Comments on: The Mad Hatter, Isaac Newton, and That Old Thermostat

By: Steve Waclo

Steve Waclo — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 00:34:36 +0000

Regarding mercury, the malady
Regarding mercury, the malady lingers on.

Searched in vain for a recent article on high levels of mercury continuing to appear in California drainage. Conventional wisdom believed mercury was best left alone, as in the Carson River here in Northern Nevada. Unfortunately, the element is not cooperating.

Here’s a document from 2000 that lays out the situation:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs06100/pdf/fs06100.pdf 

Best wishes

By: anant kumar

anant kumar — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:35:33 +0000

it is very nice
it is very nice

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:48:16 +0000

The old one shown in the
The old one shown in the article above is from 1941, John. At least that's what my friend who sent me the photo said. Another friend in the NYC area identified it as a model T11A and sent me this link to an old heating guidebook from Honeywell where they show it and others.

By: John Proctor

John Proctor — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:26:10 +0000

Allison –The Thermostat I
Allison –The Thermostat I have in my desk was made by Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Company utilizing a patent 1282546 granted on October 22, 1918. So it is newer than 1918. How old is yours?

By: James Quarello

James Quarello — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:33:41 +0000

Great read. I found a twin to
Great read. I found a twin to that thermostat in a house this week.
In my business I often hear people make the comment; "They don't build house's like they used to". Like you say, thank goodness for that. Lead paint, asbestos laced plaster, flooring and insulation, minimal to no insulation...
While some things may have been better back in the day, it's just as likely nostalgia as it is fact.

By: John Proctor

John Proctor — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:02:26 +0000

@ John Poole As noted in the
@ John Poole As noted in the book of the same name we are "Predictably Irrational" -- Great Book
Allison -What year do you think the above thermostat was from? How about an oldest thermostat contest?

By: TedKidd

TedKidd — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:31:25 +0000

Allison, your writing is
Allison, your writing is STILL getting better! Another great post!

By: Curt Kinder

Curt Kinder — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:33:05 +0000

I remember (mid 1970s)
I remember (mid 1970s) floating spent fluorescent tubes out into the harbor and (imagining them as German U-boats) "shelling" them with railroad tie bedding gravel (We also considered the active commuter rail line a perfectly good pedestrian and bike path - excellent at-grade shortcuts through the hilly town)

A hit on the center of a "U boat" would break it in two, and the metal ends would sink, tilting the jagged glass upward for two more targets of opportunity.

I ate plenty of flounder, a cherished native delicacy, caught in that harbor.

By: Clayton DeKorne

Clayton DeKorne — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:08:47 +0000

Great read. The mercury
Great read. The mercury fallout from fluorescent lights is probably bigger than we think because I don't think most people dispose of spent bulbs properly and there are quite a lot of them out there. I live in New York City, and we produce a lot of trash. The other night, waiting for a friend to come downstairs, I sat in my car in a midtown commercial district watching a garbage crew collecting the trash. I wait for my friend often and have a lot of opportunity to marvel at how hard these guys work every night. But this time I watched in horror as one of them pitched one-by-one, spear-like, a box full of fluorescent tubes into the back of the garbage truck. As each one exploded, a sizable cloud rose and drifted out. I imagine this happens a lot, with all the commercial offices in midtown, and it freaked me out a lot: New York is famous not only for trash, but also for dust. Weekly you can wipe a rag along the window sills and it comes up black. Now I have new insight into the substance of all that black fallout. Scary, no?

By: Bill Smith

Bill Smith — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:23:38 +0000

Allison

Allison

Pretty good reminiscing for a kid ;-)

I remember a teacher passing a glob (Technical term) of mercury around so we could try to hold it in our hands. I presume that school building is still contaminated.

One thing you could do with those bi-metal t'stats was mount them on a slight angle to control heat in low temp areas. I don't think the Nest has that capability.