Interior Thermostat Placement Question

[DelawareEagle]

Hi All, We have a 2011 Eagle 304BHK with a Coleman Mach Digital Thermostat. The stat is a replacement from the original one. The replacement unit was mounted in the same location as the original, on the outside wall of the camper's closet, in the living area. This closet is located directly above the hot water heater. Now my problem. I thought the thermostat was defective because when we would be running the A/C it would never seem to shut off the compressor. I discovered on this camping trip it appears to be the heat coming from the hot water heater's location that is keeping the temperature elevated on the thermostat. When camping we usually keep the electric element on so the tank has hot water however, this trip the campground is having some voltage issues so we have only used the propane when needed. It was this process that led me to think the fact that the hot water heater heats up the closet which radiates out to the thermostat from inside the closet, which gets warm, and causes the thermostat to read a different temperature than is actually in the camper.

I placed another thermometer device that reads temp and humidity at various places throughout the trailer and when the hot water heater is engaged it can be as much as ten or eleven degrees lower than the thermostat.

Over the years I've tried to set the thermostat so it will shut off the compressor before it become an ice box inside the camper. This has not really worked out other than to make it comfortable when it shuts off but at times doesn't come back on, especially at night.

I wonder if anyone else has had this issue and what you have done to remedy it. I thought about moving the thermostat to a different wall however, do not know how to move the wires either in the ceiling or under the floor. The only other wall that would make sense is the outside of the bathroom but I do not know if this would work either.

Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

[norty1]

I removed both of my thermostats, stuffed insulation in the holes behind where they were mounted and sealed the hole around the wires.

It seemed to help.

[ALJO]

Be innovative "where there is a will there's a way". As alternative; You also can do the suggestions like Norty1 said and also a dense foam pad (packing material) under the TH helps. Wires can be moved but you are the one who has to determine that.
When it is hot A/C usual never shut down much unless you are moving the TH close to the balance point.

[DelawareEagle]

Thank you both for the ideas. I had not thought of trying to insulate the space between the walls and around the thermostat. I will give it a try.