Hey everyone! I'm in the process of hooking up my Ecobee smart thermostat and I've run into a bit of a snag. I didn't take a picture of the wiring before disconnecting the old thermostat, and now I'm stuck trying to make sense of the current setup. In a tutorial video, it shows the blue wire going to the 'C' terminal, but when I look at my A/C unit, the blue wire isn't connected at all – instead, the white wire is going to 'C'. Since I don't have dual-stage heating or cooling, I'm wondering if I should move the white wire to where the blue wire is on my thermostat. I have some pictures of the new wiring setup and my A/C unit, which you can check out here: https://imgur.com/a/DaMPJq6 and https://imgur.com/a/iJK4VEc. Any insights would be super helpful!
3 Answers
Definitely check your HVAC unit’s wiring configuration. It can be confusing when the colors don't match up. Make sure you have your model number handy, too, in case you need specific help!
If you’re comfortable with a little trial and error, you could try shorting two wires together. If the heat kicks on, one wire is power and the other is for heat. If only the blower starts, then one is power and the other for the blower. Just be careful while testing!
What’s your HVAC setup? Do you have both AC and heating? If you’re using a furnace, is it gas or electric? Typically, the C wire (common) on your HVAC control board should connect to the C terminal on your thermostat. I took a look at your pictures, and it seems like the third terminal might be labeled W/W1? If that’s the case, it should go to W1 on the Ecobee! Good luck!
Make sure it’s actually W2 and not W1. Double-check that wiring!
Turns out I just needed to connect that blue wire after all. The previous colors on the other side don’t quite match up, which is baffling. This house has some wacky wiring! Thanks for your help!