Three Tips For Inspecting The Wires On A Broken Residential Thermostat

It can be very frustrating when your entire heating system shuts down or malfunctions just because you have a defective thermometer. Luckily, if you can't quite afford calling in a professional right now, you may be able to fix the problem just by looking for certain things on the thermometer's wires. Check out these three tips for inspecting the wires on a broken residential thermostat.

Use A Few Plastic Paperclips To Separate The Wires Out

It's almost impossible to work on the wires effectively if they're all mushed together. Your first task will be to separate all the wires by color; then, separate out each wire individually.

Plastic paperclips are ideal for this task because they can hold the wires securely while still being soft enough to guard against tears. Ideally, you should have some paperclips that are different colors to go with the different colored wires.

Use A Flashlight When You're Inspecting Each Wire For Tears

Tears capable of disrupting the electrical signals coming in and out of your thermometer can be much smaller than you imagine. Therefore, instead of using just your bare eyes and normal room light when you're inspecting the wires, obtain a pocket flashlight to get a closer and more detailed look.

Combining a flashlight with a magnifying glass will also allow you to root out any tiny bugs that could be crawling in and out of wire cracks to gnaw at the cables. However, to prevent overheating, it's important not to put a magnifying glass directly between the flashlight and the wires.

Only Inspect One Wire At A Time

The worst thing you can do is impair your task focus by trying to inspect more than one wire at a time. Multitasking here is also a great way to get two or more wires tangled in a terrible knot that only scissors can loosen.

When you want to inspect a particular wire, pull it as far out of the thermostat box as you can without putting pressure on its seam. If possible, get someone else to hold the wire with their fingertips while you use your flashlight. 

Carelessness here could mean more than higher HVAC maintenance costs: putting your finger on an exposed wire while the unit's on will give you a terrible shock. So if you decide to take on this job yourself, obtain the right tools and utilize all the caution you're capable of. For more information, contact contractors like AAA Home Services.


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