Important for Ecobee3 lite users this is for Ecobee3 only, Don't follow these instructions to installed Ecobee3 lite refer to attached manual since when connecting to thermostat and using the Power Extender Kit (PEK) you need to connect G to C and Y to PEK first and then, connect any remaining wires to their corresponding terminal.
Watched the video and noticed that there MAY have been a 5th wire in your T-stat cable. For those of you thinking about upgrading to Wi-Fi, have a close look at the "brown" T-stat cable. In many cases it may contain more than the 4 obviously visible wires (R,W,Y,G). Many have 5 or 6 wires contained within, BUT... the technician may have used only 4 for your particular T-stat model and cut the last wire short so it is out of the way. Remove some of the sheathing from the "brown" T-stat cable to see if there's a hidden 5th wire. If so, you can use that as your common. If not, follow this video as intended. Confirming a 5th wire before you purchase your new wi-fi T-stat may save you some money too !
I see a blue and brown wire at the furnace and thermostat that are not connected to any terminals/screws (just cut short and rolled up). Can I connect the blue wire to C in the furnace and thermostat? Would that suffice my case? The R, W, Y and G wires are connected to the respective terminals as required
@@yogendra1734567u8i yes of course. If the wires are unused on both ends (is in the furnace circuit board area, as well as behind the thermostat, then go ahead. Good find!
It was pretty easy. I installed mine this morning in about 10 minutes into an air handler built in 1983. I don’t know if it’s the same for all applications, but in mine the old thermostat was battery powered so the C wire (24 volt AC) was absent so that is why the power extender is needed.
Good work, thank you for documenting this procedure. One thing I would add is that you should wire in the Humidistat wires into the ecobee and let it control everything. It also eleminates the need for a second panel. The ecobee 4 can do all of that stuff by itself. I know it wires to the ACC on the right side but I'm not sure yet how exactly.
Thank you. I wanted to do just that but my humidistat is right above the humidifier on the return air duct and the ecobee is upstairs. I couldn’t figure out how to connect the two without running another wire up. Let me know if you can figure this part out.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial If you don't have a wire running up by the ecobee then you will need to just run a wire up there. Humidity is important in how warm it feels. On a humid day it feels warmer outside because your sweat can't evaporate. That's why for a comfortable home and cost savings it's best to let the ecobee control your humidity. Home Depot can cut you the correct wire to length. The wire is very cheap (maybe 50cents/ft). You will need some "fish tape" which sells for about 15 bucks to pull the wire up to the wall. Find where the brown wire is running up the the ecobee (4 wires in your case which is why you needed the PEK). Remove the ecobee from the wall and feed the fish tape down into the hole behind the wall. Go back by the furnace and look for the fish tape. Attach the same wire from the humidstat (you will buy the same gauge/color wire from your local home depot/lowes) to extend it up. Attach the wire to the fish tape and feed it up. Now where do you attach it? I'm not sure. But it's on the right side somewhere. I think ACC+ but I'm not sure. Ecobee has a test feature so you can test each component by cycling it on(AC/Heat/Humidifer/fan) look for it in the settings somewhere. While you're at it change the humidifer filter as well by popping the cover off.
The cover plate is not to hide old wires but to help cover up paint if you’re old thermostat was bigger than the ecobee. When installing the wire module, you might want to have a pair of wire strippers to clean up old wires and strip new connections since old copper can break.
Keep in mind, do not rely on the colours as some installations do not have matching coloured wires to the letters shown. Pay more attention to the letters of the terminals and match those to the wires before you remove them.
like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, ruclips.net/user/postUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....
The G wire is supposed to b in the C terminal on the thermostat. That’s part of what the PEK adapters does. U lose the ability to run ur fan separately after the conversion is complete.
when you take the bottom cover off there is a switch that pops up. When the bottom cover is in place that switch is pushed in by the cover and activated. I know because I took mine off while the AC was running and it shut down.
My furnace must just be different than any other. Every video I have watched shows the wires from the thermostat go right to the board and held in place with the screws. With mine there is just a square plug with a pigtail plugged in and there is like 10 wires on the pigtail. More than half are not being used but it still makes it hard because of all the wires and they aren't labeled only colored and the thermostat wire is just hooked to the pigtail with wire nuts.
