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Disconnect Old Thermostat

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1:05
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Electrician Service Call, Troubleshooting a 24-Volt Thermostat for Heat in someone’s Home, Thoughts?

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What happens here

After confirming the thermostat is faulty, the electrician begins to remove the old unit. He carefully unscrews the old thermostat from its wall plate, exposing the thermostat wiring bundle. He then uses an insulated screwdriver to disconnect each of the 18-gauge thermostat wires from their terminals on the old unit. He notes that while these wires are low voltage (typically 24 volts) and unlikely to cause severe shock, working with live circuits should generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary for specific troubleshooting or maintenance where a scheduled shutdown is not feasible.

Goal: Safely remove the old, faulty thermostat from the wall.

Tools and materials

  • Headlamp — Providing light to see the wiring clearly
  • Insulated Screwdriver — Disconnecting wires from the thermostat terminals
  • Old Thermostat Honeywell Home — The unit being removed

What they say

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all the circuit breakers are on and there are no trips. Then, I check the furnace to make sure it's on and it was. So, then I go upstairs, which leaves me with a thermostat. I start taking out the old thermostat and put in the new thermostat. Thermostat wire is typically 18 gauge. Tiny wire, not big enough to get zapped. So, I'm working live. I'm not saying to work live. You should never work live. Only when you have to schedule a shutdown if you need to. So, a thermostat is usually 24 volts. The red wire is the main power wire, which always goes on the R terminal of the

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