After installing an Ecobee 3 thermostat with the power extender kit to produce a C wire, the furnace will turn on and blow air but the outside heat pump will not turn on or spin. My furnace is a Trane XL80 and my heat pump is a Trane XE1000 Weatheron. My furnace had a small wire connecting W1 and W2, no wire connected to yellow and a green, blue, and red wire installed. The wires were wire nutted outside of the unit and in order for me to install the power extender kit to make the thermostat turn on, I had to undo the wire nuts and connect the kit between the wires from the thermostat and the furnace wires. I have one red wire that seems like it is coming from the Trane outside but I don't know where to connect it or wire nut it. I forgot to take a picture of the wire nuts before I started (stupid me!) if anyone has an idea on how to make the condenser outside run I would appreciate it. I have photos of the furnace panel and the current connections with the power extender kit if needed.

Thanks so much!

 

Yes, a pic would be good.

 

The Y terminal on the thermostat controls the A/C outside unit. The Y terminal on the thermostat should connect to the Y terminal on the furnace, and the control signal wire that goes out to the outside unit (possibly the red wire you referenced). Try connecting the wire that goes to the outside unit to the Y terminal on the furnace/thermostat.

 

There was no Y wire to begin with on the furnace as you can see in the pictures. The W1 and W2 were jumped and only RGB wires were installed. The AC worked great prior.


http://postimg.org/gallery/2j06rt62q/

Thanks!

 

Is there a wire connected to the Y terminal on the thermostat? If so, where does it connect to?

 

Yes there is a yellow wire connected to the thermostat but it doesn't go anywhere close to inside the furnace I believe it was wrapped in a wire with another wire but I can't remember which and I didn't take a photo. The only wires going into the furnace are RBGW. I think AC never required a yellow wire in the furnace since the AC worked fine before I started all of this. Any idea on which wires should be wire nutted together?

 

While it's nice if a green wire goes to the G terminal, yellow to the Y terminal, etc., it's not required that the wire colors match the terminal designations. Whatever color wire is connected to the Y terminal on the thermostat, the other end of that wire should be connected to the wire running to the outside unit. You indicated in your original message that the wire going outside might be red. Can you post a picture of the thermostat connections (terminals & wires)?

 

In looking at the third picture you posted, it appears that there is a two conductor cable with a red & white wire that is not connected to anything. I suspect that this is the cable that goes to the outside unit. Connect the red wire to whatever wire runs up to the Y terminal on the thermostat. Connect the white wire to the chassis of the furnace.

 

This is what I have

https://s32.postimg.org/dcjh98r2d/image.jpg

 

There is also a white wire coming from the same sheath so red and white

 

Those two wires that you takes about are for the humidifier so those would not be used correct?

 

From your latest picture, it appears that there is a yellow wire connected to the Y terminal on the thermostat. Is that the same yellow wire that goes into the white "box"? The white wire in the red/white pair should connect either to the furnace chassis or the wire that connects to the C terminal on the thermostat (if it's available).

 

The yellow wire from the thermostat goes into the white box which is a power extender kit if the C wire does not provide enough juice for the thermostat which it didn't. If I connected the white wire to the Blue which I'm sure is C, the thermostat wouldn't turn on

 

I just looked up the info on your Ecobee thermostat. Inside the Power Extender Kit (PEK), are two Y terminals, one that connects to the Y terminal on the thermostat. The other Y terminal will connect to the red wire from the 2 conductor cable. You'll have to trace the wires to find out which wire with the wire nuts is the Y wire from the PEK. Connect the white wire from the 2 conductor cable to the chassis (ground).

 

A couple of observations. In the picture of your new thermostat mounting base, it appears that the green and yellow wires are very close and almost touching. You should turn off the power to the furnace and separate the wires so that there is no chance of them touching. Also, in the same picture there is a wire going to the C terminal on the thermostat (appears to be dark blue). What does that wire connect to? Is that the same blue wire that connects to the B terminal on the furnace? In looking closely at your picture of the furnace board, it appears that the B terminal may actually be the C (common) terminal which should be chassis ground. If you have a multimeter, can you check resistance from the B terminal on the furnace to the furnace metal chassis? If the B terminal/blue wire is actually Common as I suspect it is, and the wire goes up to the thermostat, you shouldn't need the PEK, as that is only needed if you don't have a C (common) wire.

 

Ignore the second part of my last post (about the B terminal on the furnace). I just realized that you have a heat pump. The B wire is the reversing valve (switching between heat/cool). However, I would still like to know where the wire that is connected to the C terminal on the thermostat is going to.

 

Bob, I appreciate all your help! The Blue wire on the thermostat is actually the wire connected to the B on the furnace control panel. We tried using that as the C wire so the PEK is not needed however it didn't work as the thermostat never turned on.

 

The blue wire should be connected to the O/B terminal on the thermostat. The B terminal on the furnace controls the reversing valve which determines whether the heat pump is in heating or cooling mode. What I find a little strange is that, since you have a heat pump, that there are only 2 wires going to the outside unit. With an A/C unit, you only have 2 wires going outside: 24VAC control signal from the Y terminal on the thermosta, and the Common (ground) wire. However, with a heat pump you also have the O/B control signal which I believe goes out to the outside unit, as I believe the reversing valve is in the outside unit (I'm an engineer/homeowner and haven't any experience with a heat pump).