Even if your thermostat is connected to your home’s electrical grid, it probably has a battery. Thermostat batteries are a valuable backup system that helps you save your thermostat programming during a power outage. When your batteries go out, you might find that your thermostat goes blank or even quits working altogether. How do you fix this problem? Explore our guide to learn how to change thermostat batteries.
Figure Out If It’s Time to Change Your Batteries
Most modern thermostat manufacturers recommend that you replace batteries once a year. While there’s no harm in being proactive and replacing your batteries regularly, you might not need to replace them that often. Some systems can go up to five years before needing battery replacement.
Instead of replacing batteries on a strict schedule, you can just wait until you see a low battery warning. Most thermostats will send you a notification or have a small, blinking battery icon on the screen when the battery is low. If your battery has died, you might notice that your thermostat screen is entirely blank or your HVAC unit is no longer switching on.
Learn Which Batteries Your Thermostat Needs
When it’s time to replace your batteries, the first thing you should do is find the right batteries. Some homeowners just open their system and look at the battery currently in the thermostat. However, if the wrong battery was placed there in the past, this might not be accurate.
The most foolproof way to find the right batteries is to check your user manual. Look at the manual and see which batteries the manufacturer recommends. Most wall thermostats use standard AA or AAA batteries. However, some styles might use 9-volt batteries or 3-volt lithium batteries.
Turn Off Your Thermostat
Technically speaking, most thermostats do not need to be shut down before you change the batteries. Any wiring is sealed behind the wall plate of the thermostat, and you only need to open the external housing to reach the battery. However, even though there are no safety concerns associated with changing a thermostat’s batteries, it is still a good idea to turn off your thermostat before proceeding.
Shutting your thermostat system down ensures you don’t accidentally change your settings while replacing the batteries. Otherwise, it is very easy to bump buttons and program your thermostat to make unnecessary adjustments in the future.
Open Your Thermostat’s Housing
Once you have your batteries ready, it is time to open up your thermostat and locate the old battery. Thermostats have a plastic casing that wraps around the controls and protects the interior components, and you’ll need to lift it off to find where the battery is located.
For most homeowners, this is the most complicated part of changing a thermostat’s batteries. It is not overly technical or tricky, but every thermostat model is different. If possible, check your thermostat’s user manual to see how to open the thermostat. You can also look up the model number online and get advice. Depending on the type of thermostat you have, opening the housing might involve one or more of the following methods.
- Firmly pulling the front of the thermostat away from the wall
- Pressing a button on the side and pulling the front of the thermostat away from the wall
- Sliding the front of the thermostat to the side, top, or bottom of the wall plate
- Swing the front of the thermostat away from the hinged side
- Twisting off the cover on a round thermostat
- Pressing a button and swiveling the back of the thermostat outwards
Remove and Dispose of the Old Batteries
Now that you can see where the batteries sit inside the thermostat’s housing, they will be easier to remove. Some people will be able to use their fingers to gently pull the old battery out. If that does not work with your model, you can use a small screwdriver with a flat end to pop the batteries out of the housing. It can also be helpful to press the battery in the direction of the spring holding it into place.
If your thermostat uses standard alkaline batteries, you can throw them away in the trash. However, if your thermostat uses lithium batteries, these are recyclable. To recycle them, you just need to drop them off at a city-run recycling center. You can place your batteries in a plastic or cardboard container until you have time to recycle them.
Put the New Batteries in the Proper Position
You can now pick up your new batteries and place them inside the thermostat. To function properly, they need to be placed in the proper position. Most thermostats are designed so that the battery’s positive terminal faces upwards. However, some may use slightly different designs, so check carefully.
Usually, the thermostat will have a small diagram that shows you the correct way to position the batteries. It might also have a small plus and minus symbol representing how you should orient the batteries.
Remount Your Thermostat
With the batteries back in your thermostat, you can reattach your thermostat to the wall plate. Remounting the thermostat usually just requires doing the opposite of whatever you did to remove the housing. For example, if you have a model that pulls away from the wall, push it firmly back against the wall plate.
Many types of thermostat housing will contain several small pins along the back. These fit into little notches on the wall plate, and to keep your thermostat running properly, they need to click into place. As you remount your thermostat, make sure you are carefully aligning the small posts with the wall plate. Keep pushing until you feel a slight click, and the thermostat sits securely on the wall without wiggling or slanting.
Turn Your Thermostat on and Check Your Settings
Now that everything is back in place, the last thing you need to do is switch your thermostat back on. Check the screen to see whether the display is on and make sure the display is no longer showing a low battery warning. As long as the battery symbol is not blinking, your thermostat should be properly powered.
You should also check your settings to ensure you did not accidentally bump anything while changing your thermostat’s batteries. Make sure it’s correctly set on heating or cooling mode, and look to see if it is set to the right temperature. Once all of this is done, your thermostat should run smoothly without requiring additional maintenance for quite a while.
As you can see, changing thermostat batteries is usually a quick and easy maintenance task. If changing the batteries doesn’t get your system running properly, turn to Mackey Services. Our technicians can solve a variety of other problems that aren’t fixed by changing batteries. In addition to thermostat repairs, we also service a variety of other heating, cooling, and electrical systems in Dickinson and throughout the Houston region. To learn more about Mackey Services, give us a call today.
