Things You'll Need
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Small Phillips screwdriver
Masking tape (optional)
Pencil or pen
Needle-nose pliers
Voltmeter or multimeter
Comfortmaker manufactures gas and oil furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioners. It is one of seven brands of International Comfort Products Corporation. The thermostat plays a vital role in the proper functioning of the Comfortmaker heating and cooling system, and it is essential that you wire it properly. The good news is that wiring the thermostat to the Comfortmaker furnace is not complicated, and doing the job requires just a little patience and some basic tools commonly found in most homes.
Step 1
Locate the circuit breaker and cut the power to the heating and cooling system. If you can, attach a lock to the breaker to prevent anyone from accidentally turning the power back on.
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Step 2
Verify that enough wires are available for the new thermostat. If not, you will need to run new low-voltage thermostat wire with the correct number of conductors. Each conductor will be color-coded for easy identification, allowing for quicker installation of the thermostat.
Step 3
Run the thermostat wires through the back of the thermostat and secure the back plate to the wall in the proper location. Thermostats need to be sitting level, so make sure that you keep this in mind when setting in the screws.
Step 4
Connect the colored wires according to the thermostat instructions. While it is possible that some deviate from the norm, most follow a set color scheme. The red wire is the power and connects to the R terminal that shares the heating and cooling, or the RH or RC terminal that has a jumper between the two. The white wire controls the heating part of the system and connects to the W or W1 terminal. The yellow wire is used to control cooling and attaches to the Y terminal. The green wire is for the independent operation of the fan blower and connects to the G terminal. If the thermostat is digital, there will be a black wire to connect to the C terminal and is the common wire.
Step 5
Attach the second-stage wiring if the furnace or air conditioning unit utilizes this option. Typically, wiring for the second-stage cooling is light blue and attaches to the Y2 terminal. The W2 terminal is used for second-stage heating and is commonly a brown wire.
Step 6
Attach the front plate of thermostat while ensuring that the thermostat is level.
Step 7
Attach the wires to the control board located in the furnace using the same color-to-letter combination that you used for the thermostat.
Step 8
Turn on the power and test the thermostat. Turn on the heating option on the thermostat and set the temperature 10 degrees hotter than the current room temperature. Check that the furnace turns on and wait for the blower to come on. Test the cooling by selecting the cooling option and setting the temperature 10 degrees cooler than the room. Turn the thermostat to fan only and verify that the fan comes on.
Tip
Read the entire installation manual for the thermostat before attempting the installation. Different models may use different colors or labels. If the wire colors do not match what the thermostat instructions call for, simply mark the wires with masking tape so that you can identify what color you used for a specific terminal letter.
Warning
Safety switches can fail and incorrect wiring can take place with shut-off switches, so never rely on safeties to protect you when working with electrical components. Check that the power is turned off with a voltmeter to ensure your own protection and to prevent potential damage to the furnace.