Honeywell RTH7600D Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat
by Honeywell
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Honeywell RTH7600D Touchscreen 7-Day Programmable Thermostat
Customer Review: A great programmable thermostat!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Honeywell RTH7600 is possibly the finest thermostat I have ever owned; and I have owned a few over the last 30 years. I bought this thermostat for the Auto Changeover function, and with the cold mornings and hot afternoons we have experienced lately, that feature alone had made the purchase worthwhile. I also like the modern styling and touch-screen design. I purchased my unit from Amazon because it was cheaper than I could find it anywhere else; that may not be true today since Amazon periodically changes their price.
Since I was replacing an older programmable Honeywell thermostat the installation and programming were straightforward, and I had the thermostat programmed and installed in about 30 minutes. When I ordered the thermostat I downloaded the Operating Manual and Quick Installation Guide from Honeywell so I could read them before the thermostat arrived. Reading the manuals first, and reading the reviews here, made the installation fairly easy. I also like the fact that I could program the unit while sitting down, before I installed it. I didn't use the Energy Star default settings because the heat settings were too cold and the cool settings were too hot. I probably won't see much in the way of energy savings, but my wife will be happy!
I was concerned about the two main complaints I read about here, the loud click and the backlight. However, I don't consider them serious enough not to purchase this unit. Most programmable thermostats have a relay, and some relays click louder than others when turning the system on and off. I found this one to be fairly quiet. As far as the backlight goes, I found that touching the screen once at the bottom or right side turns the backlight on and does not change any settings. With Auto Changeover I have found that once the unit is programmed I don't need the backlight because I don't have to look at the thermostat; the temperature is always comfortable.
Customer Review: Easy to program and easy to install
Summary: 5 Stars
After deciding to upgrade my thermostat, it was either the Honeywell RTH7600D or a similar touchscreen unit from Lux or Hunter. I'll admit, I was partially biased when I shopped around as Honeywell is the brand I've had in virtually every apartment and house I've lived in pretty much throughout my adult life. In fact, I had never heard of Lux before I started shopping around and I've only known Hunter to make cheap air filters. The other models were cheaper and had some extra features I admit were tempting, but in the end I had to go with the brand I know and trust. Glad I did!
The reviews here are spot on; it was very easy to install. I had a question about one of the wires that wasn't clearly addressed in the manual, so I called Honeywell tech support in the middle of the install. I reached an agent within seconds and he answered my question in literally less than 2 minutes. The entire install took less than 10 minutes.
The screen is easy to read and responsive, don't have to press too hard. Lights up when touched, avoiding a need for a night light. I always try to touch the lower right corner of the screen to activate it to avoid changing anything on accident, but as long as you only touch one area once, it will just light up and not actually change or activate anything. It was pretty easy to set up the daily programs. I love the fact that I can keep the fan running constantly 24/7 with or without the AC or heat on. The ability of the device to learn how long it takes to bring the house to a set temperature by a certain time works very well. My wife wakes up to a warm 74 degrees while I wake up 4 hours later to the cool 71 I prefer.
This is a really easy to use thermostat that has all the essential features for automated climate control and much more. It seems very well-built and high quality. I definitely recommend it. As a previous reviewer said, it's the Cadillac of thermostats!
Customer Review: Easy to install, accurate temp, easy to use
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a simple A/C and gas heat system so wiring was easy and the wire colors matched, the screw holes even lined up with my old thermostat holes. Had the whole thing done in less than 10 minutes. My old one was off by 2 deg and this one is right on compared to a digital temp gauge. Comes pre set up, just had to tweak it a bit. Looks high tech. My last house had a heat pump system with gas furnace back up and I wish I would have bought one of these for that house because this one is designed for heat pump systems too. I love the feature of setting the time you want it 70 by and it calculates and learns how long it takes to get there and starts several minutes ahead of time to make sure it's 70 by the time programmed in. Not like the old style ones where you program the time to start the process. Fuzzy logic at its best! When it's set at 70 the temperature stays at 70, i have not seen it show 69 or 71 yet on the room temperature and my other thermometer confirms it.
