How to Reset A Thermostat After a Power Outage?
Every year, tens of millions of homes in the United States experience a power outage. Therefore, this is not something that should scare you. However, power outages can cause malfunctions in some electronic devices such as thermostats. If you had a power outage in your home and your thermostat stopped working, don’t worry. In this article, we’ll talk about this and how you can turn back on your thermostat. So, let’s start!
How to Reset A Thermostat After a Power Outage? Search for a reset button on your thermostat. If you can’t find it, use the owner’s manual. Press the ‘reset’ button and hold it for 10 seconds. If the thermostat runs on batteries, remove them and wait a few minutes, and then return them to the device. After that, thermostat should work normally.
In most cases, you should not have problems with any home devices after a power outage. However, if your thermostat stops working after a power outage and you can’t turn it back on with the tips we share above, then you’ll probably need to replace it.
Although the chances of that actually happening are very slim. If you want to learn more about turning on a thermostat after a power outage, keep reading.
Can a Power Outage Damage a Thermostat?
Smart thermostats, which are very popular today, have a lot of electronic components that can be sensitive to things like a surge or a power outage. Therefore, if a power outage happens, it can cause the device to stop working.
However, a surge is much more dangerous than a power outage because it can burn electric components in your device completely. Power outages usually just stop your device from working temporarily, and that’s it. Although a power surge occurs much less often than a power outage, it should be borne in mind that the thermostat can be damaged due to it.
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If you have an older thermostat model and a power outage occurs, this can also cause damage to the device. Generally, smart thermostats last about 10 years. New models of smart thermostats can work even when a power outage happens because they are powered by a battery.
How To Restart Your Thermostat After A Power Outage?
When the power is restored in your home after the power outage, the first thing that you need to do is to get your thermostat run again and bring your home temperature back to normal. However, to do this, you must follow some steps. Sometimes this process is simple, while sometimes, it is complicated. Below we will go through the steps you need to follow. So, let’s start!
1. Read the Manual Of Your Thermostat
Each thermostat is different, so it’s important to understand how it works. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can always use the owner’s manual or look for a guide online. Look how the restart is done, and make sure you remember each step that must be done.
2. Check Your Circuit Breaker
If your thermostat isn’t working after the power has been restored, the next thing that you must do is to look for a circuit breaker. Usually, the problem can be a blown fuse. If you notice that this is the problem, then you must replace it with the new one.
Each part of the house has its own electric circuit, and if blown fuse is in the part of the house where the thermostat is, then you will not have the power there. On the main control panel, you’ll notice that each fuse has a label for which room it is installed. After concluding that this is the right fuse, replace it with a new one (preferably the same model). Also, make sure other electronic devices in that room work. Contact professional electricity if you think that you can’t do this yourself.
3. Restart Your Thermostat
Restart is the last option you can do. Smart thermostats have a lot of features and settings, and each one has a reset button. However, there are two types of thermostats: those that are connected to a home electrical circuit (don’t use batteries), and those that are powered through batteries. For each of them, the restart procedure is different.
If you have a thermostat connected to the home grid, the reset button is usually located at the bottom of the thermostat. To do a restart, just press the button and hold it for 5 to 10 Seconds. After that, release the button and see if a restart is done.
If you have a thermostat that runs on batteries, the restarting procedure is a little bit different. First, you need to remove the batteries from the thermostat. Wait a few minutes (1 to 2 min), and return the batteries back. The thermostat should reset itself and turn on again afterward, and that’s it.
Thermostat Is Not Working Even After The Reset?
Smart thermostats, which are quite popular on the market today, consist of many electronic components and are very sensitive to sudden interruptions. Therefore, if a power outage happens, you must restart your device. But if that doesn’t work, be sure to do some of the following:
- Reset the thermostat to factory settings. Sometimes the thermostat needs to be completely restarted to factory settings in order for it to work.
- Replace the batteries. Sometimes the problem can be faulty batteries, which can be the source of the problem and need to be replaced.
- Clean your thermostat. After a long time, dust can accumulate on the thermostat, which needs to be cleaned.
- Open your thermostat. Sometimes the electronic components inside smart thermostats can become separated and need to be tightened again.
- Replace your thermostat. If you see that you have tried everything possible and nothing works, then the only solution is to replace the thermostat.
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Power outage is not something unusual, so you don’t need to worry when it happens. However, you should know what to do in that situation. Once power is restored to the house, all electronic devices, including the thermostat, should also return to their initial state. In case you don’t know what to do, it would be best to contact a professional.
For those who want to learn more, be sure to read What Is A Self-Grounding Outlet? (Explained).
FAQ: People Also Ask
What happens to the thermostat when the power goes out?
When the thermostat suddenly loses power, the only thing that is lost is the current time on the thermostat. However, when power is restored, the previous settings on the thermostat will also be restored. That’s because the thermostat has an internal memory where it stores the schedule.
How often should batteries be changed on digital thermostats?
Usually, batteries on digital thermostats last between six to eight months. This depends on the battery model. Always have a couple of spare batteries on hand in case you need to change them.
How long does a thermostat typically last?
Usually, modern smart thermostats tend to last about 10 years. Although the lifespan of the thermostat depends on many factors, it should be changed after ten years. When replacing the entire heating and cooling system, it is advisable to change the thermostat as well.
Final Thoughts
Since thermostats are an integral part of every house, it is necessary to know how to use them. Therefore, knowing how to turn your thermostat back on after a power outage is nothing that should be complicated. In most cases, you just need to turn on the thermostat, and that’s it.
However, there are situations where it is necessary to do much more than that. In this article, we have described what you need to do if you encounter the problem of restarting the thermostat. I hope we have helped you, and we are at your disposal for any additional questions.
