Did you buy an Ecobee Thermostat without checking your home for c-wire?
Are you aware of C-wire?
Well, I'll try to answer all your queries, but before that let me tell you if you have a c-wire, then this article is NOT for you.
In this post, I'll be sharing the step by step methods that you can apply to install an Ecobee Thermostats without a C-wire.
So, without any further ado, let's deep dive into the subject.
Initial Preparation
First and foremost, you need to check whether your furnace has a c-terminal or NOT.
If the answer is NO, then you'll have to use a power extended kit (PEK).
You can check the block diagram here.
You do have an option to contact the Ecobee support team.
Nevertheless, when I contact the Ecobee support team, they said that I need to have a c-wire for the Ecobee thermostat to be up and running, and for that, I need a power extended kit.
Even on the forum, loads and loads of people are complaining about the c-wire related issue.
Rather than waiting for the miracle to happen, I thought of taking the initiative of tackling the problem.
Though it was a time-consuming process still I managed to find a simple yet effective solution.
Remove the Old Thermostat
Disclaimer: The result may vary depending upon the heating system that you're using.
In my case, I use a hot water boiler system.
Secondly, I'm not a certified plumber or electrician, so you need to consider it my personal views only, and if you're going ahead with the steps, then you're doing it at your own risk.
You need to unbox your newly bought Ecobee Thermostat and make it ready to use.
Remove the old thermostat.
If you don't have the c-wire, then you'll find only two wires: red wire and white wire.
It's advisable to shut off the breaker to the thermostat that you're working on.
Remove Wires Using Screwdriver
Once you've switched off the power of the thermostats that you're working on, use the screwdriver to remove red and white wires from the plate.
In most of the cases, these wires are held in by the Philips head screws.
Remove the Back Plate
Now, you've to remove the back plate from the wall.
Mostly, two to four screws are used to hold the plate on the wall.
Don't lose your patience and tear the sheetrock into ribbons when removing the old backplate.
Install the New Thermostat
Now, it's your turn to install the new thermostat.
I recommend you to buy a 24 Volt C-Wire Power Adapter from Amazon.
You may also check the price of the product in your local market. You can find some really inexpensive C-Wire power adapter on Amazon.
If you've got a budget of $30, then you can get a decent adapter.
Most of these adapters come with a long power cord, some maybe 25 feet long or more.
Moving further, you need to cut down the wire to the needed length and strip off the end of the wire.
Keep the naked wire length short.
This is the most crucial step in the entire process.
You have to run the wire coming from the adapter, and also the white and red wire coming from the wall through the backplate before attaching it to the wall.
Wire Your New Thermostat
The good news is that you're done with the toughest step.
The wire part is a cake walk.
You need to connect the stripped wire into the RC slot from the AC adapter.
After that, connect the non-stripped wire into the c slot.
Now, connect the red wire from the boiler into the RH slot and the white wire into the WI slot.
Before fixing the back plate to the wall, cross-check the connections
Once you're done, you can see your Ecobee thermostats up and running.
I personally performed all the steps that I've mentioned here for myself as well as for one of my clients.
However, if you face any problem and your thermostat isn't running, then it is highly recommended to consult an electrician.
Conclusion
Once you're used to Ecobee thermostat, it will be literally difficult for you to switch to any other thermostat or go back.
It is very helpful if you own multiple apartments and want to control the heat of all of them.
I mostly go for a family trip during Christmas and trust me, the Ecobee thermostat serves the purpose.
I schedule it differently when I'm away from home and it is automatically scheduled to heat up my home before I return.
What more you wanna expect from the thermostat?
Well, no one wants to return to the cold home after a lovely trip, right?
So, in short, you just need a 24 volt AC adapter for your Ecobee thermostat, and you're done.
If you like this article and feels that it has added value, then please it with your friends and colleagues.
After all, sharing is caring.
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