How do i install a new thermostat in my house?

Question

I moved into a new house and the thermostat is a big ugly old brown box. It is digital but it looks like it is one of the first digital ones made. It's also a little hard to program things because the buttons to make sense and it's so old there's no manual laying around. I'd like to just buy a new white one from home depot but i have never installed a new one before. How do i shut down power to the thermostat so i don't shock my self when i pop up the face? Where is the switch or whatever? how many wires will i have to remember that will have to unplug and plug in the new one? Any help will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Not all programmable stats will work with all units.  First you need to know if you have a heat pump or a gas/electric unit.  Most heat pumps have an emergency heat cycle that gas/electric units do not.  If you get the heat pump stat you can use it for gas/electric but not the other way around.  Also many newer units have two stages of cooling.  If you have one of those you need a stat that does multiple stages.

The final thing is even if you follow the color coded instructions that come with the thermostat you may still have a problem because you do not know how the original installer landed the wires on your original unit.  Usually they do it correctly but I have seem several systems with wires landed in some random color coding scheme.

Answer 2

It is all low voltage, low current so you shouldn't have to worry about shocks.  Very simple job.  When you remove the old one write down the wire colors and which terminals they are connected to.  Just connect them to the new one the same way they came off.  Make sure you get the proper thermostat, not a simpler heat only one.

Answer 3

Those thermostats come with detailed installation instructions so you should be okay doing it yourself.