My landlord called Jacob in Colorado to hypothesize that the thermostat probably has a dead battery. If we replace the battery, he suggested, it'll work just fine.
He might be on to something; there is certainly no working battery in the thermostat. I had assumed that that was because it's a mechanical thermostat complete with metallic coil and glass mercury bulb, but perhaps it only developed those characteristics as a stress response to its lack of battery power. Certainly I'm not one to question the landlord's knowledge of his appliances. I'll try taping a battery to the mercury mechanism and see what happens; expect an update tonight if I still have fingers.
Posted by dianna at January 10, 2005 11:35 AM