No matter if you heat your home with gas, electric, solar, or hydronic radiant heating, one thing they all have in common is the thermostat.  Most people don’t realize the importance that the thermostats have, which is to monitor and regulate the temperature in the room.  Which means that they are the key to saving energy and maintaining the comfort level of the home or office.

The most basic thermostat has only two wires running from the furnace to the thermostat.  Whereas more advanced thermostats can have several terminals.  The reason for this is that some of the terminals are for controlling central air-conditioning.  Thermostats for heat pumps can have more than six terminals, one for heating, cooling, and even terminals to send a signal to the unit to keep it from freezing in the winter.  As confusing as all this may sound, cables and terminals are color-coded.  Therefore, as long as the wires match the label on the terminal, then the terminals are connected correctly.

When your furnace or air-conditioner fails to operate, first check the thermostat for simple mechanical problems.  One of the most common reasons why a furnace or air-conditioner will not switch on is because the thermostat cover is clogged with dust or even has been pushed in too far, which has disrupted the mechanisms.  Another common problem is that a wire has broken or come loose.  Therefore, it is recommended that you clean and check your thermostat twice a year.  In our household when the time changes from or to daylight savings, we replace the batteries in our smoke/CO2 alarms and clean and check the thermostats.

To clean the contact, use a brush.  Remove the outer cover, and then using a clean dry brush; remove the dust from the bimetal coil.  Turn the dial to make sure that you clean all the tiny nooks and crannies.  Next, clan the switch contacts, by removing the screws holding the thermostat body.  Carefully pull back on the can control switch and slid a piece of white bond paper behind the switch and slide the paper back and forth to clean the contacts located behind the switch.  You want to follow these steps to clean the mode control lever if your thermostat has one. 

Once you have cleaned your thermostat, conduct a hot-wire test.  This checks to see if power is getting to the thermostat.  Cut a short length of wire and then strip both ends.  Holding only the insulated part of the wire, touch the bare ends to the terminals marked R and W.  If the heating system starts, your thermostat is working correctly.  If the system does not turn on, then troubleshoot or replace the thermostat.

If the temperature is always warmer or cooler than the thermostat setting, then the problem could be that the thermostat is not leveled.  Hold a level or weighted string in front of the thermostat to see if the two alignment marks line up, if not then remove the mounting screws and realign the thermostat.

If cleaning and readjusting the thermostat cover does not solve the problem, then replacing the thermostat is a very simple job.  If you have a simple basic thermostat, then consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat, which can provide you with more control options and can even save you money on your electric bills. 

Before you begin to replace your thermostat, make sure that you shut off the power first. 
Loosen the terminal screws and pull out the wires.  Remove the mounting screws and the plate.  Clip the wires so they cannot slide back through the hole.  Thread the wires through the new thermostat and hook the wires to the terminals.  Level and then attach the base to the wall with screws.
Taking the time twice a year to ensure that your thermostat is clean and working properly will save you on your energy bills.

Whether your use a heat pump, central furnace, wall heaters or a gas fireplace to heat your home, these as well as countless other forms of heating and cooling systems all have one very important thing in common, in that they all require a thermostat to operate.

Thermostats are simple devices that combine both a setting device, which permits the homeowner to select a desire temperature in a given room or location and an internal thermometer, which continually monitors the actual temperature.  In addition, there is an electric circuitry, which turns on and off the heating and cooling system as needed to maintain that set temperature.

The simplest form of thermostat is a small knob on a wall or baseboard heater or air conditioner, which operates on line voltage.  This means that it has temperature settings in degrees or is simply marked with cool, warm, etc.  These are the least expensive types of thermostat, as well as the least accurate.

The type is the remote line-voltage thermostat, which is usually used with electric wall and baseboard heaters.  Because these thermostats are installed on the wall instead of on the unit, they are more sensitive and tend to be more accurate.  Several brands of line-voltage thermostats also have the added features of timer settings, giving the thermostat the ability to automatically increase or decrease the temperature at pre-selected times.

The standard type of thermostats for central heating and cooling systems are low-voltage thermostats.  Low-voltage thermostats are also used on pellet stoves and gas fireplaces.  These thermostats range from those with simple mechanical controls, which have fair to moderate accuracy, to ones with electronic controls, with tremendous amount accuracy. 

Electronic automatic-setback thermostats are convent and energy efficient.  These systems use digital displays, which makes setting the desired temperature as easy as pushing a button to input the command.  Because these thermostats utilize low-voltage wiring, many are simple to install for the do-it-yourselfer.  In addition, automatic thermostats are very accurate and will pay for itself in energy savings.

Several brands of “setback” or programmable thermostats are capable being programmed for both weekday as well as weekend settings as well as having the option of being able to have individual settings for each day of the week.  In addition, several top quality systems have battery backups, which will hold the program in memory in the event of a power outage.

There are countless types of thermostats on the market.  If you are considering replacing your current thermostats, then consider installing a setback or programmable thermostat.  You can purchase these and other types of thermostats through reputable websites and at most home improvement stores.