THERMOSTATS

Miss Williams
 Thermostats
Thermostats control many types of small and large home appliances.

A thermostat is an electrical switch that opens and closes in response to

temperature changes.

Thermostats incorporate temperature sensors to measure temperature. These

sensors command an electromechanical switch to turn a device on or off as
needed to maintain a specific temperature level.
 ◦ A thermostat is made up of three
parts:
Thermostat 1. A temperature setting knob
2. Bimetallic strip
3. Contacts (or switch)
 A Temperature Setting
Knob
◦ This is the part of the thermostat that you
see. This is usually a knob or button that
is used to adjust the temperature of an
appliance.
 ◦ This is a temperature sensitive strip, made of two
metals, which switches the appliance on or off.
◦ Two metals commonly used in bimetallic strips are
brass and iron.

Bimetallic ◦ If the strip is heated the brass expands more than the
iron. In order for this to happen the strip has to form
Strip a curve with the brass on the outside.
◦ When the strip cools to its original temperature, the
metals return to their original size and the strip
becomes straight again.
 ◦ These make the connection
Contacts (or between the bimetallic strip and
Switch) the electrical circuit of the
appliance
 ◦ A thermostat is used to keep
something at a particular
temperature.

How Does the ◦ A bimetallic strip can be used in a

thermostat, for example to keep a
Bimetallic electric iron at the correct
temperature.
Strip Work? ◦ When the strip is straight it forms
part of an electric circuit. Current
flows through the circuit, the heater
is on the iron warms up.
 ◦ If the iron becomes hotter than the required
temperature, the strip bends away from the
contact, the circuit is broken and the heater
is switched off.
◦ As the bimetallic strip cools, it straightens
How Does the again, eventually completing the circuit as
current flows and the heater is switched on
Bimetallic again.

Strip Work? ◦ The temperature at which the heater in the

iron is switched on and off can be
controlled by screwing the control knob in
and out. The same principle is used to
control the temperature in an electric oven.
 ◦ A gas thermostat is used to control the temperature in a gas oven .
This thermostat contains a rod made of an alloy of steel and
nickel called invar.
◦ Invar only expands by tiny amounts when heated.

Gas ◦ As the temperature in the oven rises the brass tube expands. The
invar rod is attached to this tube, so it moves to the left. The

thermostat expansion of the invar is tiny so the valve is pulled close,

reducing the flow of gas to the burner.
◦ As the brass cools, the rod moves the other way, opening the
valve and increasing the flow of gas.
◦ The control knob can be used to alter the position of the valve
and so control the steady temperature of the oven
 ◦ The refrigerator, air conditioner and freezer are household
appliances that require temperatures at a lower (colder) than
Bimetallic room temperature.
◦ They also use a thermostat to regulate the temperature. However,
Strip in the thermostat used in cooling appliances have a bimetallic strip

Cooling inserted in the opposite way to that used in heating appliances.

◦ When the refrigerator turns on, the temperature setting knob is
Appliances adjusted to the desired position. This cause the bimetallic strip to
make contact with the electrical circuit of the refrigerator and the
current begins to flow to the cooling mechanism.
 ◦ As the refrigerator cools the bimetallic strip also cools down and the
metal in the strips contract.
◦ The brass contracts more than the iron, so the strip bends.
◦ At the temperature set on the knob, the strip bends enough to break
Bimetallic the circuit and the electrical current stops flowing.

Strip in ◦ Every time you open the refrigerator door, the air in the chamber
warms a little. This warms the bimetallic strip and the metals
expands.
Cooling ◦ The strip straightens and closes the connection between the two

Appliances contacts.
◦ The electrical current begins to flow once more and the cooling
circuits starts to work again.
◦ The constant on and off cycles regulate the temperature inside the
cooling appliance.