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I
installed a home freeze alarm system in my home yesterday, and I
must say I am pretty impressed with it.
I
installed an FA-D2 Freeze Alarm that I purchased online from
Smarthome.com. The FA-D2 Freeze Alarm provides a number of
unique features that I could not find in other systems I
researched.
The
key features that I was looking for and that were supported by
the FA-D2 Freeze Alarm included:
 
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The ability for
the box to call up to 3 phone numbers when the temperature
went outside a specified temperate range (e.g. 45o
- 85o F).
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The ability for
the box to accept Water Sensor and Motion Sensor inputs and to
call up to 3 phone numbers when either/any of these alarm
sensors activates.
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The ability for
the box to switch between two thermostats (e.g. one set for 68o
F and the other one set for 55o F when we are
away from the home). Very useful for a vacation home or
cottage.
-
The ability to
call the box at any time to obtain temperature and power
conditions at the home.
The
cost of the FA-D2 freeze alarm varies between $280 and $300,
depending upon who you purchased it from.
The
device was very simple to install. I located it near a telephone
jack and power outlet, and within 10 minutes I was able to
program it to dial 3 different phone numbers in the event of an
out-of-temperature condition.
I
also added a second thermostat in my home to take advantage of
the remote temperature control feature. My home is heated with a
single zone hot air system. By adding the second thermostat, I
can remotely control which thermostat is used by the heating
system to control the temperature of the house.
After installing the second thermostat, I had to make a few
minor wiring changes to the controller box on the heating
burner associated with the furnace. Basically each of the
thermostats normal “hot” lines needed to feed into the FA-D2
freeze alarm system.
I then connected a third wire between the FA-D2’s Common
terminal and the “hot side” of the heating burner’s control
electronics. I finally connected the white return wires
associated with each thermostat to the “return” screw nut on
the heating burner’s control electronic box.
Again, with a phone call to the FA-D2 Freeze Alarm box, I was
able to select which thermostat the furnace operated off of. One
of the thermostats I set at 68o F and the other I set
to 55o F for when we are away from the home.
The
entire project only took a couple of hours to complete, and
after repeated tests, I am 100% sold on the FA-D2 Freeze Alarm.
It works as advertised and is well worth the $300 investment.
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