Aprilaire 8870 Thermostat User Manual

Operating Instructions

READ AND SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Aprilaire Communicating Thermostat

Model 8870

CAUTION: Do not set to OFF mode during periods when

freezing temperatures could occur.

Thank you for your recent purchase of an Aprilaire Communicating Thermostat. With this

purchase, you have invested in the highest quality thermostat currently available.

This Model 8870 Communicating Thermostat operates similarly to a conventional thermostat but

has the unique capability of being controlled, either locally or remotely (from a home automation

system). The Model 8870 thermostat is capable of integration into your home automation system

or independently operated with the Aprilaire Model 8823 System Controller.

Note: This manual covers basic operation of the thermostat,

which may be altered by the home automation system setup.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS – OWNERS MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Getting Familiar With The Aprilaire Thermostat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Operating The Thermostat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

. Select The Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

. Setting Temperatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

. Fan Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

. Backlight Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

. Network Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

. Clearing A Temporary Flashing Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Thermostat Set-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

In Case Of Power Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-16

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Research Products Corporation 2001

GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE APRILAIRE THERMOSTAT (refer to Figure 1)

MESSAGE DISPLAY – Two types of messages are displayed, Permanent and Temporary

Messages. Permanent Messages are those that scroll continually during thermostat

operation. Temporary (flashing) Messages are intended to catch your eye and must be

reset to be removed from the display. Thermostats are shipped with default (permanent)

status messages (i.e. mode status, fan status, equipment status).

MESSAGE DISPLAY

FIGURE 1

SCROLL/

SET-UP

BUTTONS

DIF1

DIF2

BIAS

ROOM

DEHUM

FAN

NETWORK

OVERRIDE

HUMIDIFY

REMOTE

EM. HEAT-AUX COOL

MAIN DISPLAY

Enter

ADJUST

BUTTONS

Mode

Fan

SCROLL/SET-UP BUTTONS – The Scroll/Set-Up buttons function with the set-up features of

the thermostat (refer to page 7).

MODE BUTTON – Five modes of operation are available on the Model 8870 thermostat:

OFF, COOL, HEAT or COOL, EM. HEAT (for heat pumps only), and HEAT. The mode of

operation indicates how you want your heating and cooling equipment to operate.

ADJUST BUTTON – The Adjust buttons adjust the heating and cooling

temperature settings.

FAN BUTTON – The fan can be operated continuously (FAN ON) or only when there is a

need to heat or cool.

ENTER (NETWORK OVERRIDE) BUTTON – The Enter button is used to override the home

automation system, to clear temporary flashing messages on the message display and with

the set-up features of the thermostat.

MAIN DISPLAY – The MAIN DISPLAY (see Figure 2) provides the mode status, temperature

and system status information.

•

MODE STATUS – Shows the current mode of operation: OFF, COOL, HEAT or COOL,

EM. HEAT (for heat pumps only), and HEAT. The current mode will flash to show when

the equipment is running.

•

SET POINTS – Shows the Heating and/or Cooling temperature settings.

FAN STATUS – FAN ON indicates the fan is set to operate continuously.

LOCKOUT – The lockout setting shows the thermostat buttons have been locked out

and the thermostat settings can not be changed at the thermostat.

•

ROOM TEMPERATURE – Shows the current room temperature. The temperature can

be displayed in °F or °C. This would show relative humidity (%) if the thermostat has

been installed with an optional humidity control senor.

ROOM TEMPERATURE/

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

FIGURE 2

NETWORK STATUS

LOCKOUT

FAN STATUS

NETWORK

OVERRIDE

SET POINTS

REMOTE TEMPERATURE/

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

MODE STATUS

MAIN DISPLAY (Cont.)

•

REMOTE TEMPERATURE/RELATIVE HUMIDITY – A temperature and/or a relative

humidity value will be displayed alternately here when an optional remote temperature

and/or humidity sensor has been installed (typical use is for outdoor temperature).

•

NETWORK OVERRIDE – When NETWORK OVERRIDE is displayed, the thermostat has been

taken off-line from the system. The thermostat can then only be operated at the thermostat.

NETWORK STATUS – This computer icon shows the thermostat is connected to the

system. The icon will flash when the thermostat sends or receives information. If there

is no activity on the system for 15 minutes the icon will be crossed out. This does not mean

the thermostat is unable to communicate, only that there has been no communication to

this thermostat in 15 minutes.

OPERATING THE THERMOSTAT

Notes on temperature adjustments:

•

The COOL setting must always be a minimum of 2° (F or C) higher than the HEAT setting.

The thermostat will automatically maintain the 2° difference. For example, if the Cooling

set point is 75°F and one changes the Heating set point to 74°F, the thermostat will

automatically change the Cooling set point to 76°F.

•

The lockout

icon will appear on the display when attempting to make a change, if the

thermostat has been configured to be locked out or the desired change violates the ther-

mostat limits (i.e. lowest allowable HEAT setting is 40°F, highest allowable COOL setting is

90°F, etc.). Lockout configuration can be altered in set-up menu (see section 5).