Egan Fo Sorry Egan. I do not know what to do in that case. Could it be there and just labeled something other than C? Maybe also reach out to Ecobee Support.
If you don't have a C terminal then you need to get a transformer - typically 110 to 24VDC adapter and then run the positive off that to the C line on the Ecobee. Some of the ZTech HVAC controllers also have the C line, but the boards cut off power on furnance fireup and they state they cannot power the Ecobees. With those, you again have to get an adapter to power them. I had to go through this. Ended up replacing my controller board.
I didn’t use the power extender which explains why it won’t turn on. I have replaced all my thermostats in a three zone baseboard heat. Do I only need to install one power extender on the burner circuit board to give power to all three?
You might need to have an electrician out who can do a tone test and figure out what’s what and get everything labeled for you. I feel your pain, I just spent last 2 hours installing in my house, which was built in the 50s
@@piyushdhedhi4226 the C wire is basically another live wire so I just took power from the live wire over ro where the C wire should be. Been almost 2 yrs now and still going strong💪🏾
I have a problem! :( i bought the Ecobee3 Lite thermostat today. We were installing it and after this video we were able to connect it.... but.... the problem is the screen does not boot.... the A/C works fine (thank god) but the screen does not.... what could the problem be? Please Help!!!
not enough voltage to run the screen or a faulty device? Contact customer support and see. Also try removing all your connections at the thermostat and reconnecting and the same at the circuit board at the unit. Likely you didn't push the wires all the way in at the thermostat. When they are in the notch is down. Double check all the wiring. Let us know if you figure it out and what the problem was in case this happens to someone else.
So what is actually happening with the PEK? If you are connecting 5 wires down at the circuit board why aren't 5 wires needed all the way up? It's taking voltage from the 5th "c" common wire and combining it into the other 4? This way the unit has enough power to run the LCD display?? It's not really apparent and you didn't explain that part.
Yes exactly as far as I understand. But another viewer pointed out that there may have been a fifth wire hidden under the sheath that I may not have seen and may have been able to avoid the PEK altogether. I would have to open it all up again to look.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial I checked mine and it's definitely not a 5th wire hidden. The org installer used 18/4 wire (18gauge/4 conductors) What we want is 18/5 wire (18 gauge with 5 conductors). It sells for 50 cents a foot and is sold by the foot at home depot. It's all color coded so if you are going to go in to the circuit board anyway you might as well consider just buying the 18/5 thermostat wire for $10 bucks and just doing it that way. It works just as well either way but if you like things to be neat and proper it's the way to go. The only thing about that is you might need to purchase some "fish tape" or "fishing tape" which sells for about $15 to help pull the wire up to the wall by the thermostat.
John Ames I have fish tape. But thinking if I’m replacing the entire wire I can use the existing wire to pull the new one down or up instead of fishing a new one beside the old one.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial exactly, the wire is so cheap anyway get the 18/5 wire (50 cents a foot, get extra) and the correct gauge wire for the humidifier, attach the new 18/5 wire and the new extended wire for the humidistat and pull it all up from by the thermostat upstairs. If you figure out where to attach it let us know. It's either ACC+ or ACC- (right side of the ecobee panel). I bet you make up the cost for the new wire in savings from having the humidity adjusted by the ecobee. It's knows the outside humidity and temp so it adjusts based on that. No more foggy windows from too much humidity. No more dry skin from too little humidity.
Is humidifier or HRV control required though ecobee though. Thought the humidifier has it's own sensor and automatically senses when to add moisture to the air or when to turn it off. Same with the HRV.
Actually, the C wire is highly recommended to get constant power. The NEST has a built in battery which gets charged only when the Rh cable is on/when the furnace is on. So the NEST runs on that battery for the most part. Eventually problems will occur down the road because that battery will die out and there is no way to change the battery. Many HVAC pros DO NOT like NEST for many reasons, this being on of them.
You’d have to check with your manufacturer. I would guess yes since you’re tapping into the circuit board (especially if self installed). Mine was not under warranty.
