Check the thermostat display for cooling, usually indicated by the words “cool on” or a snowflake icon. If these icons are flashing, the thermostat is in delay mode, which can last up to 5 minutes. This delay protects your equipment from short cycling.
The thermostat has a built-in 5 minute delay to protect your equipment. If “wait” is in the screen or “cool on” is flashing – wait 5 minutes for the system to safely respond.
When your heating or cooling turns on and off frequently it can use more energy and may increase wear on your system. To help prevent this, your Nest thermostat will wait to turn on your system. This delay is commonly called the maintenance band, differential, or temperature swing.
For most Honeywell Thermostats, the Wait feature will keep the HVAC system compressor from running for five minutes. This is perfectly normal, and the problem should quickly address itself.
Your furnace should start up within five minutes of you turning on your thermostat. Period. End of story. No exceptions.
Honeywell Thermostat Reset
Power off the thermostat and remove the batteries. Put the batteries in the wrong way, with negative to positive and positive to negative. Wait ten seconds and put them back in the correct way. Your thermostat will be reset to factory settings.
If these icons are flashing, the thermostat is in delay mode, which can last up to 5 minutes. This delay protects your equipment from short cycling. If the thermostat is set for cool, verify that the furnace door is securely closed and that the furnace's power switch is set to On.
Some of the most common thermostat issues include:
The thermostat is broken, not properly level, or dusty. The thermostat needs to be recalibrated. There is loose wiring causing a thermostat issue.
When the sensor isn't working correctly, it may cycle on and off randomly between proper activation periods causing your home to be either too hot or too cold due to the thermostat switching on and off before the correct temperature is met.
These are temporary holds and permanent holds. A temporary hold will keep the HVAC system set to the held temperature for a temporary period of time of less than 12 hours or until the hold is cancelled. A permanent hold will keep the HVAC system set to the held temperature permanently, until the hold is cancelled.
This message appears when the thermostat detects a disruption in the power supply, which could be due to various reasons such as a power outage, a temporary loss of connection, or issues with the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system.
Check the configuration of the thermostat to make sure it is controlling the equipment properly. Verify that the thermostat is wired correctly. Make sure all of the wires are secure and in the correct terminals. Make sure the voltages are between 18 and 30 VAC or 20 and 30 VAC depending on the thermostat model.
Thermostats with the Delayed Start function have been shown to reduce heating costs by as much as 10%. This feature delays the start-up of the heating, depending on how warm the room temperature is at the time when the central heating is due to come on.
Permanent Hold – Adjust the temperature setting on your thermostat display. A “HOLD UNTIL” message will appear, followed by the time of the next schedule change. Touch the HOLD UNTIL message and 2 new messages will appear, PERMANENT HOLD and RUN SCHEDULE. Touch PERMANENT HOLD to keep the new setting permanently.
The thermostat's connection to the furnace and AC unit may become disconnected. Or the wiring from the thermostat to the units could short out. In other words, your thermostat may be in “cool” mode, but their furnace and AC unit have no way of knowing that. This can trigger the heater to turn on.
Cooling a house from 80 to 72 degrees is a common goal for many, especially during the peak of summer. On average, this process takes roughly two and a half to three and a half hours.
This delay can be up to five minutes under normal operating conditions. A delay is used to protect your heating and cooling equipment from coming on too quickly (known as short cycling), which can cause damage.
If the temperature is set to 74°F but the thermometer shows 78°F, you will have to recalibrate the thermostat to account for this 4-degree deviation. Even with older AC units or furnaces, you might have to recalibrate your thermostat from time to time.
If it's not on a schedule and it's having a hard time satisfying the temperature set, double check your filter (sometimes dirty filters can be a main issue), as well as the batteries in your thermostat.
First, check your filters and coils for dirt and debris that may be impeding airflow. Once you've cleaned the filters and coils, run the air conditioner with just the fan so that the ice accumulation can melt off. If the AC still doesn't blow cold air, it could be that refrigerant levels are too low.
A bad thermostat can be detected when your AC or furnace is not turning on, your HVAC systems are not turning off, the thermostat not responding, your HVAC system is short-cycling, the room temperature not matching the temperature displayed on the thermostat, and the programmed setting resetting themselves.
The average lifespan of a Honeywell thermostat is typically around 10-20 years, depending on various factors such as usage, maintenance, and environmental conditions. With proper care and regular servicing, a Honeywell thermostat can last even longer.
What is this wait message? The wait message means the thermostat is in time delay mode. However it should be gone in 5 minutes or so unless there is a conflict with the controls. Has it worked in cooling before or is this a new thermostat?
Test The Honeywell Thermostat Settings
To try and solve the problem, turn on the heat setting and crank the temperature up to see if the system does anything. If it does power on, you're in luck. Now it's time to test your air conditioning. Change your thermostat to the cool setting and turn the fan to auto.