Steps to Take Before Making Thermostat Upgrades

Interested in replacing your thermostat? Before you make the jump to a brand-new smart thermostat for your home, with all the bells and whistles, it’s important to take some steps at your house to make sure you’re fully prepared for the upgrade.

With this in mind, here are some steps to take before making thermostat upgrades in Mabank, TX:

• Ensure compatibility: Most smart thermostats are only compatible with low-voltage (24v) HVAC systems. Therefore, it’s important to make sure your system is compatible before you try to install a new thermostat. If you only have one thermostat in your house that controls a single furnace in your basement or garage, then this is likely a low-voltage system, often referred to as “central heat” or “central air.” However, if you have a thermostat in multiple rooms, or if you have multiple heaters around your home, this is probably a line voltage system, which will not be compatible with smart thermostats.
• Consider your wiring: Even if you do have a compatible HVAC system, you may not have enough wires for the system you need. With most smart thermostats, you’ll need to have a wire that plugs into the C-terminal to give continuous power to the thermostat, and you may not have that wire on the existing thermostat. If not, you’ll need to install a C wire. It’s a good idea to take photos of your wiring in its current configuration, just so you can put your old thermostat back on in case something goes wrong during the installation process.
• Have a plan for the wall: When you remove the old thermostat and put on the new one, you might have issues with damage to wallpaper or mismatched paint. Most thermostats you’ll get today will have a wall plate that will cover up damage or mismatched paint, but if not, you may need to address any repairs or repainting that needs to be done to make for a seamless installation and integration.
• Have the proper tools on hand: At the very least, you’re going to want to have a screwdriver and a wire stripper/cutter. Thermostat wires are easily breakable because of how thin they are, and if this happens, you’ll need to make new tips for the connections into the thermostat. The easiest way of doing this is to use a wire stripper. If you don’t already have one at your home (and you probably should), you can find them for pretty cheap at any hardware store near you.

You should spend some time considering whether you will attempt to make the upgrade yourself or hire a professional. If you’re at all uncomfortable with handling the wiring or any installation processes involved with making upgrades to smart thermostats in Mabank, TX, having a professional from Ken’s Comfort Zone Air Conditioning come in to do the job is a great way to ensure it gets done correctly and safely, and prevents you from having to spend any money to fix your DIY mistakes. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

Categorised in: Thermostats

This post was written by Writer