Peyvand Manavipour Thanks. That’s how it was installed by the original builder/HVAC company and I never touched it. The humidistat has worked perfectly since day 1.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial i didnt mean you did it, i have seen a lot of contractors do this way, but try to change it........yes it works, but it might make your board go bad. on the board, there should be PIN that is called HUM, it it is 110V then you need to use a transformer and the wires. one goes on each side of the transformer, and if it is 24v then one goes to HUM and one goes to C. just trying to help and prevent issues to the board.
Important for Ecobee3 lite users this is for Ecobee3 only,
Don't follow these instructions to installed Ecobee3 lite refer to attached manual since when connecting to thermostat and using the Power Extender
Kit (PEK) you need to connect G to C and Y to PEK first and then, connect any remaining wires to their corresponding terminal.
This comment should b highlighted at the top of this video. 💯
Watched the video and noticed that there MAY have been a 5th wire in your T-stat cable.
For those of you thinking about upgrading to Wi-Fi, have a close look at the "brown" T-stat cable. In many cases it may contain more than the 4 obviously visible wires (R,W,Y,G). Many have 5 or 6 wires contained within, BUT... the technician may have used only 4 for your particular T-stat model and cut the last wire short so it is out of the way. Remove some of the sheathing from the "brown" T-stat cable to see if there's a hidden 5th wire. If so, you can use that as your common. If not, follow this video as intended. Confirming a 5th wire before you purchase your new wi-fi T-stat may save you some money too !
Or sometimes there's simply an unused wire that exposed; i.e., no need to strip brown cable?
I see a blue and brown wire at the furnace and thermostat that are not connected to any terminals/screws (just cut short and rolled up). Can I connect the blue wire to C in the furnace and thermostat? Would that suffice my case? The R, W, Y and G wires are connected to the respective terminals as required
@@yogendra1734567u8i yes of course. If the wires are unused on both ends (is in the furnace circuit board area, as well as behind the thermostat, then go ahead. Good find!
It was pretty easy. I installed mine this morning in about 10 minutes into an air handler built in 1983. I don’t know if it’s the same for all applications, but in mine the old thermostat was battery powered so the C wire (24 volt AC) was absent so that is why the power extender is needed.
Good work, thank you for documenting this procedure. One thing I would add is that you should wire in the Humidistat wires into the ecobee and let it control everything. It also eleminates the need for a second panel. The ecobee 4 can do all of that stuff by itself. I know it wires to the ACC on the right side but I'm not sure yet how exactly.
Thank you. I wanted to do just that but my humidistat is right above the humidifier on the return air duct and the ecobee is upstairs. I couldn’t figure out how to connect the two without running another wire up. Let me know if you can figure this part out.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial If you don't have a wire running up by the ecobee then you will need to just run a wire up there. Humidity is important in how warm it feels. On a humid day it feels warmer outside because your sweat can't evaporate. That's why for a comfortable home and cost savings it's best to let the ecobee control your humidity. Home Depot can cut you the correct wire to length. The wire is very cheap (maybe 50cents/ft). You will need some "fish tape" which sells for about 15 bucks to pull the wire up to the wall. Find where the brown wire is running up the the ecobee (4 wires in your case which is why you needed the PEK). Remove the ecobee from the wall and feed the fish tape down into the hole behind the wall. Go back by the furnace and look for the fish tape. Attach the same wire from the humidstat (you will buy the same gauge/color wire from your local home depot/lowes) to extend it up. Attach the wire to the fish tape and feed it up. Now where do you attach it? I'm not sure. But it's on the right side somewhere. I think ACC+ but I'm not sure. Ecobee has a test feature so you can test each component by cycling it on(AC/Heat/Humidifer/fan) look for it in the settings somewhere. While you're at it change the humidifer filter as well by popping the cover off.
John Ames Thank you! I will see what I can do.
The cover plate is not to hide old wires but to help cover up paint if you’re old thermostat was bigger than the ecobee. When installing the wire module, you might want to have a pair of wire strippers to clean up old wires and strip new connections since old copper can break.
Thanks! I was having issues and this video corrected them. I appreciate the time!
Thanks for taking the time to create this very very helpful video
Keep in mind, do not rely on the colours as some installations do not have matching coloured wires to the letters shown. Pay more attention to the letters of the terminals and match those to the wires before you remove them.
