You know about that thermostat in your Wonder Lake home. It's the one you and your loved ones disagree on where to set. You also have a thermostat in your auto. But there's no debate about this one. You need it and you need it to work.

On the wall in your Wonder Lake home, you’ll find a device that controls your comfort. It’s called a thermostat. In this time of winter, it controls how much heat you have in the home. In the summer, it allows you to stay cool (if you have air conditioning integrated into your heating/cooling system). You have a thermostat in your car, too.

You have a thermostat in your car, too

The thermostats in your home and your car have elements that react based on temperatures. In the home, during a Wonder Lake winter, when a certain temperature is reached, the thermostat sends a signal to the furnace that tells it to shut down. It says that you have reached the desired temperature and won’t need anymore heat for a while. In the summer it tells the AC that you have lowered the indoor temperature to the intended degree.

In your auto, the thermostat is mounted in the flow of coolant/antifreeze as it is pumped from the radiator into the engine block. Once inside the engine block, that fluid travels through passages collecting heat, which it then brings back out to the radiator.

The radiator has fins that help to dissipate the heat from the coolant/antifreeze as it returns to a cooled state where it is ready to reenter the engine and collect more heat.

With the thermostat in your auto, as opposed to the thermostat in your home, when an intended temperature of the liquid is reached, the thermostat either opens or closes.

At the thermostat’s higher range of temperature, it opens. Below that, it closes so that the engine can heat up to its optimal operating temperature.

You will find the thermostat closed most often when you start your auto. This is particularly true in the winter when things are so darned cold anyhow. The thermostat will remain closed until the engine generates enough heat that the temperature tells the thermostat to open.

Imagine what would happen, however, if the thermostat was stuck. If it were stuck open, it would never give the engine a chance to warm up to operating temperature when you first start driving. If it’s stuck closed, the temperature within the engine is liable to climb and climb until it reaches cataclysmic levels. 

Additionally, all auto thermostats are not the same. They are rated to operate a different temperatures. The customary thermostat opens and closes at 180 degrees. Another option is the 195-degree thermostat (you should check with a trusted auto repair shop prior to changing thermostats).

Things get cold around Wonder Lake during the winter. But your thermostats, both for the house and your auto, can help you though the season with the greatest possible comfort.