HVAC Technical Support
Troubleshooting Common Thermostat Problems
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Clock losing time |
| This almost always caused by the furnace tripping on high temperature limit, or some other safety limit. When the temperature limit is exceeded, the furnace shuts off the burners and the 24VAC to the thermostat. When the stat loses power, the clock stops. The furnace blower remains on, so the homeowner may never notice a problem, and when the temperature is back within limits, the burners come back on, and the power to the stat is restored. The clock will be slow by however many minutes the power was off to the thermostat. Correction: Find the cause of the high temperatures - dirty filter, etc. |
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Display goes blank or shows "PF" when starting cooling or heating |
| The thermostat only does this when there is no common wire. If the common wire is present, check it for continuity, look for a short, a broken wire, or a bad connection. If the equipment is a heat pump, or heat only or cool only, you MUST have a common wire. If the equipment is gas/electric, the stat will work without a common, but if it goes blank when starting the heat or cool, add the resistor (included with the thermostat) at the equipment side (not at the thermostat!) between W and C. |
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Unit running backwards - cooling on heat demand, heating on cool demand |
Cooling on heat demand, heating on cool demand - the heat pump setting is wrong - go to setup step 3
and change the heat pump setting. If the unit is a commercial heat pump, it may not require a heat pump
thermostat, so step 3 should be turned OFF. In this case, electric heat (setup step 5) may have to be
turned ON. |
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Unit runs both heat and cool at the same time |
| The heat pump setting is wrong - go to setup step 3 and turn HP to OFF. |
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Display blanks out during heating |
Most likely the furnace is tripping on high limit or some other safety limit. The furnace will
shut off the burners AND break the R leg to the thermostat, so the thermostat has no power and will
go blank. Solution - identify the cause of the limit trips. |
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Wireless thermostat won't turn on heat or cool |
Check the house code on the thermostat and on the receiver. They must match. The house code on the
receiver is set using dip switches, the house code on the thermostat is set in the thermostat setup, step
4. Also, check batteries - these thermostats require AA Lithium batteries, alkaline batteries will not
work correctly.
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Batteries die rapidly in wireless stat |
Make sure the batteries are AA Lithium batteries. Regular alkaline batteries will die rapidly and cause erratic
thermostat operation. Also check the thermostat backlight setting in setup step 9. If the backlight is ON, the
batteries will run down very rapidly. If the customer really wants the backlight on all the time, use the
optional transformer part # T0800 to plug the thermostat into a wall outlet. |
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Setup - can't get into advanced setup or can't get past step 2 |
To get into setup on any of the 4 button thermostats, hold Mode and Fan (or Mode and Override) for SEVEN
seconds.If you only hold the buttons two seconds, you can only get to step two. You must hold the buttons
SEVEN seconds, even though the display will say setup after two seconds. |
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Buttons don't work |
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Temperature inaccurate |
Calibrate the thermostat. On 4 button models, press Mode and Down for two seconds, the whole display will
light up. Press Mode, and the room temperature will appear. Use the Up or Down buttons to adjust the
temperature. Press Mode to exit. On 8 button models (with a door), hold Mode and Fan for 5 seconds, the
whole display will light up. Press Up and Down simultaneously once, then again. Room temperature will
appear. Use Up or Down to adjust temperature, press Mode to exit. |
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Fan doesn't come on with the heat |
| Turn electric heat on, setup step 5. |
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Thermostat settings change or scramble when supplemental heat comes on |
Some heat pumps create a large voltage spike when the unit goes in to defrost and/or when the supplemental
heat comes on. This large voltage spike can cause the microchip in the thermostat to reset, changing
settings. Settings can be restored with a factory reset (see below), but if the problem is re-occurring,
replace the thermostat with a flush-mount model, a T1050 or with a newer Venstar which has additional
high voltage protection. |
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Remote sensors show wrong temperature |
Check that the degree symbol on the thermostat is flashing - if it is not flashing, the remote sensor is not
connected correctly. Check wiring, and make sure that you are not using shielded wire, this will throw
temperature off. Do not reverse RS+5 and RS GND as this may damage the sensor! Note: Do not use an
ohmmeter to test the sensor - these are digital sensors, not thermistors, and they can be damaged
by an ohmmeter. |
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Thermostat doesn't respond to changes in room temperature |
This happens when there is air blowing through the thermostat from the wall behind it. Insulate the hole
behind the thermostat with insulation, spray foam, or even duct tape - whatever will stop the airflow
from behind the wall. |
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Erratic operation, partial display, or fluctuating temperature |
This can be caused by poor pin connections between the backplate and the thermostat, almost always
because the backplate is flexed against an uneven wall. Loosen the screws that attach the backplate
to the wall, allowing the backplate to flatten out, then snap thermostat back onto the backplate |
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General Tips |
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Wireless thermostats: Make sure the model number of the thermostat matches the model number
of the receiver. If the model numbers do not match, the stat and receiver will not be compatible.
When replacing a Venstar T1100RC with a Venstar wireless stat, you must replace the receiver with
a Venstar as well. Also, at this time the Zone setting in wireless thermostat setup is not used.
It should always be set to No.
Voltage outputs: To check your voltage outputs you must have a load on the thermostat outputs
and measure between R and the specific output. Your readings should be between 0.5 volts and 1.1
volts AC if the output is on, and between 21 and 30 volts if off. Also, you cannot read temperature
from a remote sensor using an ohmmeter.
Dry Contacts: When CK1 and CK2 are energized, the thermostat is forced into Occupied 1 (if
the stat is in Program On mode - in any other mode, the dry contact is ignored). When CK1 and CK2
are de-energized, the thermostat will revert to its regular program.
Ck1 and Ck2: Programmable stats - only works if the Thermostat is in Program On mode.
Non-programmable stats - works in all modes except OFF.
Resistor: The resistor that is included with the thermostat should ONLY be used if there is
no common wire AND the thermostat is not operating correctly (see number 2 in troubleshooting).
Otherwise, the resistor is NOT USED.
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Programming Tips |
Advanced Programming for Commercial Stats |