Thank you saves me a trip as a installer lol
like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, ruclips.net/user/postUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....
The G wire is supposed to b in the C terminal on the thermostat. That’s part of what the PEK adapters does. U lose the ability to run ur fan separately after the conversion is complete.
I followed the instructions that came with it and it’s worked perfectly for 4 years.
Thank you for a very informative and detailed explanation. I'll be doing the same for my ecobee 4 installation...
Make sure to close the furnace cover otherwise most system will not boot!!! I missed this step and it drove me crazy
when you take the bottom cover off there is a switch that pops up. When the bottom cover is in place that switch is pushed in by the cover and activated. I know because I took mine off while the AC was running and it shut down.
My furnace must just be different than any other. Every video I have watched shows the wires from the thermostat go right to the board and held in place with the screws. With mine there is just a square plug with a pigtail plugged in and there is like 10 wires on the pigtail. More than half are not being used but it still makes it hard because of all the wires and they aren't labeled only colored and the thermostat wire is just hooked to the pigtail with wire nuts.
Mines like that too. Did you ever work around that?
Great video, lots of help!
Thanks homie i appreciate this I had the same problem lol have a great day
Great job, very helpful!
Very helpful video. Do you happen to know how you’d complete the install if you don’t have a C terminal on your furnace?
Egan Fo Sorry Egan. I do not know what to do in that case. Could it be there and just labeled something other than C? Maybe also reach out to Ecobee Support.
If you don't have a C terminal then you need to get a transformer - typically 110 to 24VDC adapter and then run the positive off that to the C line on the Ecobee.
Some of the ZTech HVAC controllers also have the C line, but the boards cut off power on furnance fireup and they state they cannot power the Ecobees. With those, you again have to get an adapter to power them.
I had to go through this. Ended up replacing my controller board.
Great video. Thank you for doing this......
I didn’t use the power extender which explains why it won’t turn on. I have replaced all my thermostats in a three zone baseboard heat. Do I only need to install one power extender on the burner circuit board to give power to all three?
That’s a great question but I am not sure if one PEK can be used to power 3 thermostats. Please check with ecobee.
I have a furnace and an outdoor a/c unit. Do I put powerpak on outdoor a/c unit or in furnace inside?
Inside furnace.
I don't have a terminal with those neat labels. Mine is just chaotic wiring with caps on them🤦🏾♂️😩🤦🏾♂️
You might need to have an electrician out who can do a tone test and figure out what’s what and get everything labeled for you. I feel your pain, I just spent last 2 hours installing in my house, which was built in the 50s
@@russog3 I ended up figuring it out. I just used a spare wire inside the existing cable to create a C wire and that was it.
@@crosses101 hello
I am also having the same issue. Is there any way you can demonstrate or share how did you do it?
@@piyushdhedhi4226 the C wire is basically another live wire so I just took power from the live wire over ro where the C wire should be. Been almost 2 yrs now and still going strong💪🏾
great video!
My furnace cycles to fast ...........Can I set it for a 15 min time delay?
What if your red wire is jumpered?
instead of a c terminal i have a B terminal on my furnace board. does that replace the c or same thing?
Good question. Unfortunately I am not sure on this one.
can I send the pic of my terminal
Sure you can but just a disclaimer...I'm not a professional installer.
Ju
very useful
Does that powersupply work with other smart thermostat or just ecobee3?
Very helpful. Thanks.
thank you
Is that possible which I didn’t have my Y wire from my circuit board
Yes it’s possible. Many different types and models of furnace boards. Possible it’s labeled different.
Where do you purchase the Extender KIT PEK?
Back when I bought mine there were two purchase options. One with the PEK and one without.
I have a problem! :( i bought the Ecobee3 Lite thermostat today. We were installing it and after this video we were able to connect it.... but.... the problem is the screen does not boot.... the A/C works fine (thank god) but the screen does not.... what could the problem be?
Please Help!!!
not enough voltage to run the screen or a faulty device? Contact customer support and see. Also try removing all your connections at the thermostat and reconnecting and the same at the circuit board at the unit. Likely you didn't push the wires all the way in at the thermostat. When they are in the notch is down. Double check all the wiring. Let us know if you figure it out and what the problem was in case this happens to someone else.
