How do I find the common wire on my a C unit?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: The wire coming from outside from the condenser unit is only going to have two wires a red and a white looking like this. And those two are going to go to y. And c common on that terminal strip.

How can you tell a common wire?





Easiest way to check is pull any batteries out of the old thermostat and look for a wire (normally blue) is connected to the C spot. If the old unit supports being powered by the common wire, then the unit will turn on without batteries.

Where is the C wire on an old furnace?

If your system has a C-wire, it might be in use or just tucked away behind your current thermostat. If your system doesn’t have a C-wire, you’ll need to run a new cable from your furnace to your thermostat to install most of the modern smart thermostat models.

What color is a C common 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 the common wire on a furnace?





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.

Is RC and C wire the same?

No the Rc is the red wire. You need 5 wires or more for this to run with all the functions. You can use one of the other wires but you have to drop control of the fan. It will only come on when furnace comes on.

How do you check C wire with a multimeter?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Begin by putting one probe whichever probe you want on the rh wire and test every other wire with the other probe. One of the wires will show up is 24 volts and that is your c wire.

How can I tell which wire is common on a 3 way switch?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: And take a tester and see which one of the black wires is a live wire. So this is our live wire this is going to be our common terminal. Now if you try both of these black wires.

Does C wire have voltage?



The C wire, a.k.a. the “common wire”, allows a constant flow of 24 VAC (volts AC) power to a smart thermostat. However, the C wire doesn’t provide the actual source of power to the thermostat. The wires that provide the source of power are the R wires (or hot wires).

Is the common wire the hot wire?

Black wire: This is a hot wire that carries electricity from the power source to the first switch in a typical 3-way setup. It’s also called the “common wire” or the “line wire.” Unless the breaker is off, this black wire is always hot.

What is a common wire in electrical?

The “common” is the “neutral” or “ground” wire, depending on the type of circuit. In normal US residential wiring, you’ll have a black “hot” wire, a white “neutral” or “common” wire, and a green or bare “ground” wire.

What is the blue C wire on a thermostat?



heat pump

The Blue or C Wire



C wires or varying colors apply to every thermostat, but blue C wires belong to thermostats attached to a heat pump. Blue wires are for heat pumps. This wire connects to terminal B on your thermostat.

Is com 24V the same as C wire?

The c wire is an extra wire that can be used to provide a return path for continuous 24V power for any application. It’s normally used to provide a return path to power the thermostat. The “c” stands for common. It is often labeled as “c” on thermostat backplates.

Which wire is which thermostat?

Thermostat Wiring Tips



If your thermostat controls your heat, you will have a white wire. The Y wire is yellow and connects to your air conditioning compressor. The G wire is green and connects to the fan. Rc and Rh: The red wire(s) are the power source for your thermostat.

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 are the color codes for thermostat wiring?

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).

How do you wire an old thermostat?

Quote from the video:
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.

Do I need a jumper from R to RC?

If you have a wire in the R terminal, and another wire (not a jumper) in the RC terminal, you will not need to connect the R and RC terminals. See our Basic Wiring article for more info here.

What is the difference between RH and RC thermostat wires?



There is no standard for the colour of the RH wire, but most units use a red one. The RC wire, on the other hand, refers to “red cooling”. It’s the same with the RH wire in that it powers the thermostat. For the RC, it powers the cooling system.