It is crucial to understand your home HVAC system in order to Install and set up the Ecobee 3 Lite. So, to start with first you need to make sure your system is compatible with ecobee3. This will take around 5-10 minutes. So let’s begin-

Checking the compatibility of the Heating/Cooling System

 First and foremost you will need to turn off the HVAC system. This is a very important step for your own safety so make sure you do it properly.  Next, we recommend you remove the thermostat and then click a picture of the wires so that you know which wire was fitted where.

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Now if you see any labels which say “High voltage”, “110, 120, or 240 V”, L1- L2, then unfortunately your HVAC system is not compatible with the Ecobee 3. On the other hand, if you don’t then your system is compatible and you can move on to the next step.

If you have 2 sets of Wire Labels

Now if you see two label connectors in your thermostat then one is for conventional furnace and air conditioning and the second one is for the heating system. So it is important to understand your system before setting up the Ecobee 3 as this will prevent your system from malfunctioning.

• You can also use Google to search for the make and model number of your system to understand which one you are using. You can recognize your unit as a heating pump system if the unit outside is heating and cooling at home.

• If your system has an Electrical Air Strip then your system Heat pump.
• A white wire means a conventional system in most cases. An orange wire means that you have a heat pump system.
• Plus it has been observed in most southern states like Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, etc have a Heat Pump System.
• Once you know which system you are using then you can continue with the setup ahead.

Thermostat wire system with no labels

Now it is possible the labels on your connector might have faded over time. Or maybe you are still using the older two-wire system. So, we still need to understand all the wiring properly before setup. For this, we recommend you check all the wires available on the “System Control Board”. 

Once you have noted down all the wires then you should use the Ecobee compatibility checker to start the installation process.

What to do with Unused Wires

So if you see some of the wires coming out of the wall not connected to your earlier thermostat. Then we recommend you not connect those wires to the Ecobee 3 lite. 

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To run the Ecobee thermostat it needs power which can be given by a C-wire connection or Power extender kit. If you see no wire is connected to the C connector on the previous thermostat, then use another wire as a C wire. Plus make sure on your System’s Control Board you connect the same C-wire.

If you see Jumper wires in the Connector

You do not need to connect any Jumper wires to the Ecobee thermostat. If you see a short wire called jumper wire connecting your old thermostat then don’t connect them to the new Ecobee. So this is an important thing to remember.

How to differentiate between If B wire is C or Common wire

First and foremost make sure not to connect the common wire in any other connector other than C. If your older thermostat had B wire then it will go into the O/B connector on the new Ecobee. Be cautious as some models of thermostats have B as a common wire.

To understand the system better check the Control System Board

First, make sure you turn off the system, only then we recommend you to touch it. In case you are not sure how to do it we recommend you turn off the main switch of the house. You might have to unscrew the panel to reach the control system board.

Now take a picture of the wiring as this will help you to put the things in place as it is in case you mess up something. By comparing the wiring on the control system board and thermostat you will be able to pretty much understand which wire does what. And this way you can easily make out what type of HVAC system you are using.

Conclusion

After this, you simply need to connect the right wires to Ecobee and begin the setup. After setup, you can also enable voice commands for Ecobee. Check here on how to connect ecobee3 to Alexa.