How to Test a Home Thermostat in 6 Easy Steps

There is a special category of household items we don’t pay attention to until they break.

One of these is the thermostat which we use daily but still don’t understand its value until it breaks. That’s why we created this post on how to test a home thermostat.

Testing it when you believe things are getting a little bit weird makes total sense. You might be able to fix it yourself!

How To Test a Home Thermostat

When the air in your home suddenly gets colder, the first thing you want to do is to check if the thermostat actually is the problem. Even the slightest damage on your home’s electrical panel might be responsible for an error.

Generally, there are two types of them in the market right now:

Electromechanical Thermostats

These are older models that operate on really simple mechanical principles.

Mechanical thermostats are made up of two metallic pieces laminated together. Each metal reacts differently to high and low temperature and controls the temperature a thermostat emits.

Electronic Thermostats

These are more modern models that work as small computers. The settings in electronic thermostats are much more sophisticated with timers, temperature controls, special preferences etc.

Today, we will take a look at how to test a home thermostat no matter the type or the way it operates.

Six Simple Steps May Be Enough

Step #1

Turn the furnace off and make sure that you will be safe no matter what you will be touching. Remove the thermostat’s cover and take a look at the wires.

Step #2:

First of all, don’t feel intimidated if you come across many wires you know nothing about. You want to find one red and one white wire –these are the usual colors for power and heat.

Unscrew and remove both of them from the terminal and be careful not to let them fall into the hole in the wall.

Step #3:

Wrap the two wires together.

Step #4:

Now, it is time to turn the power on. Take a close look at the furnace burner and be extra careful. You want to check how it will respond to the blower.

Please note that if you are checking the air conditioning mode, only the blower will go on.

If the blower is working but the furnace burner kindles or odors a smell of burnt plastic, turn the power off immediately. Unfortunately, this is a sign you have to replace it.

Step #5:

If the burner does not respond at all, check if your wires are properly connected from the thermostat to the furnace.

Step #6:

Tighten all the terminal screws and put the plastic cover back on. Hopefully, you have figured this whole thing out. But…

What If You Can’t Make It Work?

If you find it too hard to do it on your own, hiring an expert seems like the best solution.

And we might be the best of them –at least, that’s what our happy customers say.

Request a service now if you experience any problem with your home thermostat and we would be more than happy to help!