Honeywell is one of the producers of excellent thermostats in the market. These thermostats ensure that there is optimum temperature control in your home or office. When it is very hot, they will regulate the temperature to a level point, same as when it gets extremely cold.
They greatly improve your comfort. This is why you need to invest in one of these, especially if you live in areas experiencing extreme temperatures. Usually, thermostats sit on the interior walls at the center of our houses away from the kitchen, doors, windows, direct sunlight and air vents among other places.
When you feel the need to replace your old thermostat with a new one or carry out regular maintenance to it, you first have to get it off the wall. What is the appropriate way to do this? This article outlines how to remove an old Honeywell thermostat from the wall of your house.
Indicators that show you need to remove your old thermostat from wall
When can you tell that it is time to remove your old Honeywell thermostat from the wall? Before you even decide to remove your thermostat from the wall, there are signs showing that it can no longer work like before.
The moment it starts giving wrong readings then there is a problem. You can tell that the temperature readings are faulty or correct when you test using a thermometer.
Besides, if it keeps changing temperature settings at an abnormal rate, then it is time to get it off your wall. Most thermostats last up to 10 years and if your thermostat is older than this then it is too old for you to keep on using it.
It is advisable to keep on changing your thermostats as soon as new ones enter the market. Nowadays, the most common thermostats are the programmable ones because of their technological advance.
Additionally, if your thermostat does not complete a single heating or cooling cycle then it is becoming non responsive and it is time to replace it with a more modern one.
You might be also interested to read: Honeywell Thermostat Battery Replacement Guide
How to remove old Honeywell thermostat from wall
You may wish to shift from analogue to digital and this starts with the thermostat. Honeywell thermostats use advanced technology and have intuitive features that make them popular. You can easily control them from any room of your house using an app.
Some of them are Wi-Fi compatible while others use Bluetooth and further allow the use of voice control. Thus, with all these interesting features you obviously see the need of replacing the old with the new.
In other cases, your thermostat may be faulty and the only way to find the fault is to remove it from the wall and open it up. You can do this on your own or request the help of a professional. But if you are a DIY enthusiast, stay tuned as we take you through the whole process.
Materials you need:
- Nail
- Screw driver
- Masking tape
- Marker
Step 1: Turn off power
First things first, turn off the power supply to your cooling and heating systems. Thereafter, locate the circuit breaker in the electrical panel box and turn it off. This is just a precaution you must take to prevent electric shocks and damage to your thermostat. You can confirm if it is really off by adjusting the temperatures. If nothing happens then you are good to go.
Step 2: Remove the cover of the thermostat
It is important to note that Honeywell thermostats have two types of covers: Decorator cover plate aims at protecting the wall at the back of the thermostat and the inner workings as well; Utility cover protects only the interior workings of the thermostat.
To remove the utility cover, you loosen the thermostat by pulling it on its lower right corner side and it detaches itself from the rest of the thermostat. For the decorator cover, you first need to remove the utility and outer cover first. If it gets hard to detach the cover, use a screwdriver to unlock the screws.
Step 3: Take a snap of your wires
Once you get rid of the cover, you will encounter many colored wires on the inside. It is good to take pictures of the wires just as a reference when you are installing the new thermostat. Nevertheless, this is not a must but we recommend you do so for use later on.
The other alternative is to wrap masking tape around each colored wire. The wires have a letter on their end. Using a pencil, write the letter on the masking tape to use them as a guide. Only do this if the wires are more than two to avoid confusion.
Step 4: Disengage wires from old thermostat
After taking a picture of the wires or using a pencil for labeling, you can now disconnect the wires at the back of the thermostat. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws or nuts that surround the wires, thus holding them in position.
There is a need to prevent the wires from sliding back into the lining of the wall by swathing the wires around a pencil or a nail using masking tape.
Step 5: Remove old thermostat
The final step is to get rid of the mounting plate of the old Honeywell thermostat. Get your screwdriver and use it to unfasten the screws holding the plate in place. Intertwine the nail or pencil with the wires and let them pass through the mounting plate carefully so that they do not coil around each other. The old thermostat is now off the wall and you can install a new one at this point.
Conclusion
You now know how to remove your old Honeywell thermostat from the wall without the need of a professional. Most importantly, remember to take precautions including switching off the power supply before getting it off the wall and marking the wires appropriately in readiness for the next installation.
