We received so many tiny yet crucial issues from the users of thermostat. We brought out best advisers to solve all the queries & do honeywell thermostat troubleshooting for our readers. Understand the solutions based on the type of thermostat you possess.
Honeywell is one of the leading thermostat manufacturing brand all over the world. It has a vast number of thermostat products available in the market and shops.
The brand manufactures and designs programmable, non-programmable, analog, digital, wired and wireless, etc. Thus there are various different models and products that belong to this company.
However, the main aim of Honeywell is to provide quality products to their customers and even offer them a wide range of features.
Yet, after all being an electronic gadget, some thermostat tend to behave improperly. And of course the company provides the warranty for their products but what if the device has any issue after the warranty period.
So let us go through some troubleshoots that are found commonly as an issue among many.
TYPE OF HONEYWELL THERMOSTAT & TROUBLESHOOTING
Basically, Honeywell used to design analog thermostat a decade or two ago. Later they made it digital, with a screen that can display the temperature that you have set as well as the room temperature.
Then they transformed those digital display screen thermostats into touchscreen gadgets which can just be managed by a single touch of your finger. And now they are going wireless for better, safe, faster and more efficient connectivity of the thermostat with other devices and are turning the home into a smart home.
So if you are having an analog thermostat then it may have some different issues as compared to that of the latest units. Now, as we all know the thermostat that you have in your house has the basic working automatic switch. This switch controls the on and off process of the connected devices.
Thus maintains and controls the heating and cooling units as well as the temperature. And if the unit is blinking then there is some issue in the thermostat.
Compressor issue: If you see a flashing light on the unit or any msg saying heating on or cooling on then it is the issue with the compressor of the unit.
And there are even seen issues such as device not operating properly or it is getting slower and dimmer than there has to be a problem in the battery of the thermostat.
This is because many units runs on the battery and when the battery is low the unit does not work properly due to less power available.
So it is recommended for all to have a regular check on the battery of the device so that you do not have to get it shut down any time unknowingly and unaware.
HONEYWELL ANALOG THERMOSTAT TROUBLESHOOTING
However, the analog models of the thermostat are very traditional formats of the device. Nowadays, there are smarter devices that can do a lot better than the analog ones.
Analog devices have very less amount of features compared to the present generation models. They just have basic functions and their buttons for switching off the unit, heating, and cooling.
Many thermostat models even display a message of Replace battery. This is helpful as you will not have to experience a sudden shutdown of the thermostat.
Check List:
- Levelled to the wall
For an analog thermostat, if you are having a trouble you should check some basic requirements of troubleshooting. Firstly, the device should be placed on the wall such that the device is firmly attached to the wall and not inclined on the front or back side.
It should be perfectly vertical. If not done so, the mercury switch that is present in the device will also get tilted. And as a result of this, the accurate temperature reading through such thermostat would not be possible. So, it is essential for the unit to be mounted on the wall, perfectly leveled.
- The height of the unit from the floor:
Generally, the manufacturers and the experts suggest that the thermostat should be located well above the floor. Around 5 feet high the unit should be placed on the floor.
This helps in keeping the device out of the reach of the kids and the other reason for this is there is no kind of obstruction to the device nor the device become an obstruction.
- No corners or coverings:
The thermostat unit should not be placed in the corners or should not even have any kind of covering over it such as a cabinet, curtains, a photo frame or a closet. Such coverings do not allow the air to reach to the device properly.
Hence they become an obstruction. As a result, the gadget will not be able to measure the accurate room temperature or air humidity if it is not in proper and direct contact with the room atmosphere.
Troubleshooting Steps:
To make the analog device work properly you require doing few check steps so that you can fix the bug and start enjoying back your thermostat service.
- Remove the cover:
The first thing you need to do is to remove the cover of the thermostat device. This will allow you to look into the unit for any kind of disturbance that has been created. As soon as you open the cover the first thing to do is to dust off of the dirt and corrosion from inside the thermostat. This will let you have a clear look at the problem causing entity. With the help of soft brush clean the unit or wipe it with a cloth.
Many times it is the dust and dirt that does not allow an electronic gadget to work properly. So, if this is the case then the unit should start working now on cleaning the dirt off.
- Wiring:
The nest step is to check the wiring. You need to see whether the wires are properly connected at its place and there is no loose end in the unit. There will be different colored wires under the cover that should be connected to the terminals properly. If not so, check the manual and connect the correct wire at the significant place after going through the manual.
Check whether any of the wire is corroded or worn out and if there is any kind of short circuit that might have taken place. As many times there are cases where two unwanted wires come in contact with each other and cause the breakdown of the system.
But if all is in the place and nothing is worn out or misplaced then there might be an issue with the furnace or the air conditioner. So, get that check in case if they are the cause of the breakdown.
DIGITAL THERMOSTAT TROUBLESHOOTING:
Digital gadgets with screen interfacing capabilities are the latest generation of thermostats that are being manufactured by Honeywell brand as well as other brands also. These units are high-end and chic with a bundle of features inside them.
