If you’re experiencing some technical problems with your Venstar thermostat, one of the tables below can be helpful. Here, you can find the troubleshooting instructions for a few popular Venstar thermostat models. A manual will help you to define the problems and possible reason of failure and fix the technical issues on your own.
| SYMPTOM: | CAUSE: | REMEDY: |
|---|---|---|
| The slide switches on the thermostat are very difficult to move | The backplate of the thermostat is screwed too tightly into a wall that is not perfectly flat | Loosen the screws holding the thermostat into the wall |
| The Air Conditioning does not attempt to turn on | The cooling setpoint is set too high, the Mode Switch is not set for Cool, the batteries are too weak, or the Aux. Heat Switch is set for Emergency | |
| The fan does not turn on even though the compressor has energized | The Fan Switch is not completely in the On or Auto position | Slide the Fan Switch firmly into the On or Auto position |
| Aux Heat does not turn on | The Aux Heat Switch is set for Lockout. | |
| The Heating does not attempt to turn on | The heating setpoint is set too high, the Mode Switch is not set for Heat, the batteries are too weak, or the Aux Heat Switch is set for Emergency. |
| Problem | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Thermostat does not respond to Off commands. | Did not “link to off’ | |
| LED won’t come On. | Difficulty viewing LED | Turn off room lights. |
| Hold a piece of white paper at a 45-degree angle up against wall just below the thermostat. This will act as a reflector making the LED must easier to see. | ||
| Thermostat won’t add to scene as a responder. | The controller may have dropped out of linking mode or linked to another device. | Try relinking thermostat to the controller. |
| The INSTEON signal may not be getting to the “vicinity” of thermostat. | Make sure phases are bridged, Add additional INSTEON devices and/or move around existing INSTEON devices. | |
| Large appliances, such as refrigerators or air conditioners, may be producing electrical noise on the powerline. | Install a powerline noise filter (FilterLinc #1626-10) to filter electrical noise and minimize signal attenuation. | |
| Other electrical devices, such as computers, televisions or power strips, may be absorbing the INSTEON signal. | ||
| Thermostat is taking a long time to respond to a controller. | The controller may be sending commands to a responder that is no longer in use. Commands for the unused responder are being resent and loading down the signal. | Unlink any unused responders from the controller. |
| HINT: If you are using home automation software such as HouseLinc, you can easily check scene membership and eliminate unnecessary links. | ||
| If the above doesn’t work, perform a factory reset on the controller. | ||
| Thermostat changed “all by itself.” | Another controller, a timer or stray X10 signals could have triggered thermostat. | Monitor for recurrence and remove reason if you can determine what it is. If necessary perform a factory reset |
| Thermostat is locked up. | Excessive RF noise on may have caused a lock-up. | Remove power to thermostat (by removing LCD “panel” from the back panel connected to the wall), wait 10 seconds and replace. |
| Perform a factory reset. |
| SYMPTOM: | CAUSE: | REMEDY: |
|---|---|---|
| The air conditioning does not attempt to turn on | The cooling setpoint is set too high | lower the cooling setpoint limit |
| The heating does not attempt to turn on | The heating setpoint is set too low | raise the heating setpoint limit |
| When controlling a residential heat pump, and asking for cooling, the heat comes on | Heat pump is not selected “on” in the Advanced Setup | Select heat pump on during Advanced Setup programming |
| When calling for cooling, both the heat and cool come on | The Advanced Setup is configured to control a heat pump, and the hvac the thermostat is controlling is a “conventional” (non heat pump) system | turn off the heat pump |
| SYMPTOM: | CAUSE: | REMEDY: |
|---|---|---|
| The thermostat touchscreen buttons are not responsive | The touchscreen is out of calibration | Remove the thermostat from the backplate. Push the thermostat back onto the backplate, while keeping your finger pressed firmly against the center of the touchscreen, until the Calibration screen appears. Re-calibrate the touchscreen |
| The display is blank | Lack of proper power | Make sure the power is on to the HVAC and that you have 24vac between R & C. |
| The air conditioning does not attempt to turn on | The cooling setpoint is set too high | Lower the cooling setpoint or lower the cooling set-point limit |
| The heating does not attempt to turn on | The heating setpoint is set too low | Raise the heating setpoint or raise the heating set-point limit. |
| When controlling a residential heat pump, and asking for cooling, the heat comes on | The thermostat reversing valve dip switch is set for “B” | Set the reversing valve jumper for “O” |
| When calling for cooling, both the heat and cool come on | The thermostat equipment dip switch is configured for “HP” and the HVAC unit is a Gas/Electric | Set the equipment dip switch for “Gas” |
| Air handler control board fuse blows when thermostat is attached to backplate with power on, but does not blow until the thermostat is placed onto the backplat | The Outdoor sensor and/or sensor wiring is shorted | Check/replace Outdoor sensor and/or sensor wiring |
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The air conditioninq does not attempt to turn on | The compressor timer lockout mav prevent the air conditioner from turning on, for a period of time | |
| The display is blank | Lack of proper power | Make sure power is turned on to the furnace and that you have 24vac between R & W. If C is used, 24vac between R & C |
| The air conditioning does not attempt to turn on | The cooling setpoint is set too high | |
| The heating does not attempt to turn on | The heating setpoint is set too low | |
| When controlling a residential heat pump, and asking for cooling, the heat comes on | The thermostat reversing valve jumper is set for “b”. | Set the reversing valve jumper for “0”. |
| When calling for cooling, both the heat and cool come on | The thermostat equipment jumper is configured for “HP” and the HVAC unit is a Gas/Electric | Set the equipment jumper for “Gas” |