When I first installed the batteries the room temp said 60 and stayed there for several minutes even after turning the breaker back on. But it updated eventually and now is accurate and quick.
Cheers:
1. touchscreen works well
2. simple wiring
3. easy to schedule
4. pre set up
5. accurate temp
6. High tech looking
Jeers:
1. Backlight is edge lit from the left so not even lighting, and should stay on longer.
2. Filter change period apparently is accessible only when it's time to change it, should be able to access those options anytime.
3. A gray background would have looked more modern rather than the old green.
4. Needs a wife and kids lock out feature :)
I've done a bunch of research and I've had other brands in the past, I highly recommend this one. Spend the extra 10 or 20 bucks so you are not disappointed.
Customer Review: Great, ease to-use thermostat
Summary: 4 Stars
I had bought this for use on my Carrier Heat Pump with Auxiliary heat. I had a hard time figuring out if it was compatible with this configuration but this is the unit you would want. It was only a couple of bucks more for the touchscreen so I went for it.
Amazon shipped it out to me from a warehouse that is only about 20 miles from my home in Indy and for some reason it took 10 days from the time of shipping! That was a disappointment but once I got it here it was easy to install and setup even for my complicated setup. I read some reviews that complained about the back light feature not being easy to turn on and I do agree with that problem which is the only reason for the 4-stars instead of 5. To get the back light to turn on, you have to hit a button on the screen which ends up changing something that you may not have wanted to change or gone to a menu that you did not want. What they need to do is design a button on the top of the unit (outside of the touchscreen) that you could easily find in the dark which will light up the screen.
Once installed, setting the unit up and programming the features as well as setting up the schedule and temperatures was a piece of cake. I'm not sure why others had problems I thought it was easy (although I am an engineer!). Also, I read a review that mentioned a loud "clicking" noise the unit makes when kicking on and off. I disagree with this as the standard Carrier thermostat that came with my furnace was noticeably louder than this Honeywell unit so I am pleased with that.
I would recommend this unit to anyone but just don't expect the back light feature to be useful as I still have to turn on the hall light to see what I'm doing so the feature is pretty much useless. Its easy to install, easy to operate, and should end up saving me a lot of money on my electric bill!
Customer Review: Very satisfied
Summary: 4 Stars
After doing a fair amount of research (and fence-sitting) I opted for the Honeywell over the Lux, primarily because the HW was a 2-stage unit and had more settings appropriate to my installation.
My prior thermostat was a "RiteTemp", and was anything but. Originally purchased from Home Depot or Lowe's.. don't remember. But out of the box the temp was way off (>4 degrees max adjustment). But the biggest issue I had with it was it cycled so d*mn much! I swear it would kick on the furnace every couple minutes.
This Honeywell unit has different settings for the type of furnace/heat you have. In my case, I have a high-efficiency nat. gas unit--so I set it appropriately, and the cycling is much less. I'd say 1/3 as much as the prior stat. Also, it holds the temperature very well, which is good considering the much less cycling. The temperature is accurate too.
One downside with the Honeywell is that it does not have a "special" program; ie: for when you are home during the week or your schedule changes. It has permanent hold--but that defeats the purpose of a programmable stat.
Also, a couple other reviewers commented on the touch screen and that it was difficult to activate. It's actually really straightforward. The first touch to either the bottom or right edge "activates" the panel; ie: enables the touch screen and lights it. The subsequent presses move you through the settings.
All in all I am very satisfied with the Honeywell. The main reason I purchased it was to cut down on the crazy cycling from my previous Rite Temp. It has more than done that--while keeping the air temp more consistent. The only downside, for me, is the lack of an "extra" program--like an "I'm at home today" setting.