How Does a Thermostat Work?

A thermostat works to maintain a desired set temperature. It does this by initiating the heating source to turn on when the temperature falls below the set temperature. The heating system turns off when the thermostat senses that the temperature has met the desired setting on the unit. A thermostat works the same way when using a cooling system. It senses set temperature controls and sends the signal to the system that initiates power. There are many things whose temperature is controlled by a thermostat besides a building. cars, hot water in showers and sinks, and ovens all have thermostats to monitor their temperature.

Thermostat
A thermostat is a component of a control system which senses the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint. The thermostat does this by switching heating or cooling devices on or off, or regulating the flow of a heat transfer fluid as needed, to maintain the correct temperature. The name is derived from the Greek words thermos "hot" and statos "a standing". A thermostat may be a control unit for a heating or cooling system or a component part of a heater or air conditioner. Thermostats can be constructed in many ways and may use a variety of sensors to measure the temperature. The output of the sensor then controls the heating or cooling apparatus. A Thermostat may switch on and off at temperatures either side of the setpoint the extent of the difference

is known as hysteresis and prevents too frequent switching of the controlled equipment. Early technologies included mercury thermometers with electrodes inserted directly through the glass, so that when a certain (fixed) temperature was reached the contacts would be closed by the mercury. These were accurate to within a degree of temperature. Common sensor technologies in use today include: Bimetallic mechanical or electrical sensors Expanding wax pellets Electronic thermistors and semiconductor devices Electrical thermocouples These may then control the heating or cooling apparatus using: Direct mechanical control Electrical signals Pneumatic signals

How does the thermostat in a car's cooling system work?

Any liquid-cooled car engine has a small device called the thermostat that sits between the engine and the radiator. The thermostat in most cars is about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Its job is to block the flow of coolant to the radiator until the engine has warmed up. When the engine is cold, no coolant flows through the engine. Once the engine reaches its operating temperature (generally about 200 degrees F, 95 degrees C), the thermostat opens. By letting the engine warm up as quickly as possible, the thermostat reduces engine wear, deposits and emissions.

If you ever have the chance to test one, a thermostat is an amazing thing to watch because what they do seems impossible. You can put one in a pot of boiling water on the stove. As it heats up, its valve opens about an inch, apparently by magic! If you'd like to try this yourself, go to a car parts store and buy one for a couple of bucks. The secret of the thermostat lies in the small cylinder located on the engine-side of the device. This cylinder is filled with a wax that begins to melt at perhaps 180 degrees F (different thermostats open at different temperatures, but 180 F/82 C is a common temperature). A rod connected to the valve presses into this wax. When the wax melts, it expands significantly and pushes the rod out of the cylinder, opening the valve. If you have read How Thermometers Work and done the experiment with the bottle and the straw, you have seen the same process in action. The wax happens to expand a good bit more because it is changing from a solid to a liquid in addition to expanding from the heat. This same technique is used in automatic openers for greenhouse vents and skylights. See this page for an example. In these devices, the wax melts at a lower temperature.