Are you using the Power Extender Kit in the installation of your Ecobee3 Lite? The wiring instructions are different to this video for the Ecobee3.
think I'll have to hire a electrician
So what is actually happening with the PEK? If you are connecting 5 wires down at the circuit board why aren't 5 wires needed all the way up? It's taking voltage from the 5th "c" common wire and combining it into the other 4? This way the unit has enough power to run the LCD display?? It's not really apparent and you didn't explain that part.
Yes exactly as far as I understand. But another viewer pointed out that there may have been a fifth wire hidden under the sheath that I may not have seen and may have been able to avoid the PEK altogether. I would have to open it all up again to look.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial I checked mine and it's definitely not a 5th wire hidden. The org installer used 18/4 wire (18gauge/4 conductors) What we want is 18/5 wire (18 gauge with 5 conductors). It sells for 50 cents a foot and is sold by the foot at home depot. It's all color coded so if you are going to go in to the circuit board anyway you might as well consider just buying the 18/5 thermostat wire for $10 bucks and just doing it that way. It works just as well either way but if you like things to be neat and proper it's the way to go. The only thing about that is you might need to purchase some "fish tape" or "fishing tape" which sells for about $15 to help pull the wire up to the wall by the thermostat.
John Ames I have fish tape. But thinking if I’m replacing the entire wire I can use the existing wire to pull the new one down or up instead of fishing a new one beside the old one.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial exactly, the wire is so cheap anyway get the 18/5 wire (50 cents a foot, get extra) and the correct gauge wire for the humidifier, attach the new 18/5 wire and the new extended wire for the humidistat and pull it all up from by the thermostat upstairs. If you figure out where to attach it let us know. It's either ACC+ or ACC- (right side of the ecobee panel). I bet you make up the cost for the new wire in savings from having the humidity adjusted by the ecobee. It's knows the outside humidity and temp so it adjusts based on that. No more foggy windows from too much humidity. No more dry skin from too little humidity.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial try asking on the ecobee reddit page. r/ecobee I'm sure someone has done this
Hi I like working can da help me
Does ecobee 3 lite also support humidifiers and HRV units?
3 lite does not. The 4 will.
Is humidifier or HRV control required though ecobee though. Thought the humidifier has it's own sensor and automatically senses when to add moisture to the air or when to turn it off. Same with the HRV.
Not required. My humidifier is also operating on its own control.
I see, do you have an HRV or ERV attached to an ecobee. Just trying to figure out if this is needed also and what the benefit would be.
I do not. Just using it for furnace and AC control. I think purpose would be to have full control of all HVAC units through one online device.
Please zoom, can't see labeling. You skipped thermostat wire labeling.
This is a pain in the ass installation. the Nest does not require a power extender. Why Ecobee went with this power extender baffles me.
Actually, the C wire is highly recommended to get constant power. The NEST has a built in battery which gets charged only when the Rh cable is on/when the furnace is on. So the NEST runs on that battery for the most part. Eventually problems will occur down the road because that battery will die out and there is no way to change the battery. Many HVAC pros DO NOT like NEST for many reasons, this being on of them.
(14:00) you DID NOT connect to RH...you connected to RC( 11:00)
That was my question too. Why does the display show Rh when Rc is clearly connected?
My fireplace only has 2 wires
in furnace, a thermostat wire???? you've already lost me.? Humidistat wire???
Does this void warranty of your furnace?
You’d have to check with your manufacturer. I would guess yes since you’re tapping into the circuit board (especially if self installed). Mine was not under warranty.
Your humidistat should not be connected to W and C - IT IS WRONG
Peyvand Manavipour Thanks. That’s how it was installed by the original builder/HVAC company and I never touched it. The humidistat has worked perfectly since day 1.
@@ShahbazKhanOfficial i didnt mean you did it, i have seen a lot of contractors do this way, but try to change it........yes it works, but it might make your board go bad. on the board, there should be PIN that is called HUM, it it is 110V then you need to use a transformer and the wires. one goes on each side of the transformer, and if it is 24v then one goes to HUM and one goes to C. just trying to help and prevent issues to the board.
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