By Mark J. Donovan
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:
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
