Thermostat Wiring

Thermostat wiring is a fairly easy procedure. A thermostat will control the heating and cooling systems of your home. It helps you keep your home at a relatively even temperature throughout the day. Automatic or electronic thermostats sometimes will give you an ability to pre-program your temperature so that your home warms up and cools downs at specific times during the day. Following the instructions noted below will make your job a success.

Step 1 - Turn of the Heating System

Turn off the heating and cooling system. This switch is located at the electrical power box that controls all the power in your home. If there is a label that indicates which switch is witch than you can turn this to off separately, otherwise you will have to turn the main breaker off for the whole house.

Step 2 - Remove the Face Plate

If the face panel of your old thermostat has screws, you will have to remove them. Some models of thermostat the face panel will just pop off. You will now have a base plate or a wire harness left on the wall. Unscrewing the base plate and remove the wires from the base.

Step 3 - Label the Wires

At this point you should mark or label each wire. You could use masking tape to do this.  You will indicate which screw the wire comes from B, R, W and Y.  You also might just have two wires which you will label accordingly.

Step 4 - Remove the New Front Panel

The front panel of your new thermostat will need to be removed. The new thermostats that are programmable ones usually have a push button tab that will separate the base from the front panel.

Step 5 - Connect the Wires

The wires, whether they are 2 or 4 can be now attached to the screws that you labeled. Your instructions in the box for the new thermostat will guide you to attaching the wires in the correct place. Tighten the screws.

Step 6 - Re-attach the Base Plate

Put the new base plate on the wall. The only thing is that if the new thermostat is a larger size then the old one you will have to drill new holes before remounting the thermostat.

Your new thermostat has to be level in order to work properly so have a level handy and make your adjustments if necessary.

Make sure the batteries are in place, and then you can put back on the front panel of the thermostat.

Step 7 - Program Your Thermostat

You will now have to program your temperatures. The new programmable thermostats have a preset or program daily and weekly function. They can be programmed to set back the temperature at night and bring the temperature back up to your preference during the day. These energy saving thermostats will save you money in the long run.

Note: Older thermostats did contain mercury and could be a health hazard and a risk to the environment so does not throw in the garbage but take to your local recycling center.