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Replaced my thermostat - did I do it right?

3K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  kennzz05 
#1 ·
I recently replaced my older thermostat with a new Honeywell one. The wiring seemed straightforward, and the furnace is working as expected, but I wanted to get a more experienced set of eyes to look at how I wired it.

Here is how the old one was wired:


Note that the red wire goes to the RC terminal, then continues to the RH terminal.

And here is the new one all wired:


In the new thermostat, the red wire goes into the R terminal. You can't really see from the photo, but there is a small jumper wire connecting R to RC. Is this how it should be?

And one other question about the wiring of the new thermostat - should I cut them a bit shorter so they aren't bending all over the place?

Thanks for your time! :)
 
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#3 ·
You need to get rid of the bare wires......red and white.....then stuff something (like insulation) in the hole so the stat doesn't see or "feel" a draft out of that wall.
 
#5 ·
If there isn't enough red wire to pull out so you can cut the bare wire off, get some shrink tube and slide it over the wire overlapping the good insulation on both sides and the bare area. Gently heat to shrink it down. This will give you a cleaner repair than just taping it up.
 
#6 · (Edited)
ACK! My eyes, MY EYES!!

DoOd, you do not want any bare metal showing anywhere outside of the very tip that is stripped back to be screwed in the terminals.

Mark all the wires or use your pictures as a template, unscrew all terminals thus removing all wires and with some pliers pull that wire out through the wall. 9 out of 10 times there is at least a few inches if not a few feet worth of wire stuck in the walls or some slack somewhere along the way.

I'd cut off all of that old stuff, strip back the entire jacket which would reveal new small wire and use that.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I HATE lath and plaster walls!!!!!. :furious::censored:

Usually there is no give in the tstat wire in those old houses and you may short it out where it comes thru the wall. Then you have a HUGE problem as stringing a wire in those walls is very difficult. I would CAREFULLY straighten those wires and slip some heat shrink tubing from Radio Shack on them and heat with a cigarette lighter or one of those micro torches that use butane. Then reconnect them and put fibreglass insulation in the hole to prevent drafts and short cycling.
 
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