Honeywell thermostat not working?  Here’s how to fix it!

Fix your Honeywell thermostat here.

Honeywell thermostats are on a mission to transform the way the world works. They’ve been innovating and inventing useful products for over 100 years, and it’s highly likely that most of us have bought, used, or been helped by a Honeywell appliance at some point in our lives.

In fact, you can thank Honeywell for the invention of the automatic heating system, way back in 1885. The original device called the ‘damper flapper’ led to the modern-day thermostat and these have been keeping homes at the perfect temperature and families comfortable ever since.

Today, Honeywell is the most well-known, commonly used, and reliable thermostat on the market with up to 25% of homes having one installed.  However, as with literally everything in life, things can and do sometimes go wrong (particularly if you have an older model)

If your Honeywell Thermostat isn’t working, read on to find out what the problem might be and how to resolve it.

How do I know if my thermostat is broken?

If the temperature in your home suddenly feels a little too hot or cold, a broken or faulty thermostat could be to blame. There are a few simple checks you can make to troubleshoot the issue to help you figure out why your Honeywell thermostat is not working so you can take steps to try to resolve it.

The thermostat has no power

Working thermostats usually show the temperature of the room along with details about your programmed heating/cooling schedule on a digital display panel. If this screen is blank or dark, this would indicate a loss of power or serious malfunction that requires further investigation.

The thermostat won’t switch on

If you can’t switch your thermostat on via the usual buttons, you may have an issue with the wiring that sends signals from your thermostat to the HVAC unit or furnace.

The thermostat won’t switch off

If your heating or air conditioning has been running non-stop, switching it off and on again may resolve the problem. However, if it continues to run even after trying this, you may have an issue with the wiring or calibration of the system.

The room temperature doesn’t correlate to the thermostat display

Working thermostats should constantly display the temperature in the room and regularly checking this will help you identify if and when problems arise. If your room starts to feel much warmer or cooler than the thermostat display is showing, it means your thermostat has an issue measuring the temperature in the room.

The thermostat is unresponsive or slow to respond

Adjusting the temperature on your thermostat should elicit an immediate response – a clicking noise followed by a whoosh of air through the pipework. If adjusting the temperature on your thermostat doesn’t create an immediate reaction you will need to carry out some further tests to establish what the problem is.

What would cause a thermostat not to work?

If your Honeywell thermostat has stopped working, it is most likely to be due to one of the following reasons:

• There is no power
• The wiring is loose
• The thermostat needs cleaning
• The thermostat isn’t level
• The thermostat has been installed in the wrong place
• The breaker has tripped
• There are programming defects

How do I fix an unresponsive Honeywell thermostat?

The large majority of issues relating to an unresponsive thermostat can be resolved with just a little know-how and a bit of confidence.  Depending on the specific system, configuration, and wiring you have, your system will ‘call for’ the heat in different ways and therefore may need a different repair to be made. Before attempting any kind of repair, you must first identify the device you are having problems with. If you no longer have the product packaging or thermostat ID card, The Honeywell Home website contains a visual guide to help you select the correct make and model.

Some of the most common thermostat fixes include:

• Replace the batteries - If the display on your digital thermostat is completely blank or dark this may indicate that the batteries need replacing.
• Check the access door – If an access door to your HVAC system hasn’t been closed properly, the operating switch that allows the system to switch on won’t be activated.
• Check circuit breakers – If your circuit breakers have tripped this could be why the screen on your thermostat is blank. HVAC units generally have their own circuit breaker which should be checked in the event of any issues
• Assess the thermostat level – If the mercury switch in your thermostat isn’t completely level it will be unable to accurately read the temperature in the room, this could lead to issues, such as the system continuously switching itself on and off.
• Measure the room temperature – If the room feels much hotter or cooler than the display on your thermostat, there could be a problem with the temperature sensor. Check the temperature of the area directly next to the thermostat for anomalies using a thermometer and consider replacing the temperature sensor if the readings don’t match.

Final thoughts

With so many Honeywell thermostats available, it would be difficult to identify every single problem and subsequent solution within the confines of this article!

Whilst changing batteries or resetting the system may be successful, in the event of a faulty thermostat, there’s a myriad of additional reasons that could be causing the issue. If you don’t feel comfortable investigating issues relating to your HVAC, you should employ an HVAC professional who will be able to quickly diagnose the problem.