Installing a thermostat

Installing a thermostat for your home will not be hard when you master the steps. There are so many types and brands of thermostat available in the market but the steps of installing many of thermostats are same. So forget about calling an electrician or handyman to help you, at the same time you can save money. Here the materials and tools you need before installing the thermostat for your home;

What you will need:

New thermostat, screwdriver, mounting plate, torpedo level, pencil for marking, digital camera

Steps:
To remove the old thermostat, disconnect and remove the old thermostat. Be careful and remember as to the number and colors of the wires.
Then, shut off power to the furnace. There is a circuit breaker or fuse that controls the furnace in the electrical service panel or fuse box. When you find it, turn the circuit off by turning the circuit breaker to the “off” position or unscrewing the fuse.
When the furnace power is off, remove the old thermostat and expose the old wires. If you have a digital camera, it is a good idea to snap pictures of the wires as they were connected to the original thermostat. Disconnect the wires and carefully not to let them fall into the wall. Label the wires as to which terminal they were connected if they are not colored. Then, remove the old thermostat mounting plate from the wall.

Once the old mounting plate is removed, pull the old wires through the hole in the wall and through the hole in the new mounting plate. Then, place the mounting plate the wall so that the wires come through to the hole in the wall and through the mounting plate hole without binding the wires.

Level the mounting plate by using torpedo level. Use a pencil or removable marker to mark two holes to fasten the mounting plate. After that, install the plate mounting screws. Make sure to check the level then tighten the screws.

When the mounting plate is attached to the wall, the next step is to attach the wires. Be sure to match the color coded wires to the appropriately marked terminal connections on the thermostat and tighten it to the terminal screws. If the wires are not colored, connect them into the appropriate terminals that had been labeled by you earlier. You can refer to the picture snaps that you took before. Push the excess wires into the wall once all the wires are connected.

Connect the new thermostat cover and set your controls. Carefully snap the new thermostat onto the mounting plate. Make sure that the electrical connections are correctly seated. Turn the electrical circuit back on the powers the furnace. Finally, set the thermostat to your own liking settings.

Additional reading:
http://homerepair.about.com/b/2007/02/28/installing-a-home-thermostat.htm
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20053916,00.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andybutkaj/441970348/