1. SELECT THE MODE

The thermostat can be set to OFF, COOL, HEAT or COOL (AUTO-CHANGEOVER), EM. HEAT (for

heat pumps only), and HEAT modes. To set, press the MODE button until the desired mode

appears on the display (see Figure 3).

•

OFF – Select the OFF mode to prevent the heating and cooling equipment from operating.

CAUTION: Do not set to OFF mode during periods when

freezing temperatures could occur.

COOL – COOL appears on the display and only the cooling equipment will be operated

to maintain the temperature at the COOL setting. COOL will flash on the main display

when the cooling equipment is operating.

1. SELECT THE MODE (cont.)

•

HEAT OR COOL (AUTO-CHANGEOVER) – HEAT or COOL appears on the display. Either

the heating or cooling equipment will operate to maintain the room temperature at or

above the HEAT setting and at or below the COOL setting. HEAT or COOL will flash when

the respective equipment is operating.

•

EMERGENCY HEAT (EM. HEAT

for heat pump equipment only) –

EM. HEAT appears on the display

and only the back-up heat source

will be operated to maintain the

room temperature above the

HEAT setting. This is generally

more expensive than using the

heat pump (HEAT MODE), so

use accordingly. Typical usage

is when the heat pump has

malfunctioned.

FIGURE 3

OFF

COOL

HEAT

COOL

EM. HEAT

•

HEAT – HEAT appears on the

display and only the heating

equipment will be operated to

maintain the temperature at the

HEAT setting. HEAT will flash

on the main display when the

heating equipment is operating.

HEAT OR COOL

EM. HEAT

HEAT

2. SETTING TEMPERATURES

Press the Up or Down adjust button. The setting to be changed will begin to flash. Press and

hold the button to change the setting.

If operating in the HEAT mode, the only temperature set point available to change is the Heat

setting. When the room temperature drops below this setting the heat will come on (call for

heating) to raise the temperature. EM. HEAT mode uses the HEAT setting.

If operating in the COOL mode, the only temperature set point available to change is the

COOL setting. When the room temperature rises above this setting the Cooling will come on

(call for cooling) to lower the temperature.

If operating in the HEAT or COOL mode the first press of the Up or Down adjust button will

indicate which of the two temperature settings will be adjusted – it will be the one flashing.

If this is not the desired temperature to adjust, press the Mode button to access the other

temperature setting.

3. FAN OPERATION

The thermostat can operate the fan either continually (FAN ON), or only during Heating and

Cooling calls. Press the Fan button to toggle between these two options. FAN ON is

recommended for media/electronic air cleaners, ventilating equipment, and to allow for

humidification in mild climates.

4. BACKLIGHT OPERATION

Operation of the backlight is configured in the Thermostat Set-Up. Depending on the set-up,

the backlight will light at the press of any button, or it can be disabled (refer to page 11).

The backlight will stay on for 10 seconds after the last press of a button.

5. NETWORK OVERRIDE

If the Network Override has not been disabled in the Thermostat Set-Up, the Network Override

can be initiated by pressing the Enter button. When initiated, the thermostat is taken off-

line from the automation system. The thermostat can then only be operated at the thermostat.

Pressing the Enter button again will restore network communication.

6. CLEARING A TEMPORARY FLASHING MESSAGE

Custom Home Automation systems have the ability to send a temporary message to the

message display. This message will flash until the user acknowledges the message. To

acknowledge message press the Enter

button.

THERMOSTAT SET-UP

The thermostat has many features that can be adjusted to customize operations.

Temperature Control Set-Up, Balance Point Set-Up and Communications Set-Up, in

particular, should only be adjusted with the help of a qualified service technician.

TO ACCESS THESE FEATURES – When first powered up, the Message Display will scroll

through the current mode status, fan status, and Heating/Cooling output status. This is

referred to as Passive Display because you do not interact with it. To get into the set-up

menu, press the ENTER button and MODE button at the same time.

Thermostat Set-Up is menu driven but only one menu item is visible at a time. Figure 4

shows the entire Main Menu. Selecting any one of the Main Menu items (by pressing the

Enter button) will enter a corresponding Sub-Menu. The Scroll Up and Scroll Down buttons

are used to move between menu items or change adjustable values. The Enter button is

used to select a menu item or enter a value. When in Thermostat Set-Up, if none of the

three navigation buttons are pressed in 5

minutes, the display will return to Passive

Display. Again, one menu item can be

seen at a time.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS

ARE CONFIGURABLE IN

THERMOSTAT SET-UP:

•

NETWORK OVERRIDE SET-UP –

This enables or disables the Network

Override feature. When Network

Override has been invoked the ther-

mostat will only respond to the buttons

of the thermostat; commands sent by

the automation system are ignored.

Pressing the Enter button activates

Network Override. However, you can

disable this feature if you don’t want

users to be able to activate Network

Override. Enabling and Disabling

of this feature is done through

Thermostat Set-Up (see Figure 5).