A digital touchscreen thermostat has the number of features than a digital thermostat and a programmable one has more than all. These programmable devices can be scheduled and programmed for the upcoming days and have many other qualities.
But on the other hand, it is also true that there will be the number of problems if there are more features in a device. As the chances of an issue in a feature are more than the analog one, there should be proper troubleshooting for each possible case.
So let us see how these high-end gadgets can be troubleshoot using a perfect methodology so that you can have a look at the unit before you decide to call the service man to have a look at the thermostat.
- No display on screen:
If your thermostat is dead or there is no display of information or any kind of light on the screen of your device then it may be probably a display failure. Many times due to certain reasons such as loosening of wire or short-circuiting of wires or due to battery problem of the unit (if it operates on battery) there are chances of the blackout of the screen.
However, in Honeywell thermostats, this is the most common issue that has been observed. The blackout of the screen. And due to this even when the device is working you cannot see or read anything on the display screen. This can be because of the furnace door.
If you have connected a furnace to the thermostat and haven’t closed the furnace door properly, then the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system) system will not work properly. Thus the thermostat will also not work properly.
- Room temperature sensor:
When you open up the cover of the thermostat unit there you will see a thermometer that is used to measure the room temperature and helps to sense the atmospheric heat or cold. When this not working properly you will be having the improper working of the thermostat as well as other systems.
Yet to come up from that you will try to fix it somehow or would like to replace the thermometer or sensor. But the recommendation of the expert on thermostat is that you should decide to buy a new one. Instead of going for a replacement of the component buy another thermostat.
- Short Fuse:
Another common problem that can be observed in the Honeywell thermostat units is the short fuse. Apparently, this is because of the fluctuations in the electric current. Due to the high fluctuations, the fuse of the thermostat and other devices may have got tripped or burnt (in some cases).
So if you cannot see through the display of the thermostat this might be the reason behind it. And to solve it, you need to go to the circuit breaker and check for the fuse of the furnace or the a.c. or for heating and cooling systems. If the fuse is tripped, turn off the switch first and turn it on again. If the thermostat starts working then congratulations! But if not then a replacement is required.
To replace it, turn the circuit breaker off and remove the old fuse and reinstall the new one exactly the same way as the first one was placed. However, it is recommended that you call a technician to do that as it is a risky job to do on your own.
- Wiring Issues:
There are wires inside the thermostat, a lot of them to say. Each of the wires represents a different function and device and thus gets connected to various devices individually. And these wires are thus connected to the thermostat so that all the heating and cooling devices can be operated with the help of a thermostat.
In a Honeywell thermostat, basically, there are different wires that are labeled R, W, Y, C and G. This wired are connected to the device at one end and the other is being inside the thermostat.
The thermostat consists of differently labeled terminals for each of these wires, so it is essential for you to connect the respective wire and terminal. So, if any of the wire is not in its place then that is the most probable reason due to which the thermostat has stopped working.
Please turn off the power supply from the main circuit breaker before you proceed further.
Basically. the red colored wire is a main power supply wire of 24-volts that supplied power to the thermostat unit. The yellow one is for the cooling system and might be connected to the air conditioner (if there is one at your place). The white wire is for the heating device such as a furnace.
Whereas the green colored wire is used to connect the fan to the thermostat and the C-terminal wire is a common ground wire. However, if the all these wires are connected to the C wire then the thermostat powered by the a/c power supply and if not connected to C wire then it is a battery operated the thermostat.
Please take a note, you need to follow the thermostat manual that you have got with the unit as different units have different wiring and procedure.
So, it is strictly recommended for you to go through the manual if you have decided to do the problem solving on your own. This can also affect your honeywell WiFi thermostat.
There can be other reasons such as short-circuit or corrosion or worn out of the wire due to which the thermostat has stopped work. So you need to make sure that all the wires are in the good conditions and properly attached to the terminals with no sign of short-circuiting.
- Day and time setting:
The thermostat even stops working if the date and time of the unit are not set properly. So before losing all the hopes and getting to the shop for the new thermostat please have the date and the time of the thermostat set again.
Many electric Honeywell thermostats do not work properly because their date and time are not set properly. As the programmable devices have the feature of Leave/Return and Sleep/Wake up, this thermostat will not work properly if the time is not set correctly.
To make all these features work on time you will have to go to the settings in the thermostat settings menu and reset the date and time. So, at night and the next morning the thermostat will be working for the Sleep and Wake up features.
If All Fails………
If there is an issue that we have not discussed then probably there might be a more serious problem with the device and the thermostat will require a deep study and check out and may take a replacement of few things or may need a complete replacement altogether. Thus if after all the above stated troubleshooting the thermostat does not come to life, then probably it is not the electrical issue it can be a mechanical problem in the unit.
And if it is to replace the components of the thermostat unit, it is recommended that you get a new one for yourself. Because the service and replacement will charge you equally as much as you buy a new one.
These were some of the troubleshoots for the Honeywell thermostat units so that you can get your device running on your own. But while you are doing so you need to be a responsible person with all the protections required. The troubleshooting of the Honeywell thermostat will get your unit back alive and then you can enjoy the service and pleasure that your thermostat provides.