Installation - Preparation
If replacing an old thermostat, the new thermostat can be mounted in its place. If a new location is desired it will be necessary to move the wiring.
New installations and relocation should follow the accompanying guidelines to ensure the most accurate temperature reading and ease of use.
- Mount thermostat on an inside wall, approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the floor in a frequently used room.
- Do not install in locations near appliances or devices that affect the local temperature such as televisions, lamps, or dryers.
- Avoid areas that are exposed to large temperature variances (e.g., direct sunlight, near an AC unit, above or below auxiliary heat and air vents, and drafts from windows).
- Be aware of what is on the other side of the wall where the thermostat is being installed. Do not install on walls adjacent to unheated rooms, stoves, or housing hot water pipes.
- Damp areas will not only affect the humidity reading of the thermostat, but could lead to corrosion and shorten the life of the thermostat.
- Install in a location with good air circulation. Stagnant air will not accurately reflect the rate of temperature change in the room.
- Avoid areas behind open doors, corners, and alcoves.
- Wait until construction and painting are finished before installing.
The existing thermostat
- Test the system.
- Verify that the heating and/or cooling system is operating properly before attempting to install the new thermostat.
- Caution : Do not test the system by shorting electric terminals at the furnace or air conditioner. This may damage the thermostat.
- Turn the power off.
- Turn all heating and cooling systems off. This can be done at the circuit breaker.
- Caution : Do not remove the existing thermostat until power has been turned off at the circuit breaker.
Once power to both the heating and cooling systems is off, follow these steps:
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Remove thermostat cover.
- Remove the cover from the existing thermostat. Do not disconnect the wires yet.
- Important: Take a picture of the wires before detaching them from the existing thermostat for future reference.
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Label all existing wires.
- Label all existing wires, one at a time, with the labels provided.
- Make sure the wires are labeled correctly. If there is an unidentified wire, it may be necessary to identify the wire where it connects to the heating or air conditioning equipment.
- Important : Take another picture of the wires to document connections for easy reference. Do not disconnect wires before labeling them.
- Caution : Wiring can vary for each manufacturer. Label all wiring before removing it from the existing thermostat.
- Disconnect all of the wires and remove the existing thermostat.
- Important: Remember to secure the wires so they don’t fall into the wall.
Prepare the wires
Follow these guidelines for safe and secure wire connections:
- Verify the wires are solid core and have proper gauge between 18-24 AWG
- Verify the wires have exposed straight ends about 1/8” long
- Only one wire should be inserted into each terminal on the thermostat
Caution : Verify that the system is 24 VAC. If the old system is labeled as 120 or 240 volts or has wire nuts, the system is high voltage. Do not install the thermostat to a high voltage system. Contact a local HVAC professional for additional voltage assistance.