEST one; there are cheaper units. [Here’s one](http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RTH6580WF-Wi-Fi-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B00A97FIG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381779457&sr=8-1&keywords=wifi+thermostat) for 120 bucks. My old thermostat didn’t have a “C” wire connected to it, but I did have find a coiled up unused wire in the bundle. I went down to the basement and took off the cover of my heating unit and saw the same coiled unused wire, and a tantalizing “C” wire post. A quick look at instructions showed me that I could hook it up there and have power upstairs for a powered thermostat. No batteries to change, and I never knew what I was missing before I installed a wifi thermostat! ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/8 "2013-10-14T22:26:33Z")
The links are a place to start, but I should have clarified it needed to do A/C too. I don’t have a “C” wire, but I could add one. It’s just that I’ve had a series of 5 electronic thermostats and all have used batteries so I haven’t seen one that didn’t, and all 5 have eventually broken. The temperature only gets changed twice a year, from A/C to heat and back, so was looking for something unfancy even though the rest of my house is heavily automated (computerized lighting controls and such). ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/9 "2013-10-14T22:37:54Z")
Ok. It’s a shame that yours have all been lemons. I have found electronic thermostats to be one of the most durable electronic gadgets in my home. The last one was probably 10 years old before it was swapped out when the whole system was replaced. Anyway, the Honeywell I use is heat+A/C and while it does have all the programmable stuff, that can be ignored. There are up/down buttons on the front and the iPad/iPhone app has big up/down arrows on it, so it’s easy to just bump it up or down either at the device or from my home office or wherever. And yes, last summer I did control the A/C in my Jersey home from poolside in Atlanta when my wife and I were out of town and the big kids were home alone 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-honeywell-ever-make-a-classic-round-white-thermostat/671229/10 "2013-10-15T14:32:14Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > The links are a place to start, but I should have clarified it needed to do A/C too. Did you look at the links? Some are only for heating and some will do A/C as well. Really, it is not so complicated. I have many such thermostats which are decades old and still work fine. And you can buy them new for under $20 so even if they fail it’s not like it’s the end of the world. As I say, I have never had one fail although I suppose they could fail if used for currents over their design . Just talk to some expert at the store and they can give you some advice but, really, this is really simple stuff.