What color wire goes where on a thermostat?

This is the most typical thermostat wiring style, and it applies to systems that regulate both heat and air conditioning. The wires are typically arranged as follows: red for 24-volt hot, white for heat, yellow for cooling, green for the fan, and blue for common (although the common wire may be a different color).

Where do the wires go on a thermostat?





The white wire underneath your thermostat connects to your heating system. It terminates at your air handler or furnace. The white wire connects to terminal W in industry-standard thermostats.

What are the 3 wires in a thermostat?

3 Wire Thermostat Wiring (Boilers, Heaters)

  • Red wire for power (24V).
  • White wire for heating (connected to W or W1 terminal).
  • Green wire as a repurposed C wire.


How many wires does a thermostat need?

Most systems today require a minimum of 5 wires when both heating and air conditioning equipment is included in the system. Our pro recommendation is to use 18/8 wire.

What happens if you wire a thermostat wrong?





Potential consequences of improper installation could include: Electric shock. Blowing a circuit breaker. Damaging the thermostat unit, the electrical system or even the AC/furnace unit itself.

What is the common wire on a thermostat?

The C-Wire, or “common wire” enables the continuous flow of 24 VAC power to the thermostat. It’s a wire that (if you have one) runs all the way from your furnace to your thermostat.

How do you wire an old thermostat?


Quote from Youtube video: So I would put the red wire. And the R. Into either R or RC. It doesn't really matter which one I put it into because there's a jumper between R and RC. So I'll just go ahead and put it into R.

How do you wire a 2 wire thermostat?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: I have the two wires coming through black and white you're gonna need to know which is which which is constant hot and which gets power when the thermostat kicks on.

How do I connect 4 wires to my Honeywell thermostat?



Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: That is our 24 volt hot. So that our term the red wire goes to the our terminal. So we just press and slide it in make sure that it locks. And push it all the way then we can go to our green wire.

What color is C wire?

Blue wires

Blue wires are also called “C” wires because they are the Common wire. C wires are necessary for any “smart” thermostat that needs to be connected to a power source 24/7, regardless of your heat pump type.

What is blue wire on thermostat?



The blue wire, or C-wire, is known as the common wire. It’s there to provide power to the thermostat. Video of the Day. Older thermostats usually don’t have a C-wire because they either don’t need power or, if they do, they get it from a battery.

How do you wire a 4 wire to a 2 wire?

The first option is to use the black wire of the 12-3 cable as the hot wire. Connect the black wires of both cables together, and connect the common white wires together. Cap the red wire and leave it untouched in the junction box. Place plastic twist caps on all splices.

What is wire color code?

US AC power circuit wiring color codes



The protective ground is green or green with yellow stripe. The neutral is white, the hot (live or active) single phase wires are black , and red in the case of a second active. Three-phase lines are red, black, and blue.

What is the difference between 4 wire and 2 wire?

A 4-wire transmitter has 2 wires connected to a power supply, and 2 signal wires connected to the PLC. – A 2-wire transmitter has only 2 wires and is connected in series with the power supply and the PLC.

What is the difference between 2 wire and 4 wire thermostat?



If you see two wires coming out of it in the back you have a single pole. If there are four wires, you have a double pole. If you have more than four wires coming out of your thermostat, you most likely have a low voltage one, which would be used to control a central furnace, boiler, or something similar.

What if my thermostat has only two wires?

If your heating system has only two wires, the job of the thermostat is simple. All it has to do is turn the heat or the cooling on and off. There’s no auxiliary fan to worry about and no heat pump.

How do you change a 2 wire thermostat to a 4 wire?

How to Wire a 2-Wire Thermostat to a 4-Wire System

  1. Remove the fuse or trip the circuit breaker in the fuse box that supplies power to the thermostat and the unit that it controls. …
  2. Remove the cover from the thermostat. …
  3. Remove the screws from around the thermostat with the Phillips jeweler’s screwdriver.

What is the black wire for on a thermostat?

This the Common Terminal, and usually, a blue or black wire is run to the transformer from this terminal to complete the circuit, and in some cases, provide power to the Thermostat. This terminal is found on thermostats designed to work with Heating Pumps and is used to power the defrost cycle on the heat pumps.

Can black and red wires go together?



These wires are typically used for switch wiring as well as the interconnection between smoke detectors hard-wired into the power system. You can link two red wires together, or you can link a red wire to a black wire. Since red wires conduct current, they are considered hot.

Which is the live wire black or red?

The live wire is brown in new systems and red in old systems. The neutral wire is blue in new systems and black in old systems.