should i replace the old thermostat on my own?
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at
3:06 am
we bought a house which has old honeywell chromotherm thermostat.. with an analog clock and some pegs are missing too.. it contains mercury.. and i am not sure even if it working properly.. should i just buy one digital thermostat from homedepot or lowes and try changing it myself or call a professional.. will the wires match?
Filed under: Wind Power
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Thermostat base plates are labaled.
RH – Powers heat
RC – powers AC
Y – controls AC
G – controls blower
W controls heat
just match the wires with the color and there usually a small wire that runs from RH to RC so you can power both heat and cooling called a jumper. Then you have to check the gas valve on you furnace and see what the heat anticapator should be set at. Make sure its leveled when you mount it and your good to go
usually it’s just two wires. easy to hook up. the store can recommend a easy hook up one
I found with mine the wires were the same but it maybe different for you. The one I bought gave me very detailed instructions. It told me what colors to hook to what screws. Buy one take a look and if it looks like more than you can handle call a professional. Be aware they might want to do more than just change the thermostat but you can say no.
If it was installed properly the first time, yes the wires will match and be color coded. If not sure, copy down what color wire was removed from what letter on the old t-sat.
You should see the letters: R, Y, W, G, and may be B.
R=red, G=green, etc…pretty dang easy isn’t it….:)
Turn the power off to your air handler to de-energize the transformer that supplies power to t-stat.
Need help, email me, go to my 360 page.
Yeah no problem easy instructions be sure and turn power off to unit, the stat is powered by a 24 volt transformer in the unit, don’t short it, good luck
it’s easy do it your self
first dont buy anything from the big box stores. second unless you feel like you just cant live without one, dont get a digital stat. the batteries go dead, they are a pain to program, and they dont last. get a honeywell T 87 stat and use it. if you do try It yourself, turn the breaker off to the furnace first, and read the instructions.
Possum
Thermostats are very easy to replace – 2 wires, perhaps 4. Any thermostat at any hardware store will generally work. Honeywell makes about the best, although Hunter makes some nice ones too.
Consider programmable. They pay for themselves in about a year.
Most importantly – don’t throw the old thermostat away! Check with the local hardware store or your state’s environmental protection office. The Mercury has to be disposed of in a particular way.