Question

name 5 colors of wire that go to a thermostat and name what they control

Answer 1

.

Colour code of thermostat

1)White wires
2)Yellow wire
3)Green wires
4)Red wires
4a)Red or “Rc” wires: Industry standard for geothermal heat pumps.
4b)Rh wires: Industry standard for geothermal heat pumps
5)C wires

1)The White Wire

The white wire underneath your thermostat connects to your heating system. It terminates at your air handler or furnace. The white wire connects to terminal W in industry-standard thermostats.

2)Yellow Wires

The yellow wires underneath your thermostat connect to your compressor. They control your air conditioning system. The yellow wires terminate at your compressor contactor via an air handler. The yellow wires connect to the Y terminals on your thermostat.

3)The Green Wire

The green wire underneath your thermostat connects to the fan of your furnace or air handler. It terminates at the air handler or furnace. The green wire connects to terminal G on your thermostats.

4)Red wire

4a) Rc Wires

Red wires, specifically Rc wires, are responsible for 24-hour volt AC power from your transformer. Rc wires are only for air conditioning systems or dual transformer systems. Dual transformer systems refer to a setup with a cooling and heating transformer. These wires only connect to your cooling system. Rc wires connect to the RC terminals on your thermostat.

4b) Rh Wire

The Rh wire, another type of red wire, is also responsible for 24-hour volt power from your transformer. The Rh wire connects to your heating system as opposed to your cooling system. This wire may be red without an “H” attached to it, depending on if you have a dual transformer setup. The Rh wire connects to the RH terminal on your thermostat.

5) C wire

The c wire is an extra wire that can be used to provide a return path for continuous 24V power for any application. It’s normally used to provide a return path to power the thermostat.

The “c” stands for common. It is often labeled as “c” on thermostat backplates. Keep in mind that it is not necessarily labeled as c and the wire is not necessarily any particular color