Installing the Thermostat-ee-ometer

I have this idea for mounting the thermostat which hopefully should work. I want to put the thermostat on an angle (see the last post for the trial fit) and make brackets to mount to the molding which will then hold the thermostat on.

Here's a test bracket - I used a compass as a guide up against the molding so the side that butts (hee hee) up against it will sort of follow the countour.

I think this is gonna work.  I think.

I cut two brakets and primed up up and then nailed them to the molding.  You'll see the bottom one has a square cut into it - that's where the Wiremold trim will come up and the wiring will enter the box.

"Wiremold" is the name for the wiring covers.  There probably are other brands, but that's what they sell at the Depot.

The Wiremold is pretty easy to cut.  I have a length that will run from the floor up to the thermostat.  I mark it with a pencil, and then cut it with a hacksaw.  This is going according to my vision.  Which may not be good.


I ran the wiring up through the floor - actually the step - into the Wiremold piece.

A couple of notes.  The entrance into the rest of the house - actually the dining room - is about 4 inches up off the floor of the sunroom.  So there is a step there.  This is a good thing, because the wiring for the AC and heaters, as well as the data line, cable, and phone, can all run under the step.

What's under the step is actually the ceiling of the basement.  So there's at least access into the sun room for the wiring.

The other note is that if you have fairly large-gauge wiring, your space inside a metal Wiremold piece of trim is very tight.  I have 12 gauge 3-conductor wiring here, and it just made it through.


Here I have the wiring going up the wall going into the area for the thermostat.  A problem immediately crops up.  Actually two problems.

The first is the triangular brackets are so thin, they crack when any stress is put on them.  The green arrow in the shot shows where one broke.

The second issue is that there is just not enough space in the area between the brackets to get all the wiring to fit there.


So, I need to make a larger space.

Originally I have the brackets the same width as the thermostat, but clearly they'll have to be larger.

I cut one as a trial after doing some measuring.  This should work.  The bracket is not only wider, but it's thicker, so it shouldn't crack like the first set did.

The bigger brackets work!

I had to fabricate a "cover" for the space that's left on the left side of the thermostat.  I just used a thin piece of cedar from a shim.

I test-wired and fit the thermostat into place, and it works and the mount is solid.  Now I just need to paint it.