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6

•

THERMOSTAT BUTTON LOCKOUT – This feature disables the buttons of the thermostat

completely, or to a limited degree. For example, the MODE and FAN status can be set

and then locked, so the buttons will not allow those settings to be changed. Additionally,

this can be set to allow changes for a limited time and amount of change. For example,

you can limit temperature changes to ±3°, if desired (see Figure 6).

SECURITY SET-UP – This prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing Thermostat

Set-Up. A code can be setup that must be entered to gain entry into Thermostat Set-Up.

Master key pass word is 7777 (see Figures 7 and 8).

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 8

•

COMMUNICATIONS SET-UP – This is where the thermostat address is entered.

Additionally, the total number of thermostats is entered here to optimize communication

timing. This thermostat also has the ability to communicate at a baud rate of 19200, which

can be selected in Communications Set-Up. Consult a qualified service technician before

changing any of the values in this Sub-Menu (Sub-Menu not shown).

TEMPERATURE SET-UP – The first and second stage differentials can be changed, as can

the display temperature offset. The differentials set the tightness of the temperature control.

If the equipment is operating too often, or the

temperature swings are uncomfortably large,

FIGURE 9

the differentials can be increased or decreased

respectively. The temperature offset (calibration)

allows the user to “customize” the temperature

shown on the display. Consult a qualified service

technician before changing any of the values in

this Sub-Menu (Sub-Menu not shown).

•

BACKLIGHTING SET-UP – Both displays have

backlighting which can be controlled in three

ways (see Figure 9). First, backlighting can be

turned on every time a button is pushed. Second,

it can be configured to come on with a button

push, but only when the ambient light is below

a preset value. When “only when needed” is

selected, the user can select from two levels of

ambient light. Finally, it can be disabled.

•

BALANCE POINT SET-UP – Balance points limit heat pump operation when the outdoor

temperature is too high or too low. It requires an optional support module with an

outdoor temperature sensor. Consult a qualified service technician before changing

any of the values in this Sub-Menu (Sub-Menu not shown).

DISPLAY SET-UP – Here the temperature scale can be changed to °C or °F, and the

temperature settings can be setup to always display or only when being changed

(see Figure 10 ). The message display, when not being used for Thermostat Set-Up

will, by default, scroll through three messages showing the status of the mode, fan, and

equipment output, a fourth date and time

FIGURE 10

can be added to this list. The date and time

must be sent daily to the thermostat from

the automation system to maintain the

accurate time. If this programming cannot

be done, it is best to not have the time

and date displayed.

IN CASE OF POWER FAILURE

This thermostat does not require a battery. If the power goes out, the screen is blank.

During the period the power is off, the heating/cooling system will not operate. When

power is restored, the thermostat will return to the previous settings.

The thermostat is equipped with a continuous memory feature which does not require

a battery.

CLEANING

If the surface of the thermostat becomes dirty it can be cleaned with plain water or

with a non-abrasive household cleaner, including glass cleaner. When using any

cleaner be careful not to get any into the interior of the thermostat. Do not spray any

liquid directly onto the thermostat. Spray the cleaner onto a soft cloth and wipe the

surface of the thermostat.

WARRANTY

ELECTRONIC THERMOSTAT TWO YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

Your Research Products Corporation Aprilaire Thermostat unit is expressly warranted for two (2) years from date

of installation to be free from defects in materials and workmanship.

Research Products Corporation ’s exclusive obligation under this warranty shall be to supply, without charge, a

replacement for any thermostat which is found to be defective within a two (2) year period and which is returned,

together with the date of installation, no later than thirty (30) days after said two (2) year period by you to either

your original supplier or to Research Products Corporation, Madison, Wisconsin 53701.

THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT OBLIGE RESEARCH PRODUCTS CORPORATION FOR ANY LABOR COSTS AND

SHALL NOT APPLY TO DEFECTS IN WORKMANSHIP OR MATERIALS FURNISHED BY YOUR INSTALLER AS

CONTRASTED TO DEFECTS IN THE THERMOSTAT ITSELF.

IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE SHALL BE LIMITED IN

DURATION TO THE AFORESAID TWO (2) YEAR PERIOD. RESEARCH PRODUCTS CORPORATION’S LIABILITY FOR

INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OTHER THAN DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL INJURIES, RESULTING

FROM ANY BREACH OF THE AFORESAID IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE ABOVE LIMITED WARRANTY IS

EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY IS VOID IF DEFECT(S) RESULT FROM FAILURE TO HAVE THIS

THERMOSTAT INSTALLED BY A QUALIFIED HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTRACTOR. IF THE LIMITED

WARRANTY IS VOID DUE TO FAILURE TO USE A QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR, ALL DISCLAIMERS OF IMPLIED

WARRANTIES SHALL BE EFFECTIVE UPON INSTALLATION.

Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or limitation of

incidental or consequential damages, so the above exclusion of limitations may not apply to you.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

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